1850.] 



City of Aurungabad. 



Tombs and Rouzahs cover the environs shroud- 

 Tombs and Bouzalis. 



ed in a wilderness of custard apples and pomci- 

 ana bushes. In the suburbs of Begumpoora stands the exquisitely 

 beautiful Mousoleum dedicated by the Prince Azum Shah to the 

 memory of his mother the Begum Rabia Dou- 



Tomb of Begum Eabia. J . . 



ranee, and wife to Aurungzebe. I he archi- 

 tect's name who erected this tribute of filial piety was Ataoulah. 

 It stands within an enclosed area 500 yards long and 300 broad, 

 which is laid out in the better style of eastern gardens, the straight 

 paths, having their uniformity broken by aqueducts and fountains. 

 A handsome portal entrance closed by folding brass doors, covered 

 with a running foliage pattern, occupies the middle of the southern 

 wall, above which is a gallery for music ; in the centre of the three 

 remaining sides open pavilions are built from which broad tesselated 

 pavements lead to the tomb placed in the centre of the enclosure ; 

 this rests upon a raised platform of polished red porphyrinic trap, 

 having tall slender minarets springing from either corner ; a winding 

 staircase passes up the one at the south-western angle, provided with 

 a projecting balcony below the lanthorn. 



The body of the tomb is square, with a lofty pointed arch extend- 

 ing nearly the whole height on either side ; above rises in graceful 

 outline, a magnificent marble dome from amidst a cluster of smaller 

 ones, four in number ; at each corner, minarets are placed, a flight of 

 stone steps lead from the garden to the platform, round the edge 

 of which runs a balustrade of the same red trap. From the platform, 

 steps descend into the body of the building, where the Sarcophagus 

 is placed, surrounded by skreen work of perforated marble ; another 

 entrance leads directly from the platform into a gallery running 

 round the interior from which you look down upon the royal tomb, 

 on which is shed a soft and solemn light streaming through the 

 apertures of the marble tracery of the windows ; this manner of 

 admitting light from above is highly effective, the materials that have 

 been employed are white marble for the cupola, and upper portions, 

 with a beautiful micaceous cement for finishing the lower part : this 

 cement has all the appearance at a little distance of the purest ala- 

 baster. A musjed stands on the platform on the west side. The 

 marble was procured from Jyepoor. On the authority of Gholain 



