Ahmedabad:
A group of artisans from Dholka taluka here have built a replica of the world famous monument Taj Mahal to bring the magical experience of witnessing this architectural wonder in Gujarat itself.
The 51-feet high Taj Mahal replica has been erected behind the Dholka railway station near the artists' workshop and has folding components which would enable the structure to be moved to different locations.
"In 2004, we had made a Taj Mahal out of thermocol which was highly appreciated by the people. The Governor of Gujarat had come to see the structure," team leader of the group of 54 artisans Ishtiyaq Ali told PTI.
"After the thermocol structure, there was overwhelming response from people who asked us to built Taj Mahal replica that they could touch and feel just like the original one in Agra. So we decided to make a structure where one can walk through, touch the walls with intricate designs," he said.
Ali said that they began building the Taj Mahal with help of iron, wood and PVC material two years ago. "We used the iron and wood because we wanted a structure which could be dismantled and transported to other location," he added.
According to Ali, he and other members of his group had visited Taj Mahal in Agra seven times and photographed the monument from different angles, its various components and designs on the walls, which they used in building the structure here.