6 Mughal architectures you probably didn't know about

Mughal emperors were great admirers and constructors of art. They have been responsible for construction of India’s most spectacular monuments. Their art and architecture were a blend of different cultures from Persia to Central Asia to India. While Mughal monuments have been recognised worldwide, some more known than the others, it is easy to not keep note of the lesser known monuments. Here is a list of monuments that have great history to them but are not known by most. Take a look.

​Khusro Bagh or Khusro Garden, gets its name from Khusrao Mirza, the eldest son of Emperor Jahangir(Salim). The story goes that Akbar was never pleased with his son Jahangir’s careless way of living, he wanted Khusrau to ascend the throne after his death. In 1605 when Akbar died, Jahangir placed Khusrau under house arrest. Feeling betrayed, Khusrau escaped and tried to mount a siege on his father’s empire. His attempt, however, failed and he was arrested again and this time was killed by Shah Jahan(Khurram). Khusrau’s mother Shah begum stressed by this she committed suicide and she lies buried here. Jahangir built a magnificent tomb in her honor. Khusrau was also buried next to her. Nisar Begum, sister of Khusro built a complex but was not buried here. The fourth complex here is known as Bibi Tamolan tomb. This garden is located just south of Prayagraj Junction. The structure is protected by the Archaeology Survey of India. The tombs in the bagh are testament to the brilliance of Mughal architects.


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Commissioned in 1660, this tomb is situated in Sambhaji Nagar(earlier Aurangabad), Maharashtra. Aurangzeb, built Bibi-Ka Maqbra in the loving memory of his first wife Dilras Banu Begum. This tomb is the striking replica of Taj Mahal in Agra, and hence is often referred to as Dakkhani Taj(Taj of Deccan). The tomb was built by Ata-ullah, the son of Ustad Ahmad Lahauri- the principal architect of Taj Mahal. The mausoleum is built at the center with four minar surrounding it.

This palace was built by Raja Bir Singh Dev in the honor of Emperor Jahangir. Raja Bir Singh was declared the king of Orchha by Jahangir, as a reward for helping Jahangir during his revolt against Emperor Akbar. The palace is the confluence of Hindu as well as Islamic architectures. The palace is built on the banks of Betwa river of Madhya Pradesh. During his reign of 22 years Raja Bir Singh Dev constructed as many as 52+ structures. Some of them include the citadel of Jhansi, the Narsingh Dev at Datia and Sheesh Mahal.

The Shah Jahan mosque was completed in 1659, and serves as the primary mosque in the city of Thatta, Sindh. The mosque is heavily influenced by Persian and Timurid architecture. The walls of the mosque are covered by red bricks and glazed blue tiles which were imported from Hala, another Sindh town. This mosque is built such that a person speaking inside one end of the tomb can be heard from the other end too. The mosque has an elaborate display of tiles in a geometric yet aesthetic manner.

Panch Mahal is a five storey monument built inside the Fatehpur Sikri Fort Complex of Uttar Pradesh. It is located near the Jodha Bai’s palace. Built by Emperor AKbar, this palace was used by queens and other ladies of the court for recreational purposes. The ground floor of the building contains 84 pillars with which the structure supports itself. The first, second, third and fourth floor have 56, 20, 12 and 4 pillars respectively. The pillars have carved brackets that have Hindu, Persian and Jain architecture elements. Motifs of parrots, swans and elephants are visible.

Delhi once boasted of 52 gates, but currently only 13 have survived while rest have either been destroyed or lay in ruins. Khooni Darwaza is one of the 13 gates, built by Sher Shah Suri- it is located on Bahadur Shah Zafar road. This gate was also called Kabuli Darwaza as the road from this gate used to lead to Kabul. The architecture of this structure is a mix of Mughal and Afghan style. The legend goes that Bahadur Shah Jafar’s sons were shot on these gates by Lt Hodson in 1857. After the revolt Bahadur Shah Jafar’s family had taken refuge in Humayun’s tomb and they were hoping to escape to Nepal and meet other rebel leaders. But someone betrayed their location and most of them were either arrested or killed by the British forces.