Which of the following Mughal tombs deviates from the typical square ‘hasht-bihisht’ (eight-part) layout?

Question

Which of the following Mughal tombs deviates from the typical square ‘hasht-bihisht’ (eight-part) layout?

1. A. Humayun’s Tomb
2. B. Akbar’s Tomb (Sikandra) (Correct answer)
3. C. Itimad-ud-Daulah
4. D. Safdarjung’s Tomb

Correct Answer

Option B — Akbar’s Tomb (Sikandra)

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Akbar’s Tomb (Sikandra).

Key Points

• Most great Mughal tombs — Humayun's Tomb, Itimad-ud-Daulah, Safdarjung's Tomb — follow the square 'hasht-bihisht' (eight-part paradise) plan around a central chamber.
• Akbar's Tomb at Sikandra, Agra breaks the pattern: it is a five-storeyed pyramidal structure of red sandstone, with the true grave in a crypt below, blending styles rather than repeating the Persian layout.
• When a question asks which monument 'deviates', recall Sikandra first — it is the standard exception cited for Mughal tomb architecture.