About 15km northwest of Agra, Sikandra is synonymous with the vast tomb of the Mughal emperor Akbar (asiagracircle.in/other-tick.html; adult/under 15yr ₹310/free). Guarded by four towering gateways featuring some of the most ornate marble-on-sandstone inlays in India, Akbar's final resting place is an almost unadorned chamber at the heart of a monument topped by neat rows of arches rather than a grand, show-stopping dome.
Less visited than the Taj, Agra Fort or Fatehpur Sikri, it's a serene spot to contemplate an emperor who was at once tolerant and merciless, who pushed India to the heights of artistic refinement and conquered kingdom after kingdom, yet died from a common stomach bug at 63. The graves of some of Akbar's wives and children lie in similarly plain spaces behind jali screens on either side of the passage to the emperor's grave.
Circle the palm-lined water features around the tomb then check out the lavishly adorned Kanch Mahal hunting lodge nearby and the ruined Lodhi-era mausoleum outside the mausoleum walls.
To get here from Agra, catch a bus (45 minutes) headed to Mathura from Bijli Ghar bus stand; they go past the mausoleum. Or else take an autorickshaw or an Ola taxi.
