Dilras Banu Begum

Dilras Banu Begum, born in 1622, was an influential aristocrat and the first wife of Emperor Aurangzeb, the sixth Mughal emperor. Originally named Rabia, she adopted the name Dilras after their marriage in 1637. Her legacy is marked by her posthumous title, Rabia-ud-Durrani, meaning 'Rabia of the Age.'

A member of the illustrious Safavid dynasty of Persia, Dilras was the daughter of Mirza Badi-uz-Zaman Safavi, a descendant of Shah Ismail I. Her father served as the viceroy of Gujarat, which positioned her within the upper echelons of society. Dilras and Aurangzeb had five children together, including Muhammad Azam Shah, who was designated as the heir apparent, and the talented poet Princess Zeb-un-Nissa, who was Aurangzeb's favorite daughter.

Tragically, Dilras passed away in 1657, likely due to puerperal fever, just a month after giving birth to her fifth child, Muhammad Akbar. Her death occurred shortly before Aurangzeb ascended the throne following a tumultuous fratricidal war of succession. In her honor, Aurangzeb commissioned the Bibi Ka Maqbara in Aurangabad, a mausoleum that bears a striking resemblance to the Taj Mahal, the resting place of his mother, Mumtaz Mahal.