Mughal emperor who built 'Taj Mahal' like Shahjahan

Located in Maharashtra's Aurangabad, not many people know much about Bibi ka Maqbara which is considered India's another Taj Mahal because of its striking similarities.

Bibi ka Maqbara was built by Shah Jahan's son, Aurangzeb in the late 17th century in loving memory of his first wife Dilras Banu.

Another uncanny similarity is that Dilras Banu, who is believed to be the favourite wife of Aurangzeb, too, like her mother-in-law, Mumtaz, died during the childbirth.

Bibi ka Maqbara drew its architectural inspiration from Persian structures and earlier Mughal construction but it doesn't boast of semi-precious inlays and gold plating like in the Taj.

Did you know this iconic monument was meant to be a rival to Taj Mahal? However, it appears to be a less grand copy of the Taj Mahal.

One reason for that perhaps is that Aurangzeb did not spend extravagantly on its construction and hence, it didn't gain much popularity in comparison with Taj Mahal.

Another interesting fact is that, out of several monuments built by Aurangzeb, Bibi ka Maqbara is considered the largest structure made by him.

For the uninitiated, Bibi ka Maqbara was designed and established by the architect Ata-Ullah, along with an engineer named Hanspat Rai. 

The marble, with which this monument is constructed, was bought from mines near Jaipur, Rajasthan.