happiness and food

To someone who has never seen the Taj Mahal, Bibi ka Maqbara is like a trick-eye monument. You will have to remind yourself that you are in Maharashtra and not in Uttar Pradesh. The white domes, the fountains and the path to the maqbara have a lot of similarities with the Taj Mahal.

No wonder, Bibi ka Maqbara is known as the Taj of Deccan (Dakkhani Taj). The monument was built in the middle of 17th century and is the resting place of Dilas Banu Begum. She was the wife of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb who commissioned the construction of this mausoleum. Per the Archaeological Survey of India, Prince Azam built this maqbara in the memory of his mother.

When we were wrapping our Central India road trip, Aurangabad was on the last leg of the journey. After visiting Ellora, the expectations were high and for all right reasons. The maqbara was a delightful surprise. Busy with locals and tourists, the place had an old world charm. Food stalls lined up the outside of the monument indicating that we were at at popular destination.

This place has has a lot of historical significance. To add to that, there are also some facts that blew my mind.

All the facts are related to the one starting point that this maqbara has a striking resemblance to the Taj Mahal.

Interested? Read on below.

• Ata-ullah was the architect of Bibi ka Maqbara and he was the son of the principal architect of the Taj Mahal, Ustad Ahmad Lahauri.
• The maqbara was made in memory of Dilras Banu Begum who was the daughter-in-law of Empress Mumtaj Mahal. Like you know, Taj Mahal was constructed in memory of Mumtaj Mahal.
• Both women died due to complications arising out of child birth.
• Bibi ka Maqbara is known as the poor man’s Taj Mahal.
• Only the dome of the maqbara is made of marble unlike the Taj Mahal.

If you ask me, forget the similarities or differences between the two structures. The maqbara is a piece of art and stands tall when we talk of Indian History and the Mughal Empire. Visit it for its old world charm and for the memory of the lady who was immortalized by the monument.

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In December 2018, VT and I went on a road trip to Central India. This post is one of many to come documenting the stories from my travel.