Bibi Ka Maqbara, Mughal mausoleum in Aurangabad, India.
Bibi Ka Maqbara is a mausoleum set within formal gardens in central Aurangabad, India. The central dome sits atop a rectangular marble structure flanked by four tall corner towers, approached through a wide water channel running down the middle of the grounds.
Dilras Banu Begum, a Safavid princess and Aurangzeb's chief consort, died on 8 October 1657 after the birth of her fifth child. In 1660 Aurangzeb commissioned the tomb at Aurangabad, where she was buried under the title Rabia-ud-Daurani. The Tarikh Namah of Ghulam Mustafa records a cost of 668,203 rupees and seven annas against a budget of 700,000 rupees.
The name means "Tomb of the Lady," and the buried empress is named in inscriptions by her posthumous title Rabia-ud-Daurani, "Rabia of the Age." The marble came from mines near Jaipur; the traveller Jean-Baptiste Tavernier saw about three hundred carts, each drawn by at least twelve oxen, carrying it toward Golconda.
The complex is entered from the south through a main gate with foliage designs on brass plates over wood. A small tank and a screened pathway with fountains lead to the mausoleum, which is approached by steps from three sides. The tomb chamber below ground is reached by a descending flight of steps.
The actual burial chamber lies below ground level, reached by descending a flight of steps and looking through a carved screen. This lower level stays cool even when the sun heats the marble above.
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