Bibi Ka Maqbara

I took a side trip and visited this historic site, Bibi Ka Maqbara, or Tomb of the Lady. It is a miniature replica of the Taj Mahal.

This is the final resting place of Dilras Banu Bengam, a princess of the Safavid dynasty of Iran. Dilras is the daughter in law of Empress Mumtas Mahal, whose final resting place is the Taj Mahal. For more information about those site, check out the Wikipedia page. The King that constructed this site was a Mughal King. They were strict Muslims, and persecuted Hindus. They also destroyed many Hindu temples. So this beautiful site is bittersweet, as it was constructed by a king who perpetuated systemic violence on Hindus. You can read more about the persecution of Hindus on this Wikipedia page.

This was a beautiful site, with intricate designs carved into the building.

People make a wish and toss coins or paper money onto the tomb of Dilras. It reminds me of our practice of tossing coins into fountains and wishing wells in the US.

The structure is on expansive grounds that are lush and green during monsoon season.

I heard that a lot wherever I went... "this is a beautiful place during monsoon". I also saw a lot of places where there are waterfalls during monsoon season. I think I need to visit during monsoon season!

In the distance, you can see a Ganesha temple on top of a mountain. I zoomed in 10x for this picture!

We were there at sunset, which was beautiful!

There are rows of fountains behind me that are currently dry. They flow constantly during monsoon!