Mughal prince Akbar was at Kalanaur about 22 km from Gurdaspur when he received the sad news of the sudden demise of his father Humayun at Delhi. This is the town where he was proclaimed as the emperor of Hindustan on 14 February, 1556 CE. At that time, he was only 13 years 4 months old. The coronation was celebrated on a masonry platform, now known as the Takht-I-Akbar. It is a simple platform on brick coated with plaster. A tank 4.2 Sq.m and 1.4 m deep in the centre of the platform added to its beauty. The water of this tank overflowed down the scalloped chutes of red painted plaster into four miniature reservoirs below the platform. A flight of steps on either side of the chutes, lead up to the platform.
In view of its historical importance, it was declared protected as a monumentof national importance vide Notification No. 11908 dated 15-04-1920.