The Grave of Dilras Banu Begum- Bibi Ka Maqbara Aurangabad

The Grave of Dilras Banu Begum- Bibi Ka Maqbara Aurangabad

The Grave of Dilras Banu Begum

    The grave of Dilras Bano Begum is located in the centre of the building. The body of Dilras Bano Begum is buried at the ground level; therefore, the visitors have to walk 24 steps downstairs to reach the grave of Dilras Bano Begum. The grave is situated in the centre of an octagonal marble partition which stands a couple of feet in height. There are in all 8 beautiful marble frames which are joined together to form the octagonal partition in an effort to maintain a distance between the visitors and the grave.

Though the grave is embedded in marble from all sides the marble is not used on the top of the grave which is merely filled with soil. The grave is usually covered with an embroidered cloth.   The cloth is removed during the rainy season in order that the rain may descend upon the soil over the grave in accordance with Islamic customs.  It is so accomplished that there are 5 open windows, near the base of the dome, through which rainwater pours onto the grave.  There are two graves at the Taj, one is at the platform level and the other one is exactly below the first one which indicates that one of them is a dummy. At the Maqbara, only one grave is constructed where the Begum is buried.

It is surprising to know that a tunnel of water is purposefully built to pass exactly beneath the grave of Rabiya Daurani. 

The tomb is covered with velvet cloth of scarlet colour, held down by eight large marble knobs.  This was also noted by Seely in 1824 AD and this practice is still in place today. In the past it was also a daily practice to light up fragrant wood, oils and spices in silver censers from which lingering scents kept arising encompassing the tomb with its fragrance. 

Secret Grave Door Shifted to England

The grave of Dilras Bano Begum occupies the central part of the Maqbara. The main door of her grave 24 steps downstairs has beautifully ornamented copper plates and is in existence even today but it is not the original. In the ornamentation of the door, a bird popularly known as the Mynah is depicted. Being the most important door of the grave it was originally prepared in silver metal. The backsides of both the panels of this door are covered with copper plates without any decoration. At the top of the copper plate of the left panel, there is an inscription that states that the door was prepared in the year 1320 AH (1902 AD) and there is also an inscription that it is a replica of the original door.

This door also lacks the necessary workmanship. The original door was prepared by highly skilled metal artisans, but the replica, though it appears to be the original, lacks the required level of sharpness in the engravings. The late Mohammed Osman told me that the silver door had been taken away by the British rulers who had full control over the Nizam’s Government, which he learnt from his ancestors. The copper door which is in existence has been prepared at Aurangabad in a workshop known as Sanat-o-Hurfat (Technical School or Govt. Polytechnic at Aurangabad).

As noted earlier, Ataullah was the architect and Hanspatrai was the engineer employed in ornamenting the main gate of the Maqbara. Therefore, the original silver door of the grave of Rabiya Daurani must have also been designed, engraved and ornamented by Ataullah and Hanspatrai in 1660 AD. The original door was made of silver since it was the most prime and important gate to reach the grave.

Depiction of Symbolic Motifs in the Maqbara

The Muslims, from the time of their arrival in India, have been constructing buildings, shrines, palaces, mosques, mausoleums, etc. in India. In spite of the religious differences, cultural integration took place and people adopted each other’s values and practices.

Motifs of vessels and foliage are carved gracefully in stucco plaster and beautiful flowers with buds are depicted arising from the mouth of the vessels in these motifs at the Maqbara.

The lotus-shaped fountains on the platform of the Maqbara are the best examples of the full lotus motif.  Small minarets with lotus heads are also found in large numbers on the compound wall of the Maqbara. The perimeter is thus ornamented with a series of lotus bud motifs completely around the Maqbara. They are carved in red stone. A similar type of work is seen at Birbal's Palace in Fatehpur Sikri. 

Animate Motifs

In India, during the entire Sultanate period (1206-1526 AD) it was strictly prohibited to use animate motifs in art as well as in architecture.  The Mughal Emperors Akbar and Jahangir were liberal and brought changes to introduce new trends in the culture. They were fond of poetry, music and other arts. Akbar the great was very liberal in bringing unity between the Hindus and the Muslims. Animate motifs and human motifs were struck on the coins of Akbar and Jahangir to the extent that Jahangir even struck coins for all the signs of the zodiac. Portraits of Akbar and Jahangir are found on their coins.

Specimens of animate motifs in the carved and sculpturesque décor are found in large numbers in the monuments constructed by Akbar at Agra and Fatehpur Sikri.  The Jahangiri Mahal in the fort of Agra has a large number of carved elephants, parrots, monkeys and peacocks.  Animate motifs were also used by Akbar at the tomb of his wife Mariam Zamani built in Agra.  The tomb of Itemad-ud-Daulah at Agra contains a large number of animate motifs like dancing peacocks, lions, fish, rats, dogs and also human figures.

A definite change of policy was set in with the accession of Shah Jahan in 1628 AD. The orthodox viewpoint prevailed and court artisans were not allowed to take recourse to animation.  Shah Jahan had built a number of world-famous buildings, palaces and tombs but there are no indications of animate motifs being used in any of his constructions.

Dr Shaikh Ramzan

M.A., M.Ed., PhD (History) Researcher