Lot Essay
Maner is situated at the confluence of the rivers Son and Ganges, to the west of Patna. The main building shown is the tomb of the Muslim saint Makhdum Shah Daulat, who died in 1608. One of the finest Mughal tombs outside the imperial cities, it was built on the orders of the Emperor Jahangir's governor of Bihar, Ibrahim Khan, in 1616. The Daniells arrived on 13 November 1788 and were very enthusiastic: 'It is one of the highest finished pieces of Architecture we have seen in the Country, built entirely of stone' (Journal). They were a little confused about its function (as indeed Hodges had been before them): in his journal, William refers to it as a mosque. The small building to the right in the background is the mosque of the dargah; the main building is the tomb. The confusion was corrected in the printed caption to the aquatint which the Daniells made from this watercolour (Oriental Scenery, vol.I, no.12, January 1796). The tomb stands in the centre of an artificially raised terrace enclosed by a wall (not visible here), with a square, stone-lined tank beyond; the gateway into the dargah, not quite as ruined as it here seems, is on the north side. If the Daniells have taken some liberties with details, they have perfectly captured the atmosphere of the place, which remains unchanged today.