A replica of the Taj Mahal, a universal symbol of eternal love, was erected by an Indian in Burhanpur, in central India, as a message of love to his wife but also of peace to his country.
"We want to send a message of peace and religious harmony
," Anand Prakash Chouksey told AFP.
There is a lot of hatred around us. ”
But
"love solves all the problems of life and the Taj Mahal is a symbol of it,"
he continued.
The building contrasts with the modernity and precariousness of the surrounding constructions.
UMA SHANKAR MISHRA / AFP
"Positive energy"
The Taj Mahal, an architectural masterpiece of Indo-Islamic art, the country's main tourist attraction, was built in Agra in the 17th century on the initiative of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to perpetuate the memory of Mumtaz , his deceased favorite wife.
The wife of Anand Prakash Chouksey, on the other hand, is very much alive, and was able to give her opinion on the construction of the palace, a third smaller than the Indian monument, located 800 km away.
The interior of Anand Prakash Chouksey's palace, all in gilding.
UMA SHANKAR MISHRA / AFP
“My wife only asked for a meditation room. She is a pious woman
,
”
confides the transit lover.
“According to her, the dome brings a different atmosphere and a lot of positive energy
,
” he
adds.
Its reproduction will have required three years of work, sixteen years less than the mausoleum which inspired it.
According to the husband, this sentimental fantasy will have cost him more than 15 million rupees (180,000 euros).
Read alsoIn India, the Taj Mahal turns green
Marble love poem
The Taj Mahal shines, in Agra on the bank of the Yamuna, like
"a pure and lonely tear
[...]
on the cheek of time"
, according to the verses of the Indian Nobel of literature Rabindranath Tagore, dedicated to the monument, a veritable poem by marble love.
"We used Makrana marble to build the building,"
or
"the same material from which the Taj Mahal was designed
,
"
said Anand Prakash Chouskey, who plans to attach the Indian flag to the top of the main dome.
At night, the void surrounding the house becomes more oppressive.
UMA SHANKAR MISHRA / AFP
He will only be completely satisfied when he finally has the symbols of India's most popular religions appear on the minarets that stand in the four corners of his palace in Burhanpur.
It is in this same city that Mumtaz died giving birth to her fourteenth child in June 1632, after having accompanied Shah Jahan who came to suppress a local revolt.
Read also Taj Mahal: a storm collapses 2 pillars
The deceased had been buried there for some time and, according to locals, Shah Jahan had planned to build the Taj Mahal on the banks of the Tapti River crossing the city.
“The soil structure did not allow the Taj Mahal to be built here at the time, so it was erected in Agra,”
where Shah Jahan and Mumtaz lie side by side, explained Mr. Chouksey. .
The old city of Burhanpur shelters the dilapidated remains of the palace where the members of the imperial family resided, and its magnificent hammam intended for Mumtaz that the Mughal emperor had built so that she could relax there in style.