Inside the Taj Mahal Replica of a Home That an MP Man Built His Wife

The Taj Mahal was commissioned by Shah Jahan in the memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, after her death in 1631 in Burhanpur, Madhya Pradesh (MP) — which he had initially considered as a site for the mausoleum.

While it was eventually erected in Agra, in 2021 a Burhanpur man built a stunning marble replica of the Taj Mahal for his own wife. Four years later, the couple has finally revealed what’s inside.

“This Taj Mahal is our 4BHK home, in which we live, and it’s made from Makrana marble,” said owner Anand Prakash Chouksey while giving a tour. “The original dimensions of the Taj Mahal have been scaled down from metres to feet.”

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The property is about a third of the size of the original monument and is dedicated to his living love, Manjusha, a retired doctor.

Chouksey’s house “feels like the original Taj Mahal”, said Priyam Saraswat, a creator who explores residential architecture, while sharing a glimpse.

The grand, vaulted-arch entrance, leads to a palatial living room with intricate marble inlay work on its floor, the centrepiece of which is a buffalo that reminds the former dairyman of his humble beginnings.

Further inside is a grand, imperial staircase with two symmetrical flights and some more beautiful artisanal work that Chouksey said takes about 8–10 days to finish.

“It’s similar to the Taj but well-lit, [considering] this is our house and it’s a tomb. Our living room has double walls, each nine inches thick, with a two-foot air gap for stable temperatures through winter, rain and summer.”

The residence also has a meditation room that doubles as a library. Its dome, which rises 29 feet above the roof, took around the same amount of time to build as the Taj Mahal house.

After its completion, Chouksey told the BBC that the house isn't dedicated to Manjusha alone, but is a "symbol of love" in times of disharmony.

It sits across the campus from the residential school the couple owns. Chouksey describes the institution as India’s “most hi-tech modern Gurukul” and some 2,200 students his family.