Man builds replica of the Taj Mahal as a home for his wife

AN INDIAN husband has built a replica of the Taj Mahal for his wife.

The original “Monument to Love” was constructed on the orders of heartbroken Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz, in the 17th century.

Anand Prakash Chouksey’s wife helped to consult on the project which is about one-third the size of the original.

“My wife’s only demand was for a meditation room. She’s a spiritual woman. She says the dome creates a different environment and there is a lot of positive energy,” Chouksey said.

The original Taj Mahal is in Agra south of Delhi. The replica is in Burhanpur, 800km away.

But the central Indian city is none other than the place where Mumtaz died while giving birth to her 14th child in June 1632, having accompanied Shah Jahan to quell a local revolt.

Mumtaz’s body was initially buried there too, and according to locals Shah Jahan had at first wanted to build the Taj Mahal for her on the banks of the river Tapti.

“The soil structure back then was not suitable to build the Taj here, that’s how it was decided to build in Agra,” Chouksey said.

It took Chouksey three years to build the home – 12 years fewer than the original, and cost 15 million rupees.

“We used marble from Makrana to build the house, which is the same that was used to build the Taj Mahal,” he said.

Chouksey plans to mount an Indian flag on top of the main dome and add symbols from India’s most popular religions to the four minarets.

“We want to send a message of peace and religious harmony. There is a lot of hate around. Love solves all problems in life and Taj Mahal is a symbol of that.” |