About Gateways of Akbar Tomb:
The tomb of Akbar has four gateways facing four different directions, with southern gateway as the main entrance and other three built just for the ornamental purposes. The northern gateway was struck by lightning some years ago and is in ruins now. It was built in red sandstone and was decorated using mosaic and stuccowork, inlaying and painting. The eastern and the western gateways are almost identical in their construction. Both of them are multi-storeyed and have a central iwan (portal) flanked by wings on the sides. These gateways sport two beautiful kiosks onn the top and two miniature chhatris on the turrets. They are also adorned with beautiful carvings, stucco, inlay and mosaic work. However, it is the southern gateway or the main entrance of the tomb, which is the most magnificent one. This double-storeyed gateway has a central archway with wings on the side having two arched recesses one over the other. The arched roof crowns the central iwan. Like all the other gateways, it is also built in red sandstone but has richer ornamentation work on it. Inlay and arabesque work in white marble lend a unique grand look to this gateway. Four white marble minarets on the four corners of the southern gateway lend it a royal look. All of these minarets are built in four tiers that diminish in diameter to the top and are crowned by chhatri.
General Information about Akbar Tomb:
Location: Agra
State: Uttar Pradesh
Capital: Lucknow
Language: Hindi, English
Temperature: Max 42˚C, Min 27˚C (summer), Max 26˚C, Min 14˚C (winter)
Best Season: October to February
How to Reach Akbar Tomb:
By Air:
Agra airport is 7 km from the city centre and 3 km from Idgah bus stand and is connected by domestic flights from major Indian cities. There are daily round trip flights from Delhi to Agra, Khajuraho, and Varanasi, with a return to Delhi. It takes only about 40 minutes from Delhi to Agra.
By Road:
Agra is about 204 km from Delhi, the capital of India. There is an excellent national highway connecting Delhi and Agra and it is only a 4 hours drive from Delhi. There are many luxury taxis and buses that drive to Agra everyday. Idgah and Agra Fort are the main bus stands of Agra from where anybody can catch buses to and from or Delhi, Jaipur, Mathura and Fatehpur-Sikri.
By Rail:
Agra is well connected by rail to Delhi, Varanasi and cities of Rajasthan. The main railway station is the Agra Cantonment station. There are many trains connecting Delhi and Agra like Shatabdi, Rajdhani, Taj Express and luxury trains like the Palace on Wheels.