48 GARDENS OF THE PLAINS AGRA 



on a wide platform, stands the mausoleum, on 

 each side of which are tanks with central 

 fountains supplying the water for the narrow 

 canals which once ran down the centre of the 

 raised stone pathways. The mausoleum was 

 commenced by Akbar himself. Mr. Havell, in 

 his book on Agra, draws attention to the fact 

 that " It is different in plan from any other 

 Mughal monument, and, contrary to the usual 

 Mohammedans' custom, the head of the tomb of 

 Akbar is turned towards the rising sun, and not 

 towards Mecca. The whole structure gives the 

 impression of a noble but incompleted idea ; 

 both in its greatness and in its incompleteness, 

 it is typical of Akbar and his work." The tomb 

 of India's greatest Emperor fitly combines both 

 Hindu and Moslem traditions. Even the present 

 park of grass and scattered trees, crossed by the 

 raised stone walks, preserves in bare outline 

 something of the garden's ancient symbolism. 



Numerous fine mausoleums, or their ruins, 

 lie scattered round the three great Mughal 

 capitals, Agra, Delhi, and Lahore, some of which 

 still retain their enclosing garden walls. These 

 garden-tombs were a great feature of Moslem 

 art. It was customary for the Mughal princes 



