A red ‘Taj Mahal’ for John Hessing by his Wife Anne Hessing

The tomb of John Hessing, is a still more amazing structure, being a duplicate, in red sandstone, of the famous Taj Mahal. The tomb, which was finished in or about the time of the British triumph, bears an engraving in great English, putting forward that the perished colonel was a Dutchman, who kicked the bucket Commandant of Agra, in his multi year, 21 July 1803, just before Lake's fruitful attack of the place. The Tomb was worked by John Hessing's better half, Alice.

Hessing was born in Utrecht, Holland, in 1739, and came to India as a 24-year-age. He served under the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Marathas, and was later given the direction of the initial two regiments of the recently raised Scindia armed force. Hessing's tomb is situated in the Padretola, or Padresanto, a Christian burial ground in Agra.

After the death of Maharaja Mahadaji Scindia, he kept on serving under Maharaja Daulat Rao Scindia. When he could never again effectively serve because of sick wellbeing, Hessing was made the Commandant of Agra Stronghold by Scindia. He kicked the bucket in 1803 and was covered in the Roman Catholic Graveyard in Nehru Nagar, Agra.

This tomb remains on a square stage which is 11-1/4 feet high and 58 feet side, containing a sepulcher with the genuine grave and passageway around it. Twin stairways are additionally appended to it on the western of the favor a stage.

It is essentially a Mughal design. Small towers are attached to the central iwan-frame. They are crowned by pinnacles. Square turrets, 2 feet side are attached to the corner of the tomb. These have vertical flutes and are surrounded by beautiful square chhatris. The tomb is roofed by a double dome, crowned by mahapadma (Sheath of lotus petals) and Kalash finial. With pinnacles and chhatris of the turrets, it makes up a perfect superstructure. The interior is square chamber 17-3/4 feet side with ribs and panels soffit.

The Cenotaph bears an inscription in English. As a whole, it is perfectly balanced and beautiful building and rightly called “The Taj in Miniature”. This is, in fact, the most beautiful tomb of a European in Agra and probably in India. Though a Dutch tomb, it belongs, in letter and spirit to Agra and to the art of the Jamuna-Chambal region. It marks continuance of Mugal ‘ideas’ feelings and skills in the 19th century A.D.