Faizul Hasan Qadri was a retired postman who didn’t belong to the Mughal lineage. But he loved his wife of 57 years so strong that he built her a mausoleum - a Taj Mahal replica built from concrete.
On Friday morning, 9 November, the 82-year-old ‘Shah Jahan of the Poor’ passed away in a hospital in Meerut after he was hit by a motorcycle. Now, Qadri will be laid to rest next to his beloved Tajamulli Begum, in a grave he dug a few years back inside his ‘Taj Mahal’.
The concrete Taj Mahal has made Qadri’s village in Uttar Pradesh quite famous.
Seven Years to Build Qadri’s Taj
According to the Times of India, Qadri lost Tajamulli to throat cancer in 2011. Qadri’s undying love for his Tajamulli has returned the focus back on the otherwise obscure Kaser Kalan village in Dibai tehsil of Bulandshahr district. Here, in a 5,500 square foot area, Qadri built his brick-and-cement monument dedicated to his wife.
After Tajamulli’s death, Qadri announced his grand plans before his village, which left many surprised as they have only seen the senior citizen barely manage to walk with a stick. Yet, they all respected the old man’s commitment to see the monument come to life and soon gave him with the title, ‘Shahjahan of the Poor’.
“Qadri will be remembered as modern day Shah Jahan. He wanted to be buried next to his wife and the village will see to it that his wish is fulfilled. He made our village famous.”Mohd Aslam Faizul Hasan Qadri
Sunni Waqf Board to Take Over Qadri’s Taj Mahal?
Qadri, who had no kids of his own, used up his life savings and sold some of his land to build this monument on top of his wife’s grave. Although the replica doesn’t come close to the original’s majesty and grandiosity, it does imitate Taj Mahal’s features with a dome and archways.
The octogenerian had also donated four bighas of land to the Uttar Pradesh government for the construction of a girls’ college near his Taj Mahal. He was even offered financial support by the Akhilesh Yadav government to finish his concrete mausoleum, but he refused.
“I am scripting a poor man’s love story. I don’t know whether my Taj Mahal will be as famous as Shah Jahan’s, but I know that people can see it for free.”Faizul Hasan Qadri
According to his nephew, Junaid Akhtar, Qadri has entrusted ‘Mini-Taj’ to Uttar Pradesh’s Sunni Central Waqf Board, along with some land he had left. However, Waqf Board Charmain, ZA Farooqui did not confirm whether the board will take over the management of Qadri’s Taj Mahal.
He said, “I cannot confirm as of now, we will have to check the records first.”
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