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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2017}}
{{Infobox historic site
| name = Bibi Ka Maqbara
| image =
The Tomb of Dilras Banu Begum.jpg
| location = [[Aurangabad]], [[Maharashtra]], [[India]]
| elevation =
| architect = [[Ataullah Rashidi|Ata-ullah]], Hanspat Rai
| architecture = [[Mughal architecture]]
| coordinates = {{coord|19.90151|75.320195|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin = Maharashtra #India
| map_caption = Location in Maharashtra, India
| visitation_num =
| visitation_year =
}}The 'Bibi ka Maqbara'(English: "Tomb of the Lady"<ref name="Lach">{{cite book |last=Lach |first=Donald F. |title=Asia in the Making of Europe : Volume III, the Century of Advance |author2=Kley, Edwin J. Van |publisher=University of Chicago Press |year=1998 |isbn=9780226467672 |edition=Pbk. |page=738}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |author=Rupani, Bob |title=India's 100 best destinations |year=2018 |isbn=9788192526201 |oclc=1027216185}}</ref>) is a tomb located in [[Aurangabad]], [[Maharashtra]], [[India]]. It was commissioned in 1660 by the [[Mughal empire|Mughal emperor]] [[Aurangzeb]]'s son prince Azim Shah in the memory of his loving mother [[Dilras Banu Begum]] (posthumously known as Rabia-ul-Durrani).<ref>{{cite book |last=Lach |first=Donald F. |title=Asia in the Making of Europe : Volume III, the Century of Advance |author2=Kley, Edwin J. Van |publisher=University of Chicago Press |year=1998 |isbn=9780226467672 |edition=Pbk. |page=738}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Eraly |first=Abraham |title=The Mughal world: India's tainted paradise |publisher=Weidenfeld & Nicolson |year=2008 |pages=376}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=19 February 2011 |title=The Taj of Deccan |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/content/139148/taj-deccan.html |website=Deccan Herald}}</ref> It bears a striking resemblance to the [[Taj Mahal]], the mausoleum of Aurangzeb's mother, [[Mumtaz Mahal]].<ref name="Madan">{{cite book |last=Gopal |first=Madan |url=https://archive.org/details/indiathroughages00mada |title=India through the ages |publisher=Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, [[Government of India]] |year=1990 |editor=K.S. Gautam |page=[https://archive.org/details/indiathroughages00mada/page/174 174]}}</ref> Aurangzeb was not much interested in architecture though he had commissioned the small, but elegant, [[Moti Masjid (Delhi)|Pearl Mosque]] at [[Delhi]]. Bibi Ka Maqbara is the second largest structure that Aurangzeb has built, the largest being the [[Badshahi Mosque]].<ref name="Eraly">{{cite book |last=Eraly |first=Abraham |title=The Mughal world: India's tainted paradise |publisher=[[Weidenfeld & Nicolson]] |year=2008 |pages=376}}</ref>

The comparison to the [[Taj Mahal]] has often obscured its very own considerable charm.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Gascoigne, Bamber |title=The Great Moghuls |author2=Gascoigne, Christina |publisher=Cape |year=1971 |page=229}}</ref> Due to the strong resemblance, it is also called the ''Dakkhani Taj'' (Taj of the [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]]).<ref name="bibi2">{{cite web |title=World Heritage Sites. Bibi-Ka-Maqbar |url=http://asi.nic.in/asi_monu_whs_ellora_bibi.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111011201131/http://asi.nic.in/asi_monu_whs_ellora_bibi.asp |archive-date=11 October 2011 |access-date=28 January 2013}}</ref> Bibi Ka Maqbara is the "principal monument" of Aurangabad and its historic city.<ref name="Koch">{{cite book |last=Koch |first=Ebba |title=King of the World: The Padshahnama |publisher=Azimuth |year=1997 |pages=104}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Bibi Ka Maqbara |url=http://www.aurangabad.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=196&Itemid=596 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130222035748/http://www.aurangabad.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=196&Itemid=596 |archive-date=22 February 2013 |access-date=28 January 2013}}</ref> An inscription found on the main entrance door mentions that this mausoleum was designed and erected by [[Ataullah Rashidi|Ata-ullah]], an architectand Hanspat Rai, an engineer respectively.<ref name="bibi">{{cite web |title=World Heritage Sites. Bibi-Ka-Maqbar |url=http://asi.nic.in/asi_monu_whs_ellora_bibi.asp |access-date=28 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111011201131/http://asi.nic.in/asi_monu_whs_ellora_bibi.asp |archive-date=11 October 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Ata-ullah was the son of [[Ustad Ahmad Lahauri]], the principal designer of the Taj Mahal.<ref>{{cite book|last1=text|last2=Sahai|first2=photogr. Surendra|title=Indian architecture : Islamic period : 1192-1857|date=2004|publisher=Prakash Books|location=New Delhi|isbn=9788172340575|page=150|edition=1. publ.}}</ref> Aurangzeb's son, Muhammad Azam Shah was in later years put in charge of overseeing the repair-work of the mausoleum by Shah Jahan.

