Man Builds Taj Mahal Replica in Memory of Wife
Taj Mahal in India is one of the most beautiful and extravagant structures ever made. Mughal emperor Shah Jahan had the white marble mausoleum built in the memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. It took nearly 22 years to build and was completed in around 1653, taking a sizable chunk of the rich emperor’s treasures.
The Taj Mahal is a beautiful piece of architecture, that for many symbolizes love, and then there are those who see the emperor’s extravagance as an insult to the love of a poor man. The hero of our story here, Faizul Hasan Kadari, a retired post-master from India, belonged to the latter category.
After the death of his wife, Kadari felt an intensity of love and pain that made him change his views. He promised his dying wife Tajammuli Begum that he would build a mausoleum to remember them both by, since she thought the childless couple would soon be forgotten after death.
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Kadari took a team of local workers to see the Taj Mahal so they would understand its construction, and then had them build a miniature replica of the grand mausoleum for his wife. To fund the project, Kadari sold his land, his wife’s jewels and used up all the money he had from his pension. The miniature is being built on 5000 square feet of land outside Kadari’s home in Bulandshahar and has so far cost him 900,000 rupees (approximately $15,000). His funds are drying up fast but he refuses to take help and plans to use his monthly pension to pay for construction.
It might not be remotely as opulent as the Taj Mahal, but it does perhaps mean the same to the poor old post-master, as the real one might have been for the powerful and rich emperor.
Via OpenTheMagazine, OddityCentral
