The Gateway leading to Akbar's Mausoleum, Sikandra, Uttar Pradesh

The Mughal Emperor Akbar died in 1605. His tomb was built during the reign of his son and successor, Jahangir, at Sikandra, eight miles to the north-west of Agra and named after the earlier Delhi Sultan, Sikander Lodi. The tomb was completed in 1612 to an unusual design: the domeless top of it is just visible in this view, glimpsed through the trees. The gateway in front is of a much more customary Mughal type, comparable to the later gate before the Taj Mahal (see lot 50). But even here, an unconventional touch is provided by the white minarets rising from the corners of the roof. Their truncated tops as depicted here pose a problem: it is not entirely clear whether they were left incomplete or later suffered damage. The Daniells add weight to the latter, more likely, theory: they reported that 'originally they were crowned with turrets, which have been destroyed by lightning' (Oriental Scenery). Today they are intact, as they were restored (or completed) by Lord Curzon.
The Daniells reached Sikandra from Agra on 25 January 1789, after a two-hour early morning march. They found the road littered with sketchable scenes: 'The whole put one in mind of the Appian Way on account of the numerous remains of considerable buildings'. But if they found this frustrating, there was consolation at Sikandra: 'Un[cle] employed the Whole day drawing the Gate (in the Camera) leading to the tomb of Akbar' (Journal). In the foreground they have included the tents of the military company they had joined, and the scene is animated with officers, sepoys and servants.