The makbarra raised by prince Azam Shih to the memory of his mother, Begam Rabia Daurani, the wife of Aurangzib, stands in the suburb of Begampura, and was erected between the years 1650 and 1657. The architect’s name was A’ta Aula ; and its cost, as given in the Tawarikh Nama of Aurangzib’s reign, written by Gholam Mustafa, was Rs. 6,68,203-7-0. It was intended to rival the celebrated Taj Mahal at Agra, which bad just then been finished by Shah Jahan, in memory of his wife Mumtaza Mahal; but the age of decline in- architecture had set in so rapidly, that although the Bibi makbarra must be considered a very beautiful building, it is in every respect inferior to its celebrated rival. The mausoleum stands within an enclosed area, 500 yards long and 300 yards broad; and the surrounding high wall is crenellated, and contains pointed arched recesses on the outside. There are bastions at intervals; and the recesses are divided by pilasters, crowned with little minarets. The centre of the southern wall is occupied by a handsome portal entrance, closed by folding doors which are covered with a running foliage pattern in brass. This structure is in the form of a hexagon, and the angles are ornamented with minarets. A large cusped arch in front, rises almost to the total height of the building; but the real exit is through a smaller arch with folding doors at the other end, and the space between answers as a sort of portico. On either side of the main arch, are two smaller arches, one above the other; and the higher one leads into a gallery for music. The centres of the three remaining walls have open pavilions, which with the entrance in the southern wall, are connected by broad tesselated pavements with the tomb placed in the middle of the enclosure. The pavements are ornamented with fountains and little kiosks in all the picturesque variety of Indian art; and the corner spaces are occupied with gardens of fruit trees, cypresses, and evergreens. The darga rests on a raised platform of polished red porphyritic trap, 72 feet square, which is also the height of the four minarets at the corner angles. A railing of the same trap runs round the edge of the platform; and a flight of steps leads down to the garden below. Each of the corner minarets has a gallery about midway, and another higher up, forming the base of a hexagonal pavilion, which is crowned with a dome and spire. There are other ornamental bands; and a winding staircase passes up the minaret at the south-western angle, which is provided with a projecting balcony. The body of the tomb is square, and has a lofty pointed arch, extending the whole height on each side. A magnificent marble dome rises above, with four minarets at the corner angles. Four little domes with corresponding minarets to each, are also at the corners. A flight of steps descends from the platform into the body of the building, where the tomb is surrounded by a screen work of perforated marble. Another entrance at the south-east angle, contains some very neat running patterns of floriated decoration over a scolloped arch and over the pillars on either side. This entrance leads into a gallery running round the interior, which looks down upon the tomb. The three windows of marble trellis work, and the accompanying panels with flowers, are as delicate as anything found at Agra; and a soft and solemn light streams through the apertures of marble tracery. The floor inside is paved with white marble, which also forms the jambs of the doorways. The cupola, as already mentioned, is of white marble procured from Jeypur; and the same material occurs in the lower parts of the building, while stone or brick is used in some of the upper portions. The finishing touches are given with a beautiful white micaceous cement. The ground work of marble is not inlaid with precious stones, which forms the characteristic feature of the Taj Mahal; and its place has been supplied with wreaths, scrolls, frets, and other elegant forms in stucco-plaster. A masjid stands on the platform on the west side, and has five cusped arches, with a minaret at each corner angle in front. The interior contains a row of pillars with corresponding pilasters on the back wall, which are connected with the front arches and with one another by a series of cusped arches. The openings at the sides are closed with perforated work. The decorations in front are chaste and neat, and consist of arched recesses, rosettes, and other ornaments below the cornice.
