Tucked away, behind a group of buildings, one can only see the dome of the “Panch bibi no Haziro” (Tomb of five Lady’s) situated across the Navapura Police Station. The resting place of six people, the tomb is actually a modest structure in comparison to the other structures of the city.
It is said that the graves of five ladies belong to five sisters of the Saiyyad Family of Nadiad, who were residing in Vadodara. The sixth grave on the contrary to the name of the tomb, is believed to be of Rehmandada. The locals believe that, he used to spent a lot of time at the tomb and wished to be buried in the itself. Although, not much is known about the date of it’s construction, it is believed that it was constructed about 400 years ago.
The repentance of a Prince :
Despite of the mystery shrouding the tomb now, along the years a short story has come to be associated with the five Bibis.
Just like the stories narrated to us in the childhood, this one also starts with beautiful lady, but instead of only one, this story starts with five beautiful ladies. Once these ladies were walking down a field, during which they were spotted by a prince who got enchanted by their beauty. Caught in the spell of their beauty, he started chasing them on his horse. Afraid of getting caught by the prince, they started running away and praying “Please take us into the earth, for we won’t be able to bear his touch”. In the next instant, they were absorbed into the earth, leaving the prince to repent for his actions. Consumed by his guilt, the prince built the tomb around the place where the ladies were assimilated into the earth, and this is how the tomb came into being.
The Tomb :
The tomb is a small, square shaped structure topped with a dome. It features huge cusped arches on each side, brought down to human proportions by small niches and a small sized openings. The openings include a small arched opening on the top of the door in the center of the cusped arch. The major element used in decorating the interior and the exterior walls are niches of various sizes and shapes. Apart from this, it displays a “merlon” patterned parapet with a projecting “chajja”.
Just like the other tombs of the city, the dome of this structure is also perched on squinches with an octagonal drum. The string course of the dome is defined by rows of a petal-like motifs while the top is crowned with a finial.
It is said that marble was used in the construction, but along the years it has been replaced with white plaster.
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Once surrounded by forests, the tomb now sits in the middle of a concrete jungle with plants growing from the tomb itself.
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