India: A Tale of two Taj Mahals

India now has two Taj Mahals, one only a third the size of the other. One is one of the world’s most famous tombs, while the other is the home of a hospital owner and his wife in Burhanpur.

Anand Prakash Chouksey, who built the house using marble from the same sources as the original, built in Agra by the 17th-century Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, says “I jokingly told my wife, if you pass over, then I will build a Taj Mahal. She obviously refused and said she doesn’t want to die. Then I said, not a problem, I will make a Taj Mahal you can live in.”

The smaller imitation embodies several aspects of the real monument, including the large dome, intricate minarets and ...

The original, which is the tomb of Shah Jahan as well as the Mumtaz, the wife he had it built for, is India’s biggest tourism draw, with millions of visitors every year.

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