Recently on a visit to Aurangabad in Maharashtra, I had a chance to see the Bibi Ka Maqbara. Anybody who sees the monument for the first time would think ‘Hey! Have I come to Agra’?  Although smaller in size, tt resembles the Taj Mahal completely.
It was built by Aurangzeb’s son Prince Azam Shah in the memory of his mother Dilras Banu Begum.  Aurangzeb was initially not in favour of his son building the monument but later relented. It was built between 1651 to 1661 A.D. It cost Rupees seven lakh to build, much lower compared to what Shah Jahan spent  to build the Taj, which was a whopping Rupees 32 million.
The mausoleum is built on a high square platform with four minarets at the four corners exactly like the Taj Mahal and can be approached through steps from three sides. The onion-shaped dome is however much smaller than the dome of the Taj. The minarets are also smaller than the minarets of the Taj Mahal.
While the Taj Mahal is made up of pure white marble, the Bibi ka Maqbara’s dome is made completely of white marble, which is used up to the dado level. Above this level fine plaster has been used to give it a marble-like finish. Its dusky appearance is quite in contrast to the shine of the Taj Mahal.
It does look like a poorer cousin of the Taj, maybe because Aurangzeb did not have as much finesse in construction of monuments as Shahjahan. It could also be because the workmen who were involved in the construction of Bibi Ka Maqbara were not as skilful as those of the workmen who were engaged in the construction of Taj Mahal.
Still the monument is worth a visit.