The city of Kashi is filled with temples, big and small, old and new. There are temples at every corner, and you never know where you will stumble upon a small shrine. There are idols beneath what remains of trees (there are hardly any trees any more within the core area of the city), there are saffron covered forms resembling deities which seem attached to walls, an especially incongruous sight when the idol itself appears to be old, while the wall is evidently new…. And there are surprisingly large temples rising from what appear to be a bunch of houses. The city is sometimes colloquially said to be as old as time, and some of the shrines and temples are said to date back to times unknown, at least the deity itself, if not the structure. Not much remains of the ancient structures anyway. The city has seen more than its fair share of good and bad times. It has seen the heights of grandeur, and the lows brought about by destruction. The city that exists today has grown so haphaza...
Shahjahan built a monument for the love of his life – his
wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The monument has come to symbolize love over the centuries.
His son, Aurangzeb considered his father’s love of luxury and opulence with
contempt, and chose an all too simple lifestyle dedicated to his religious
beliefs. It was probably inevitable, considering that years of decadence had
seriously depleted the royal coffers. None of the rulers after Aurangzeb
managed to make their mark on Indian history – neither with their conquests,
nor with construction. One of the prime examples of this is the Bibi Ka
Maqbara.
The Bibi Ka Maqbara was built by Azam Shah, the oldest son
of Aurangzeb. This was his attempt to rival the Taj Mahal built by his
grandfather, albeit in memory of his mother, Rabia Durrani, the first wife of
Aurangzeb. Unfortunately, he lacked the treasury his grandfather had access to,
as well as the skilled labour the treasury bought. Today, the Bibi Ka Maqbara
is simply a replica of the Taj, and is popularly known as the ‘Deccani Taj’ – the Taj of the Deccan.
Azam Shah’s only claim to fame is the Bibi Ka Maqbara. He
was the son of Aurangzeb, but he was Emperor of India for a very short time – a
period less than three months! He declared himself emperor after the death of
his father, but within three months, he was defeated and executed by his brother,
Shah Alam.
Seen by itself, the Bibi Ka Maqbara is a beautiful piece of
work, but it pales in comparison to its famous forbearer.
While I am neither an
architect nor an architectural expert, there is just something about the
proportion of the structure, at first sight, which makes it appear a poor
cousin of the Taj. Incidentally, the structure isn’t much younger than the Taj.
Construction of the Taj Mahal was completed in 1653, while the Bibi Ka Maqbara
was built sometime between 1651 and 1661. The difference lies not in age, but
in detail and opulence... especially the latter. It is said that while the Taj
Mahal was built at a cost of approximately 32 million rupees, the amount
allocated to Azam Shah for the Bibi Ka Maqbara was a paltry 7 lakhs!
Azam Shah must have been a young man at the time.... he had
to wait over half a century before claiming his right to the throne. I wonder –
would the result have been different if Azam Shah had access to the royal
treasury instead of the handout from his father, the emperor? Or would the
result have been the same?
As you said in its own right it is beautiful but compared to Taj Mahal many things will pale!
ReplyDeleteYes, Mridula, not many monuments manage to stand up to the Taj!
DeleteI didn't see Taj as well as Bibi ka Maqbara. So I don't know how to compare. Thanks for sharing the information and pictures of beautiful monument
ReplyDeleteVishal, i shall expect your comments after you visit both!
DeleteHave heard a lot about this monument. Got to visit.
ReplyDeletewww.rajniranjandas.blogspot.in