Bibi Ka Maqbara
The Taj of the Deccan
Overview
Bibi Ka Maqbara is a Mughal mausoleum in Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar), Maharashtra, India, completed around 1661 by Prince Azam Shah in memory of his mother, Dilras Banu Begum, a wife of the emperor Aurangzeb. Closely modelled on the Taj Mahal, built by Azam Shah's great-grandfather Shah Jahan, it has earned the name 'Taj of the Deccan', though it is smaller and built largely of plastered stone rather than solid marble. Set in a Mughal charbagh garden, it is Aurangabad's signature monument. MyTripMyTravel pairs it with the Ellora and Ajanta caves on an escorted Deccan stay.
Bibi Ka Maqbara is the Deccan's answer to the Taj Mahal, and the poignancy is in the comparison. Prince Azam Shah, son of Aurangzeb, built it for his mother in deliberate imitation of the tomb his great-grandfather Shah Jahan had raised at Agra, but on a tighter budget and a smaller scale.
The result is genuinely beautiful and genuinely revealing: a marble-clad central chamber gives way to lime-plastered stone across the rest, a record of an empire whose resources no longer matched its ambitions. Set in a formal charbagh garden with a long reflecting approach, it is the finest Mughal monument in the Deccan.
MyTripMyTravel folds Bibi Ka Maqbara into the Aurangabad base for the Ajanta and Ellora caves, with an expert guide who reads it against the Taj it echoes.
At a glance
Bibi Ka Maqbara in brief
What to see
Highlights
The main mausoleum
The marble-clad tomb chamber under a bulbous dome, echoing the Taj at reduced scale.
The charbagh garden
The four-part Mughal paradise garden with a long axial water channel framing the tomb.
The four minarets
Corner minarets that reproduce the Taj silhouette on the Deccan skyline.
Marble-and-plaster contrast
The visible shift from marble facing to lime plaster that records the tomb's constrained budget.
The jali screens
Pierced marble lattice screens around the cenotaph in the Mughal manner.
Visitor information
Our tips
See it in early or late light, when the plastered surfaces read most like marble.
Read it explicitly against the Taj, the differences are the point, and a guide makes them legible.
Combine it with an Aurangabad caves day; it sits close to the base for Ellora and Ajanta.
Good to know
Bibi Ka Maqbara, your questions
Why is Bibi Ka Maqbara called the 'Taj of the Deccan'?
Because it was deliberately modelled on the Taj Mahal, built for a beloved woman and set in a charbagh garden, though at smaller scale and largely in plastered stone rather than solid marble.
Who is buried there?
Dilras Banu Begum, a wife of the emperor Aurangzeb; the tomb was built by their son, Prince Azam Shah, around 1661.
How does it compare to the Taj Mahal?
It shares the silhouette and the garden plan but is smaller and built mostly of lime-plastered stone with marble facing, reflecting a tighter budget, which is much of its historical interest.
What should I pair it with?
The Ellora and Ajanta caves, for which Aurangabad is the base; we sequence all three across an escorted Deccan stay.
More in Aurangabad
Visit with us
See Bibi Ka Maqbara, properly.
A private, chauffeured visit with a licensed expert guide, timed for the best light and the smallest crowds. We fold Bibi Ka Maqbara into a wider Aurangabad and West India itinerary, built entirely around you.
- Skip the queue where possible, at the right hour
- Licensed local guide who brings the story to life
- Private car and chauffeur, door to door
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