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Faizul Quadri's love-The Taj Mahal
Let everything vanish. Only let this one teardrop, this my Taj Mahal, glisten spotlessly bright on the cheek of time, forever and ever. |
My friend has narrated his visit to see new Taj Mahal built in 2013, built by a man for his love.
Tommy Singh had been to
Bulandshahr, a town in Uttar Pradesh state where he happened to meet someone who took him to a small village to see this incredible achievement by a man named Faizul Hasan Quadri, 77, who was building his
"monument of love" for his wife
Tajammuli BegumLove is ageless and immortal! Even at the age of 77!
Faizul was building a scaled-down replica of the historic Taj Mahal in memory of his wife of 58 years and it is almost complete. The perfectly-shaped dome and minarets of Mr Quadri's Taj are already in place, but a lot of work still remains. The latticed windows, landscaped gardens and white-marble exterior are yet to be done,
Separated in time by nearly four centuries, the men behind the world famous original Taj Mahal at Agra Emperor ShahJahan and the replica share one thing in common: an extraordinary love for the women in their lives and an all-consuming passion to make their love immortal.And just like the Mughal Emperor Shahjahan's white-marble monument attracts thousands of visitors, a steady stream of curious visitors from nearby villages is coming to see Mr Quadri's Taj take shape.
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| Faizul and his wife |
Faizul and his wife were childless. His wife always use to say that after they were dead, there will be nobody to remember them. She was sad that they would be forgotten. So Faizul promised her that if she were to die before him, he would build such a beautiful mausoleum tor her that people would remember her for ages,
They were together for more than 58 years and the love had grown over the time. Now that she is gone, she will always there in Faizul’s thoughts. Perhaps, till he lives, would look at this Taj Mahal from his window, the way Emperor ShahJahan use to see Taj Mahal and remember Mumtaz Mahal
Faizul Quadri is a retired government official. The laudable part of this historic monument is that it being built from his savings. Faizul refuses to take any help.
What is the difference between the original Taj Mahal and Faizul’s Taj Mahal?
The biggest difference would be that you will not see the intricate carvings and the exquisite inlay work in which precious and semi-precious stones were used. Also,
Faizul’s Taj only has one room, that too a small one, unlike the original which has many rooms and galleries surrounding the graves. But when you look at it from a distance, because of its dome and minarets, it looks just like the Taj
Source:
BBC NEWS 22 July 2013