12 November 2016 / leggypeggy

Check out the Taj Mahal’s lookalike

Aurangabad, Maharashtra, mausoleums, Mughals, Overland Expeditions India, Taj Mahal

Everyone wants their picture taken in front of Bibi Ka Maqbara

The Taj Mahal in Agra is, without doubt, India’s most visited tourist attraction. It’s the mausoleum that Mughal emperor, Shan Jahan, built to honour his beloved third and favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died while giving birth to their 14^th child.

With that childbirth record, she deserved an Eiffel Tower and Empire State Building as well, but the truth is that few buildings in the world match the beauty of the Taj Mahal.

Poor John and I have been lucky enough to visit to the Taj twice. You can read about our most recent visit here.

Looking up at Bibi Ka Maqbara

Decorative plaster work at base of pillar

This year, we had the chance to visit the Taj Mahal’s lookalike in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. I have known of this clone for several years, but have never been in the ‘neighbourhood’.

Bibi Ka Maqbara (or the Tomb of the Lady) was built in the 1650–60s by Azam Shah, son of Aurangzeb. It honours the memory of his mother, Dilras Banu Begum. Posthumously she was known as Rabia-ud-Daurani.

It’s not surprising that the two mausoleums are so similar in appearance. Mumtaz Malah was Azam Shah’s grandmother. On top of that, Bibi Ka Maqbara was designed by Ata-ullah, the son of the man who designed the Taj.

Bibi Ka Maqbara was originally supposed to rival the Taj, but budget constraints left it smaller and much less lavish.

Unlike the Taj, we were able to take photos inside this mausoleum. Rabia-ud-Daurani’s tomb is on the lower level at the centre of the hexagonal-shaped main building. It’s covered with an embellished cloth that is further decorated with many coins and banknotes, and the odd scrunched up entry ticket.

The tomb at Bibi Ka Maqbara is covered with coins, banknotes and paper scraps

Marble for the mausoleum was brought from Jaipur, more than 1000 kilometres away from Aurangabad. According to gem merchant and traveller, Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, when he journeyed from Surat to Golconda, he saw 300 ox-drawn carts hauling marble to the construction site.

The compound includes an arched, rectangular mosque built by a Nizam of Hyderabad. It can accommodate almost 400 people for prayers.

Mosque

Seating for almost 400

We spent more than an hour wandering around the mausoleum, its expansive platform and the surrounding gardens. The whole compound is surrounded by a wall and overlooked by hills.

While Bibi Ka Maqbara may not outshine its inspiration, the Taj Mahal, it is a very fitting tribute to any mother.