== History ==
[[File:Bibi ka Makbara.jpg|thumb|left|200px|The tomb in the 1880s]]
Dilras Banu Begum was born a princess of the prominent [[Safavid dynasty]] of Iran (Persia)<ref>{{cite book|last=Yust|first=Walter|title=Encyclopædia Britannica, Volume 2|year=1954|page=694}}</ref> and was the daughter of [[Mirza Badi-uz-Zaman Safavi]] (titled Shahnawaz Khan),<ref name="Faruqui">{{cite book|last1=Faruqui|first1=Munis D.|title=The Princes of the Mughal Empire, 1504–1719|date=2012|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1139536752|pages=72, 90}}</ref> who was the viceroy of [[Gujarat]].<ref name=Annie>{{cite book|title=Captive princess: Zebunissa, daughter of Emperor Aurangzeb|last=Annie Krieger-Krynicki|year=2005| publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|page=1}}</ref> She married Prince Muhi-ud-din (later known as Aurangzeb upon his accession) on 8 May 1637 in [[Agra]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Sir Jadunath Sarkar|title=A short history of Aurangzib, 1618-1707|year=1979|publisher=[[Orient Longman]]|pages=409}}</ref> Dilras was his first wife and chief consort, as well as his favourite.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Mughal World: Life in India's Last Golden Age|url=https://archive.org/details/mughalworldlifei00eral|url-access=limited|last= Eraly|first= Abraham|year=2007| publisher=Penguin Books India|page=[https://archive.org/details/mughalworldlifei00eral/page/n157 147]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Parties and politics at the Mughal Court, 1707-1740|last=Chandra|first= Satish |year=2002|page=50|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref><ref name=Koch97>{{cite book|last=Koch|first=Ebba|title=King of the world: the Padshahnama|year=1997|publisher=Azimuth Ed|pages=104}}</ref><ref name=Nath>{{cite book|last=Nath|first=Renuka|title=Notable Mughal and Hindu women in the 16th and 17th centuries A.D.|year=1990|publisher=Inter-India Publ.|location=New Delhi|page=148}}</ref> They had five children — [[Zeb-un-Nissa]], [[Zinat-un-Nissa]], [[Zubdat-un-Nissa]], [[Muhammad Azam Shah]] and [[Sultan Muhammad Akbar]].

After giving birth to her fifth child, Muhammad Akbar, Dilras Banu Begum possibly suffered from [[puerperal fever]], due to complications caused by the delivery and died a month after the birth of her son on 8 October 1657. Upon her death, Aurangzeb's pain was extreme and their eldest son, [[Azam Shah]], was so grieved that he had a nervous breakdown.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hamid|first1=Annie Krieger Krynicki ; translated from French by Enjum|title=Captive princess : Zebunissa, daughter of Emperor Aurangzeb|date=2005|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Karachi|isbn=9780195798371|pages=84}}</ref> It became Dilras' eldest daughter, Princess Zeb-un-Nissa's responsibility to take charge of her newborn brother.<ref name="Faruqui" /> Zeb-un-Nissa doted on her brother a lot, and at the same time, Aurangzeb greatly indulged his motherless son and the prince soon became his best-loved son.<ref name=Eraly2000>{{cite book|title=Emperors of the Peacock Throne: The Saga of the Great Mughals|url=https://archive.org/details/emperorspeacockt00eral|url-access=limited|last=Eraly|first= Abraham |year=2000| publisher=[[Penguin Books]] India|page=[https://archive.org/details/emperorspeacockt00eral/page/n423 424]}}</ref>

In 1660, Aurangzeb commissioned a mausoleum at Aurangabad to act as Dilras' final resting place, known as Bibi Ka Maqbara ("Tomb of the Lady"). Here, Dilras was buried under the posthumous title of 'Rabia-ud-Daurani' ("Rabia of the Age"). In the following years, her tomb was repaired by her son Azam Shah under Aurangzeb's orders. Bibi Ka Maqbara was the largest structure that Aurangzeb had to his credit and bears a striking resemblance to the Taj Mahal, the mausoleum of Dilras' mother-in-law, Empress Mumtaz Mahal, who herself died in childbirth. Aurangzeb, himself, is buried a few kilometers away from her mausoleum in [[Khuldabad]].

===Construction===
Bibi Ka Maqbara is believed to have been built between 1668 and 1669 C.E. According to the "Tarikh Namah" of Ghulam Mustafa, the cost of construction of the mausoleum was Rs. 668,203-7 (rupees six lakh, sixty-eight thousand, two hundred three and seven annas) – Aurangzeb allocated only Rs. 700,000 for its construction.<ref name="MHGaz1977">{{cite book | author=Maharashtra (India). Gazetteers Dept | title=Maharashtra State gazetteers | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Lto-AQAAIAAJ | access-date=25 January 2013 | year=1977 | publisher=Director of Govt. Printing, Stationery and Publications, Maharashtra State | page = 951}}</ref> An inscription found on the main entrance door mentions that this mausoleum was designed and erected by [[Ataullah Rashidi|Ata-ullah]], an architect and Hanspat Rai, an engineer respectively. The marble for this mausoleum was brought from mines near Jaipur. According to [[Jean-Baptiste Tavernier|Tavernier]], around three hundred carts laden with marble, drawn by at least 12 oxen, were seen by him during his journey from Surat to Golconda. The mausoleum was intended to rival the Taj Mahal, but the decline in architecture and proportions of the structure (both due to the severe budgetary constraints imposed by Aurangzeb) had resulted in a different and particular monument with its own significant beauty.<ref name=bibi/>

