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| Bibi Ka Maqbara sid-thewanderer.com |
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| Bibi Ka Maqbarasid-thewanderer.com/ |
01. Dilras Banu Begum, beloved consort of Mogul ruler Aurangzeb, due to complications caused by the delivery, died a month after the birth of her 5th son Muhammad Akbar, on 8 October 1657. The Mogul ruler was grief stricken and his son Azam Shah fell sick.
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| Dilras Banu Begum ,wife of Aurangzeb hardboiled |
03. In 1660, Aurangzeb, three years after his wife's death, chose a place in Aurangabad as her final resting place and commissioned a mausoleum - Bibi Ka Maqbara ("Tomb of the Lady") in memory of her.
04. It was the first monument (except the Pearl Mosque in Delhi), built by Aurangzeb who never built monuments during his reign. He preferred spending money and time on war expeditions.!!
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| builder of the mausoleum Azam Shah. en.Wikipedi.org |
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| Mausoleum,Bibi Ka Maqbara, Aurangabad. YouTube |
07. This mausoleum is widely believed to be a replica of the famous Taj Mahal at Agra built by Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb's father in memory of his wife.
08. Aurangzeb, after his death, was buried a few kilo meters away from her mausoleum in Khuldabad.
09. Bibi-ka-Maqbara is also called the 'Dakkhani Taj' (Taj of the Deccan). It is the principal monument of this historic city of Aurangabad. It is so designed that it's reflection falls on the pond in the garden when the Sunlight hits the mausoleum.
10. It is also called a poor man's Taj Mahal because of poor imitation. It is obvious the layout and surrounding of the tomb are very much similar to Taj Mahal, But, when it comes to architecture it does not have an aura about it as the Taj has. But,it fails to produce the magic of the Taj. The main reason is lack of impressive decorations and highly accentuated and embellished interior and exterior portions. Further, choice of stones for the construction work. It is not entirely made of marbles.
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| Bibi-ka-Maqbara,Aurangabad. Pierced stone Jali screen. wikipedia |
11. The four towering minarets are similar to Taj Mahal. An octagonal lattice-screen of white marble surrounds the raised plinth supporting Rabia Daurani's grave inside the tomb.
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| Bibi Ka Maqbarasid-thewanderer.com |
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| Bibi Ka Maqbarasid-thewanderer.com/ |
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| Interior, Bibi Ka Maqbarasid-thewanderer.com/ |
13. This mausoleum was designed and erected by Ustad Ata-ullah, a Persian architect and Hanspat Rai, an engineer respectively (vide inscription inside the mausoleum)
14. Marble stones were brought from far-off mines near Jaipur to this region through a vast number of bullock carts. Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (1605 – 1689) reported that more than 300 bullock carts, drawn by 12 oxen laden with marble transported them to the Golconda area.
15. 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. Baradaris or pillared pavilions are at the centre of north, east and western part of the enclosure wall.
16. The mausoleum is covered with marble up to the dado level. Above the dado level, it is made of locally available Basaltic rocks (of volcanic origin - Hawaiian type) up to the base of the dome; the latter is again built of marble. So, as it is mentioned above, it is not entirely made of marble like Taj Mahal.
17. When commissioned, Aurangzeb wanted to build a grand structure on par with the Taj. Later, he gave up his expensive plan because of poor funds available. Already much money was spent on war expeditions against the Marathas and others. Hence, this mausoleum is devoid of ornate features, gemstone impregnated outer walls, richly styled interior, etc.
18. Here, the mortal remains of Rabia Daurani are kept below the ground level with an octagonal jali marble screens around the tomb. The access is through a descending flight of steps.
19. The roof of this chamber is at ground level of the mausoleum and is pierced by an octagonal opening and a low barricaded marble screen. The advantage is one can view the tomb from the ground level itself
20. A high square platform that supports the mausoleum with four minarets at its corners, is accessed by a flight of steps from the three sides.
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| Bibi-ka-Maqbara,Aurangabad. Pierced stone Jali screen. wikipedia |
21. Later addition included a mosque built by the Nizam of Hyderabad and consequently the west side access to the mausoleum is closed.
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| Mosque built by Nizam of Hyderabad. en.wikipedia org |
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibi_Ka_Maqbara
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