Fidai Khan Koka | |
Birth Name: | Muzaffar Hussain |
Full Name: | Muzaffar Hussain |
Nawab Sipahsalar | |
Succession: | 25th Subahdar of Bengal |
Reign: | 1676-1677 |
Predecessor: | Shaista Khan |
Successor: | Azam Shah |
Reg-Type: | Badshah |
Regent: | Aurangzeb |
Religion: | Islam |
Fidai Khan Koka, born Muzaffar Hussain, was a Mughal noble who was the governor of Awadh and Lahore[1] and master of ordnance and foster brother to the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.[2] Aurangzeb had two foster-brothers, Fida and Bahadur Khan, who was Aurangzeb's favourite.[3] Fidai Khan was credited with leading construction on the Mughal gardens known as the Pinjore Gardens near Chandigarh, the Teele Wali Masjid (1658–1660) in Lucknow, and the Badshahi Mosque (1671–1673) of Lahore.[4]
Pinjore Garden was built during the early days of Aurangzeb's rule, however the exact dates of completion are not known. Since the time of Shah Jahan, the Mughals reserved the pavilions with Balustered columns supporting the cusped arches only for the use of the Shahanshah and his immediate family, hence, it was likely built for Aurangzeb's personal use as a summer retreat.[5]