<strong>4 famous Indian monuments built by women</strong>
India is a country with rich cultural heritage that is evident from its wide range of monuments spread across its entire geography. While most of these monuments have been built by men, there are a few notable ones which should be credited to women. However, the world has always been a male-dominated place. In fact, it was way harder for women to receive accolades for their accomplishments in previous centuries than it is today. They were often deprived of their due recognition and in many cases were unfairly deprived of them, thanks to sexism and gender bias. This is especially true in case to famous monuments of India, which were built by stalwart women. Here’s a list of few such monuments.
Lal Darwaza Masjid by Rajye Bibi
Lal Darwaza Masjid, built in 1573 is situated on the outskirts of Old City, also called Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh. It was built by Sultan Mahmud Sharqi’s queen Rajye Bibi, who dedicated this mosque to her spiritual guru Saint Sayyid Ali Dawood Kutubuddin. The queen also founded a religious school adjacent to this mosque called Jamia Hussainia, both of which still exists today. The mosque derives its name from the ancient vermilion-painted entrance of the queen’s own royal palace.
Virupaksha Temple by Queen Lokamahadevi
Virupaksha Temple, built as early as the 8th century is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is located at Pattadakal in Karnataka. It was built by Queen Lokamahadevi to commemorate and express her undying love for her husband King Vikramaditya II, after his famous victory against the Pallavas. This temple is now better known as Lokeshwara Temple, after the queen herself. At present, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is part of Pattadakal’s ‘Group of Monuments.’
Humayun’s Tomb by Hamida Banu Begum
Humayun’s Tomb was built by the second Mughal emperor Humayun’s first consort Hamida Banu Begum (better known as Haji Begum) in between 1565 and 1572 to pay homage to her deceased husband. This tomb happens to be one of the oldest archetypes of Persian architecture that incorporates Indian themes. In fact, it is often believed that Emperor Shah Jahan had constructed the famous Taj Mahal based on the design of this garden tomb.
Rani ki Vav by Udaymati
Rani Ki Vav, situated at Patan in Gujarat was built in 1063 by Udaymati, the then queen of the Solanki dynasty in honour of her husband King Bhimdev I. This engraved inverted shrine was constructed to provide a stable water source to the people of the region. This was done following a flood in the river Saraswati that had piled up silt and destroyed the step-well, used for drinking purposes. This shrine has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2014.