Badshahi Mosque to Alamgir Mosque: Famous monuments built by Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb, the sixth Mughal emperor, ruled India for nearly half a century. Despite his reputation for religious conservatism, he commissioned significant architectural projects, including the majestic Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, the elegant Moti Masjid within Delhi's Red Fort, and the Bibi Ka Maqbara, a tomb reminiscent of the Taj Mahal.
New Delhi: Muhi al-Din Muhammad is commonly known to us as Aurangzeb, the Mughal ruler whose reign has generated several controversies, especially in the modern India. Also known by his regnal name Alamgir I, he was the sixth Mughal emperor who ruled from 1658 until his death in 1707. The size of the Mughal Empire reached its greatest extent under his rule with territory spanning nearly the entire Indian subcontinent.
The longest reigning Mughal Emperor with one of the largest empires in Indian history, the hallmark of Aurangzeb's reign was rapid military expansion as the Mughals dislodged several dynasties. Also, during his reign, India became the world's largest economy and biggest manufacturing power with the Mughal military becoming one of the strongest armies in the world. However, Aurangzeb, like his predecessors, also contributed architecturally, albeit in a much smaller scale as he disliked the extravaganza and expense of constructing monuments. In this article, we take a look the famous historical places built by Aurangzeb.
Famous monuments built by Aurangzeb
Badshahi Mosque
The Badshahi Mosque in Lahore was constructed between 1671 and 1673 during Aurangzeb's rule. It is located opposite of the Lahore Fort on the northern outskirts of the historic Walled City and is considered to be one of the landmark monuments of Lahore. An important example of Mughal architecture, its exterior is decorated with carved red sandstone with marble inlay. It remains the largest mosque of the Mughal-era, and is the third-largest mosque in Pakistan and an important historical place of the country.
When Ranjit Singh became the ruler of the Sikh Empire, in 1799, the courtyard of the mosque was used as a stable and its cells as the quarters of the soldiers. In 1846, when the British Raj took control of Lahore, it used the mosque as a garrison until 1852. Later, after the formation of Pakistan, the Badshahi Mosque Authority was established to restore the mosque as a place of worship and today it shines as one of the most iconic sights in the country.
Moti Masjid
The Moti Masjid is a 17th-century historical mosque inside Delhi's Red Fort complex. Built by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, it is not open for worship today. During the Siege of Delhi, a decisive conflict of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the mosque was damaged and later, the British restored it. Named for its white marble, the mosque features ornate floral carvings and is an important example of Mughal architecture during the reign of Aurangzeb. It was built so that the emperor had a mosque for prayer closer to his private chambers within the Red Fort as there was no mosque in the fort complex at that time.
Bibi Ka Maqbara
The Bibi Ka Maqbara, a tomb in Maharashtra was commissioned by Aurangzeb to act as the final resting place of this chief consort, Dilras Banu Begum. The name Bibi Ka Maqbara means 'Tomb of the Lady'. There Dilras was buried under the posthumous title of 'Rabia-ud-Daurani'. In the following years, her tomb was repaired by her son Azam Shah under Aurangzeb's orders. The tomb was the largest structure built by Aurangzeb and looks like the Taj Mahal.
Over the years, Bibi Ka Maqbara has been compared with the Taj Mahal due to the immense similarity between the two. However, the comparison has overshadowed the considerable charm that the Maqbara possess. It is the main monument in the city, it was architect Ata-ullah who designed the monument. Notably, Ata-ullah was the son of Ustad Ahmad Lahauri, the man who designed the Taj Mahal. The marble for its construction was brought from mines near Jaipur. Initially, the tomb was constructed to rival the beauty of the Taj Mahal. But by that period, the Mughal architectural quality had declined and Aurangzeb, who disliked spending for such constructions, imposed severe budgetary constraints and hence the proportions of the structure remained inferior compared to the Taj Mahal. However, it had resulted in a different and particular monument with its own significant beauty.
Alamgir Mosque
The Alamgir Mosque is located in Varanasi, at a prominent site above the Panchaganga Ghat. Aurangzeb named the mosque after his own honoury title 'Alamgir', which he had adopted after becoming the emperor. The mosque is architecturally a blend of Indo-Islamic and Hindu architecture.