"Tomb of Mariam (Akbar's mother). Completely Hidden and lowkey, almost no crowd on weekdays, very tranquil place to sit or walk and enjoy the birds chirping. It's very close to Akbar's Tomb, just across the same road, 50-100m inside in the left.
You have to take the ticket online (there is a counter here, but the guy sitting there will tell you the same thing 🤣)."

Pratyush

"Sometimes, the most memorable places aren’t the ones on every postcard — they’re the ones you stumble upon, tucked away from the chaos of traffic and tour groups. That’s exactly how I felt visiting Mariam’s Tomb in Agra. No crowds. No rush. Just birdsong, early morning sun, and the slow, graceful unfolding of Mughal history.

It’s a little tricky to find — the road leading up to it is narrow and a bit bumpy, and honestly, not many locals seemed to know about it when I asked for directions. But that almost added to its hidden-gem charm. When I finally reached the gates, I was greeted by stillness — not the eerie kind, but the kind that wraps around you like a shawl. Peaceful, understated, and timeless.

The tomb belongs to Mariam-uz-Zamani, also known as Harka Bai — a Rajput princess from Amber (modern-day Jaipur), and one of the most important women in the Mughal Empire. She was the wife of Emperor Akbar and the mother of Jahangir (Salim), and yet, her tomb is devoid of the pomp and spectacle that marks other royal Mughal monuments. And that’s what makes it even more touching — there’s quiet dignity here, an elegance that doesn’t shout.

Interestingly, this wasn’t always a tomb. It was originally a pleasure pavilion built by Sultan Sikander Lodi in 1495 AD, well before the Mughals arrived. It was only in 1623 AD, during Jahangir’s reign, that the structure was transformed into a tomb for his mother. The original baradari (12-doored pavilion) now houses over 40 chambers on the ground floor, many with faint remnants of painted plaster walls — ghostly, but beautiful in their decay.

The central cenotaph of Mariam rests on the ground floor, but climb up to the upper level, and you’ll find a marble cenotaph open to the sky, as if deliberately designed to invite the heavens in.

The architecture is classic Mughal but not overbearing — red sandstone façades, adorned with finely carved geometric patterns, and topped with octagonal corner towers, each crowned with delicate chhatris (pavilions). It’s restrained, tasteful, and deeply harmonious with the lush gardens that surround it.

I went in the early morning, and I highly recommend you do the same. The sunrise light hits the sandstone just right, giving it a soft, amber glow. The only sounds were my footsteps, the rustle of trees, and the occasional cooing of pigeons.

What struck me most was how well-maintained the site was, despite being relatively unknown. It felt like a little slice of forgotten history, lovingly preserved for those who take the trouble to look for it. I spent nearly an hour just sitting under one of the shady trees, reading and soaking in the atmosphere.

But a word of caution: While the monument's remoteness and quiet is its greatest aspect, please be aware of people, especially young adult boys, hanging around the inside of the monument in small groups, apparently doing nothing much. I found one such group sitting on the stairs leading to the tomb in the basement, and there was something about them I did not like, because of which I did not go ahead and went out instead. If you are with family, especially young children, women or girls, I would suggest you err on the side of caution, despite there being 1-2 guards I saw at the entrance to the monument."

Aditya Malaviya

"The tomb of Mariam-uz-Zamani (Akbar's wife who is sometimes mistakenly called Jodha Bai) located in Agra. During the Lodi period, it was an open baradari on which the tomb was later constructed. This structure holds an important place in domeless architecture in which a wonderful combination of chhajjas, chhatris and toras has been done."

Rajiv Ranjan