Many people who have been to India have been mesmerized by the 17th-century construction of the Taj Mehal, widely regarded as one of the wonders of the world. More enthralling than the engineering and architecture of this iconic building is the sad romantic story behind the construction involving the great Mogul King Shah Jehan and the love of his life Mumtaz Mehal. Just like a tragic love story, Mehal died, and her grieved husband sought to make the most beautiful landmark in her memory. He had the entire Taj Mehal erected around her grave and invited world-famous architects and planners from Central Asia and Arabia to come and contribute towards it. In the end, it was a masterpiece, and it is said that even in his last days of captivity, he would do nothing else but gaze from his cell in the direction of the Taj Mehal as love had consumed him.
Now many of us can’t build these life-sized Taj Mahals for our passed loved ones even though we love them as much as the emperor loved his queen or maybe even more. But, we can pay them tribute in a way of our own just like this old Indian guy did. He was a retired postman, which is considered a poor man’s job in the South Asian nation. He got married to the woman of his dreams back in 1953, and his simple story tell us how much he loved her. But, when she couldn’t bear any children she got very depressed and asked him who will remember him when they are both dead? He was a passionate young man and said that wherever she died, he would dig her grave there and build a grand tomb around it so people would remember her.
When she died, he started working on his own Taj Mahal soon afterward. Many people tried to help him make it, but he vehemently denied any contribution and made this wonderful tribute all by himself from bricks to masonry. He spent most of his money on this beautiful building and never has his love for her dimmed after all those years. The foundations are of concrete, and the walls are quite thick so our guess is that he spent whatever he got from his meager pension and spent it on his wife’s tomb. He has even left a hollow space for himself so that he would be buried next to it.
Watch his beautiful story here: