Bibi ka Maqbara - History

Bibi ka Maqbara was built in the memory of Dilras Banu Begum, wife of Aurangzeb. She was the first wife of Aurangzeb whom he loved very much.

Birth of Dilras Banu Begum

Dilras Banu Begum was the daughter of Mirza Badi-uz-Zaman Safavi who belonged to Safavid dynasty. His other name was Shahnawaz Khan and he was the viceroy of Gujarat. Aurangzeb married her in the year of 1637. She was his first and the favourite wife.

Death of Dilras Banu Begum

Dilras Banu Begum gave birth to five children whose names are as follows −

• Zebun Nisa
• Zinat-un-Nisa
• Zubdat-un-Nisa
• Mohammad Azam Shah
• Sultan Mohammad Akbar

There were complications during the birth of Sultan Muhammad Akbar which led to Puerperal Fever and then death after one month. Aurangzeb was aggrieved at her death and after three years he constructed the mausoleum in her memory.

Construction of the Tomb

The tomb was constructed between 1651 and 1661AD with a cost of around Rs. 6.6 lakhs whereas Aurangzeb gave Rs. 7 lakhs for the construction. Ataullah designed the monument while Hanspat Rai was the engineer as told by an inscription at the entrance. The tomb is constructed by the use of marble which was brought from mines of Jaipur.

Around 300 carts each pulled by twelve oxen were laden with marble and were brought to Aurangabad for the construction. The builders tried to make the monument similar to Taj Mahal at Agra but due to low budget and architecture declination, it could not be achieved.