Bibi Ka Maqbara

The Bibi Ka Maqbara (lit. 'Tomb of the Lady') is a tomb located in the city of Aurangabad in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It was commissioned in 1660 by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's son, Prince Azam Shah, in the memory of his mother Dilras Banu Begum (posthumously known as Rabia-ul-Durrani). It bears a striking resemblance to the Taj Mahal, the mausoleum of Aurangzeb's mother, Mumtaz Mahal, which is why it is also called the Taj of the Deccan or the Dakkhani Taj. Bibi Ka Maqbara is the second largest structure built by Aurangzeb, the largest being the Badshahi Mosque. The monument is currently maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. It has often been compared to the Taj Mahal, which Bamber Gascoigne argues "has often obscured its own very considerable charm". Bibi Ka Maqbara is the "principal monument" of Aurangabad and its historic city. An inscription found on the main entrance door mentions that this mausoleum was designed and erected by Ataullah Rashidi, an architect and Hanspat Rai, an engineer respectively. Ata-ullah was the son of Ustad Ahmad Lahori, the principal designer of the Taj Mahal. Aurangzeb's son, Muhammad Azam Shah was in later years put in charge of overseeing the repair-work of the mausoleum by Shah Jahan.