This unique red sandstone tomb was built in the memory of Mughal emperor Akbar's wife, Mariam-uz-Zamani Begum, also known as Hira Kunwari, Harka Bai or, most popularly, Jodha Bai. She was originally a Rajput princess, and was the first Rajput wife of emperor Akbar. While the Mughal ruler already had several other wives before he married her, she went on to become the mother of the heir to the Mughal throne, Jehangir. Jodha Bai was also referred to as the Queen Mother of Hindustan during Akbar’s reign as well as during the reign of her son, Jehangir.

The longest-serving Hindu empress in the history of the Mughal empire, she holds a significant position in the medieval history of India. Her marriage to emperor Akbar, while marking a radical step in terms of a cross-religion alliance, also marked the beginning of a gradual shift in Akbar’s religious as well as social principles and, subsequently, policy. As such, she holds the distinction of being a symbol of the Mughal empire’s religious tolerance during the reigns of her husband and her son, as well as its inclusive, egalitarian policies during the period. Her mausoleum lies barely a kilometre away from Akbar’s tomb in Sikandra, and is located near Fatehpur Sikri. It was built by emperor Jehangir in 1623.