Legend has it that after the Taj Mahal was made, Shah Jahan was so impressed with the monument that he ordered to chop the hands of the craftsmen who built it because he did not want a similar monument to be built ever again. Would he have ever known that his own grandson would attempt to build a copy of the Taj Mahal?

Although it may seem hard to believe, the fact is that a replica of the Taj does exist and is called Bibi ka Maqbara. The mausoleum stands in Aurangabad and was built by Aurangzeb’s son, Azam Shah, in honour of his mother Dilras Bano Begum. Bibi ka Maqbara means “Tomb of the Lady” and was built in 1661. Many epithets are attached to this monument, some of the more popular ones being, Dakkani Taj or Taj of the Deccan, Poor man’s Taj and Mini Taj. It is rather ironical that Aurangzeb’s father built the Taj Mahal, while his son builds the miniature Taj.

As one steps in through the arched entrance, a striking semblance to the Taj both in appearance as well as ambience is apparent. The central path leading up to the monument has small fountains in the pools and is lined with trees on either side. Like the Taj Mahal, the Bibi Ka Maqbara also has a larger central dome, surrounded by four smaller domes, and four octagonal minarets in each of the corner, away from the central structure.

The architecture of the monument has intricate designs, carved motifs and landscaped Mughal Char-Bagh gardens. The mausoleum is built on a high square platform and can be reached from three sides by ascending a flight of stairs. The mortal remains of the queen are enclosed within an octagonal marble screen with intricate carvings below the ground level. A unique feature of the architecture is that the ground level of the mausoleum coincides with the roof of the burial chamber.

Since the Bibi ka Maqbara is made to imitate or even upstage the Taj, it is bound to be compared to its world-famous predecessor. But on closer observation, the Maqbara appears slightly dull in comparison to the pure white marble of the Taj. Although the dome and some parts of the mausoleum are made of marble, the remaining parts comprise of stucco and a high quality plaster which on finishing gives a marble-like appearance and strength to the walls, but changes the effect.

The prince Azam Shah probably had to contend with a much more stringent budget considering his father, the last Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, was very austere. While Akbar and Shah Jahan ruled during the most glorious period of the Mughal era, and evidently patronized art and architecture, Aurangzeb was a staunch Muslim and disallowed spending excessive amounts from the treasury. 

Certainly, Bibi ka Maqbara cannot compete with the grandeur or the majesty of the Taj Mahal, but it is by far one of the finest examples of late Mughal style architecture present in the western Deccan region.

Plus where else, if not in India, you would find a replica of the most famous national monument? There is no copy of the Coliseum in Italy, nor double of Notre Dame in France. But a fake Taj Mahal? Why not!