A 52-year-old Indian businessman has built a scaled-down replica of the iconic Taj Mahal as a home for his wife of 27 years. Anand Prakash Chouksey built his “monument of love” in Burhanpur city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
Mr Anand Prakash Chouksey, owner of the Taj Mahal Replica, said:
“It was a gift for my wife but also for the town and its people. The house cost about 20 million rupees (£199,000; $260,000) to build, nestled deep inside his sprawling 50-acre property, which includes a hospital. A lot of people have also started to do their pre-wedding shoots here. I don’t stop them because in our town, we are a close-knit community where everyone knows everyone. So, my house is open for them, but not all visitors are allowed inside the house because “after all, it is our home and we live there.”
The house consists of two main bedrooms that are located on two separate floors. It also has a library and a meditation room. The drawing room flaunts marble columns, a curving staircase and a gilded ceiling.
Mr Anand Prakash Chouksey said:
“Interiors are not strictly Islamic in design but are infused with contemporary influences, which is evident from the choice of sofas and the curtains. We also used a lot of 3D images of the Taj Mahal on the internet to build our own. The idea was to build something similar, so the engineers reduced the size to one third of the actual monument. Today, there is a lot of hate in our country. People are being divided in the name of religion and caste, I wanted to “spread love” in such distressing times. And this house for me is a symbol of that love – one which goes beyond our social differences and the political noise.”
About Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is a 17th Century mausoleum in Agra city. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his queen Mumtaz who died while giving birth to their 14th child. The stunning marble monument, famed for its intricate lattice work, is one of India’s biggest tourist attractions. Before the pandemic, it drew as many as 70,000 people every day – a list that has included celebrities and dignitaries.
We have secured the exclusive full view of the Taj Mahal Replica built by Indian Man for his wife, and the happy family lives inside it:
