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| Saturday, February 5, 2000 |
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AN eminent historian divided the world into two categories — people who have seen the Taj Mahal and persons who have not! Often it has been argued whether any one can build another edifice more beautiful than the Taj Mahal. So far this challenge has remained unanswered, although many noteworthy attempts have been made to build a monument equalling if not excelling, the grand mausoleum at Agra.
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| On completion of the Taj, he ordered the
master builders to start work on the black Taj Mahal. But
it is doubtful whether Shah Jahan could have financed the
building of the black Taj Mahal. Even for building the
Taj Mahal, history reveals that the Mughal treasury
shouldered only one-third of the expenses. The rest was
borne by contributions or "offerings" from maharajas
and nawabs, the vassals of the Mughal empire.
Further the price of the superior Caucasian black marble,
to be used in the second edifice was five times the price
of pure white marble taken from the quarries of India. The cost of building the black Taj Mahal would have been at least Rs 25 million compared to the Rs 5 million spent on the Taj Mahal. One must remember that the purchasing power of Re 1 of the 17th century was 412 times more than the 1999 rupee.
Surprisingly it was Aurangzeb who later decided to build a copy of the Taj Mahal in honour of his wife Dilras Banu, surnamed Rabia-ud-Durani and better known as Durani Begum. She died in Aurangabad in South India. A mausoleum called Bibi-ka-Maqbara was erected by Aurangzeb in her memory. This mausoleum cost him Rs 7 lakh and took seven years to build. Chronicles mention that the marble had to be brought from quarries in the north and that master architects, Ataulla and Haibat Rai, designed the monument. But to any observer, it becomes apparent that this monument (built within seven years of the completion of the immortal Taj), while following the basic features of the Agra edifice, is no comparison to it. According to well-known art historian Percy Brown, Bibi-ka- Maqbara falls far short of the Taj as the symmetry and simplicity are absent in it. The mausoleum is approached by a paved avenue. There is a wide pond with 12 fountains in its centre. At the end of the avenue, within a spacious area, stands the monument. The total height of the edifice is 110 feet above ground level. Up to a height of five feet from the basic platform, the building is of pure marble and above this height, the superstructure is of stone stucco. The huge dome on the top is again of white marble. Today, this mausoleum, known as the poor man’s Taj Mahal, is one of the tourist attractions of South India. (MF) |
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Strangely enough, the first attempt was
made by none other than Emperor Shah Jahan, whose love
for his empress Mumtaz Mahal resulted in the creation of
the Taj Mahal. After having built the Taj Mahal, the
emperor felt that it would be befitting to have another
mausoleum, the exact replica of the Taj, but in black
marble constructed on the other bank of the Yamuna, to
house his mortal remains.
Anyhow, the fratricidal wars that
ravaged the empire of Shah Jahan during his last years
put an end to the grand scheme of black Taj Mahal. Today,
on the bank of the Yamuna, opposite the Taj Mahal, one
can see a vast red sandstone platform that was to house
the black counterpart of the famous mausoleum. Aurangzeb,
Shah Jahan’s son and successor, was not interested
in completing the monument. When Shah Jahan died his
remains were placed in the same crypt where lay the
remains of Mumtaj Mahal. The mortal remains of his
parents should lie buried side by side, as they loved
each other so strongly, Aurangzeb decided. To build
another such monument would be a wasteful and ridiculous
excess, he felt.