Aurangabad (Maharashtra): Prince Yakub Habibuddin Tusi, who says he is the great grandson of the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, on Tuesday demanded prayers be allowed regularly in the historical mosque located on the premises of the maqbara (tomb) in Aurangabad, according to PTI.
“The mosque situated on the maqbara premises is closed and prayers are not allowed to be held there. This is against the fundamental right of the religious freedom guaranteed by Constitution.
“If prayers are allowed at the mosque at historic Taj Mahal throughout the year then why not in the replica of Taj Mahal, the maqbara?” asked Tusi who is also the caretaker of the place.
Tucy said he had submitted a memorandum to the Superintendent of the Archaeological Survey of India, raising the demand.
“At least three prayers can be permitted. At the same time, the measures should be taken to maintain the mosque whose condition is worsening every day, with the graffiti defacing it,” he claimed.
The ‘Bibi Ka Maqbara’ was commissioned by the sixth Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1660, in the memory of his first wife and chief consort, Dilras Banu Begum.
Bibi Ka Maqbara bears a striking resemblance to Agra's Taj Mahal, the mausoleum of Aurangzeb's mother, Mumtaz Mahal. Due to the strong resemblance, it is also called the Dakkhani Taj - Taj of the Deccan.
Interestingly, Aurangzeb never raised monumental edifices during his half-a-century reign, but made just one exception, that is, to build the mausoleum of his wife.
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