Situated about 5 kms from the city
is Bibi Ka Maqbara, the burial place of Aurangzeb's 1st wife,
Rabia-ud-Durrani. It is an imitation of the Taj at Agra, termed as the
poor man's Taj Mahal. Located behind the mausoleum is a small
archeological museum. This mausoleum is also termed as 'poor man's Taj
Mahal' owing to it being a poor replica of the Taj. Behind the
mausoleum is located a small archeological museum. Emperor Aurangzeb?s
son built this monument in 1679 AD in memory of his mother Rabia
(Aurangzeb?s wife).
The Bibi-Ka-Maqbara is made mostly
of sandstone and has plastered walls (a cost cutting measure), and a
marble dome. The expert - Ustad Ata-mullahs came from Persia. Bibi Ka
Maqbara is known as the South Indian Taj. However, if the delicacy of
work is compared, it falls far short of the glory of the Taj at Agra.
Below the tomb, lattice works are in marble. However, the lattice work
and inlay decorations of flowers and creepers are beautiful. The Masjid
is to the west. A high wall with bastions runs around edifice and the
recesses have little minarets. The entrance leads to an arch and from
this point, a fine view of the structure ahead may be obtained. The
pavement that leads to mausoleum is flanked by oblong reservoirs.
There is a new newest attraction -
every October, MTDC celebrates the Bibi Ka Maqbara annual festival.
The interior decoration has
nothing comparable with the great architectural wonder at Agra. Yet
a comparison apart, Bibi-ka-Maqbara has its own splendour and grace.
It is considered as a fine piece of Moghul architecture in the Deccan
region.