Pari Bibi’s Mazar
Dhaka is a land of long, chequered history. Pari Bibi’s Mazar
is one of the most impressive historical monuments of the city can claim to its
fame. The memorial over the tomb was made by Shaista Khan, the Mughal Subahdar
of Bengal. When I first visited the grave, I was thrilled and spilled at its beautiful
art and exterior decor. It was a great pleasure for me to visit there. But when
I heard about the story behind the tomb, I got a little pain in my heart. I
could feel the sorrowful story of the Mughal period, at the same time I could
see a father’s pathetic face for losing his daughter.
Bibi Pari, the daughter of Shaista Khan, who was married to
Prince Azam, used to live with the prince at Dhaka. In 1684, an unwanted death
of Bibi Pari shocked Shaista Khan so badly which led him to construct the Pari
Bibi’s Mazar inside the Lalbagh fort. The construction of the fort was
initiated by Prince Azam in 1678. Bibi Pari was buried inside the fort in the
ground. Shaista Khan built a magnificent tomb in the memory of his daughter.
To me, certainly the Tomb of Bibi Pari is the most striking
phenomenon among the three surviving buildings. The tomb is built with stone
blocks, following a Hindu system of roofing temples. The dome above the central
room, octagonal in shape, was wrapped by brass plate, originally with gold
guild. Like other Mughal buildings in Dhaka the outer surface was plastered. The
entire inner face of the main room is covered by white marble. Archaeological
investigation discovered that beautiful floral glazed tiles skirted these rooms
and recently they were restored as per the design of two original tiles left in
the north-eastern room.
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