== Features ==
<gallery mode="packed" style="font-size:88%; line-height:130%; border-bottom:1px #aaa solid;" heights="210" caption="[[Mughal architecture]]">
File:Window architecture Bibi Ka Maqbara Aurangabad.jpg|''[[Jali]]'' work on the mosque
File:Bibi ka makbara (Aurangabad).jpg|Arches inside the tomb
File:Bibi Ka Maqbara (top view).jpg|Close-up of the dome
File:BIBI KA MAQBARA (TOMB OF THE LADY).jpg|Designs on the interior of the dome
File:Bibi Ka Maqbara-Aurangabad-Dr. Murali Mohan Gurram (6).jpg|Floral designs on marble, as seen on the tomb's interior walls
File:Side view of Mosque at Bibi Ka Maqbara.jpg|Side view of the mosque in the Mausoleum complex
File:Bibi Ka Maqbara, Aurangabad, Maharashtra-DSC002.jpg|Minaret of the mosque near the tomb
File:N-MH-A49.jpg|Aerial view of the tomb.
</gallery>
The mausoleum is laid out in a ''[[charbagh]]'' formal garden. It stands at the centre of a huge enclosure measuring approximately 458 m. N-S X 275 m. E-W. [[Baradari (building)|Baradaris]] or pillared pavilions are located at the centre of north, east and western part of the enclosure wall. The high enclosure wall is crenellated with pointed arched recesses and bastions at regular intervals. The recesses are divided by [[pilaster]]s, crowned with small minarets. The mausoleum is built on a high square platform with four minarets at its corners, which is approached by a flight of steps from the three sides. A mosque is found to the west of the main structure, a later addition by the [[Nizam of Hyderabad]], resulting in closure of the west entrance.

Entry to the mausoleum is through a main entrance gate on its south, which has foliage designs on brass plate on wood covering from the exterior. After passing through the entrance a small tank is provided and a low profile screen wall leads to the main structure. The screened pathway has a series of fountains at its centre.

The mausoleum is encased with marble up to the dado level. Above the dado level, it is constructed of [[flood basalt|basaltic trap]] up to the base of the dome; the latter is again built of marble. A fine plaster covers the basaltic trap and given a fine polished finish and adorned with fine [[stucco]] decorations. The mortal remains of Rabia Daurani are placed below the ground level surrounded by an octagonal ''[[jali]]'' pierced marble screen with exquisite designs, which can be approached by a descending flight of steps. The roof of this chamber that corresponds to the ground level of the mausoleum is pierced by an octagonal opening and given a low barricaded marble screen. This makes the tomb viewable from the ground level through this octagonal opening. The mausoleum is crowned by a dome pierced with trellis works and accompanying panels decorated with [[arabesque (Islamic art)|flower designs]].<ref name=bibi/> The structure is in the form of a hexagon, its angles ornamented with minarets.<ref>Qureshi Dulari,"Tourism Potential in Aurangabad", p.50</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Bibi Ka Maqbara - The Taj Of Deccan.jpg|The tomb at dusk
File:Bibi Ka Maqbara By Swapnil Bhiungade.jpg|The tomb in fog
File:BIBI KA MAQBARA (TOMB OF THE LADY) 9.jpg|The Cenotaph of Dilras Banu Begum
File:Bibi Ka Maqbara-Aurangabad-Dr. Murali Mohan Gurram (5).jpg|Floral patterns on marble, in the interiors of the tomb
File:IAshishTripathi Renovation work Bibi ka Maqbara backside.jpg|Restoration of the tomb underway
File:Bibi Ka Maqbara overview.jpg|The tomb with geese in the garden pool
</gallery>
{{Clear}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Sources ==
* {{cite book |title=Architecture of Mughal India, Part 1 |author=Asher, Catherine Blanshard |isbn=978-0-521-26728-1 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]}}

== External links ==

* [http://www.pib.nic.in/feature/feyr2003/fmay2003/f060520031.html Government of India's Press Information Bureau: Bibi Ka Maqbara ]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20111011201131/http://asi.nic.in/asi_monu_whs_ellora_bibi.asp Archaeological Survey of India: Bibi Ka Maqbara]

{{Aurangabad district, Maharashtra topics}}
{{Mughal Empire|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Archaeological sites in Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Aurangabad, Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Indian architectural history]]
[[Category:Mausoleums in India]]
[[Category:Monuments and memorials in Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Mughal architecture]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Aurangabad, Maharashtra]]

Bibi Ka Maqbara - Revision history

WikiDwarfBOT at 02:34, 22 July 2023