A wealthy Indian teacher has built a replica of the Taj Mahal for his wife – and says their sprawling new home is ‘a symbol of his love’ for her.
Anand Prakash Chouksey, 52, from Burhanpur, Madhya Pradesh state, built the 10,000 sq ft marble house for his wife Manju Shah, 48, also a teacher.
Just like the famous 17th century mausoleum – one of the seven wonders of the world – it features towers around the outside and a dome while the flooring and façade are made of marbles from Makrana that were also originally used in the Taj Mahal.
The house, about one third the size of the original building, has four bedrooms, one hall, a library and a meditation room and took three years to build.
Chouksey, who has refused to disclose the cost of the house, said: ‘I wanted to make a unique house in a small town, there are new houses built every year but I wanted to make a house that remains the talk of town forever.’
The original Taj Mahal was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan between 1632 and 1653 as a tomb for his wife Mumtaz Mahal on the banks of Yamuna river in Agra, Uttar Pradesh.