Built in 1668 the Tomb of Rabia Durani or Bibi Ka Maqbara was erected by Azam Shah, the son of Aurangzeb to commemorate his mother Dilras Begum who was titled Rabia Durani post her death. Being the spitting image of the Taj Mahal, the mausoleum is also called the Taj of the Deccan or the Dakkhani Taj. The north of the country is dotted with the specimens of the Mughal architectural magnificence, Bibi Ka Maqbara stands as a lone soul in the southern part. It was Aurangzeb’s long-standing governorship of Aurangabad that the shrine came to exist in the city and is today one of the most famous historical monuments in Maharashtra.
Bibi Ka Maqbara History
The story of Dilras Banu is nothing short of a fairytale. Born in the Safavid royal family of Iran, princess Dilras was the daughter of Shahnawaz Khan who was the then viceroy of the state of Gujarat. She married Aurangzeb in 1637 thus becoming his first consort and wife. Together they had five children and after delivering her fifth child, Dilras died. Both Aurangzeb and his eldest son, Azam Shah couldn’t bear the loss of the most important woman in their lives. It is said that the father-son duo were grief stricken for months and it took great efforts for them to come out of the state of shock. It was then in 1668 that Azam Shah ordered for a mausoleum to be built for his beloved mother on the lines of Taj Mahal, which was the resting place of Banu’s mother-in-law and Aurangzeb’s mother, Mumtaz Mahal. Both the women died because of complications developed through childbirth.
