Mariam-uz-Zamani's Tomb, Sikandra (Agra)

Mariam's Tomb is the resting place of Akbar's Rajput queen and Jahangir's mother, a short walk from Akbar's Tomb at Sikandra. Here are its history, ASI timings and entry fees.

Mariam's Tomb stands on the left side of the Agra–Mathura road at Sikandra, very close to the west of Akbar's Tomb. It holds the remains of Mariam-uz-Zamani, the Rajput princess of Amer who married Akbar in 1562 and was the mother of Emperor Jahangir. The building is older than its role as a tomb. ASI records that it was built in 1495 by Sikandar Lodi as a pleasure pavilion (baradari). After Mariam-uz-Zamani died in 1623, additions and renovations turned it into her tomb.

The ground floor has about forty chambers from the Lodi period, and faint traces of paintings survive on their plastered walls. Her remains lie at the centre of this floor. The facades were veneered with red sandstone, cut into many panels carved in low relief with geometric patterns. Each corner carries an ornamental octagonal tower crowned by a pavilion on slender pillars. On the upper storey, the marble cenotaph and its replica are open to the sky.

The tomb stands in a garden reached by a long paved walkway, and it sees far fewer visitors than the monuments in the city centre. UP Tourism's ticket chart lists it as a ticketed monument, and ASI gives its hours as sunrise to sunset daily. It pairs naturally with a visit to Akbar's Tomb, about a kilometre away. Allow 30–45 minutes.