The Red Taj Mahal

We all know about the most significant symbol of love- the Taj Mahal. We also know of the replica that remains in Aurangabad by Bibi Ka Maqbara. But this time, when you visit Agra, do visit Taj’s replica in the same city- The Red taj Mahal.

Red Taj Mahal; Image Source: Times of India

Who is this built after?

John William Hessing, born in 1739 in Utrecht, Holland, served under the Dutch East Indian Company in Ceylon. He later served under the Nizams of Hyderabad and Marathas. He lastly received the command of the first two battalions under the Scindia army.

Due to certain disagreements between the French commander of the Scindia army, he had to resign. However, his outstanding performance in the military earned him a special position under the Scindia Maharaja as the head of Khas Risala (Personal Bodyguard).

He, however, suffered severely from ill health and was, therefore, made the commander of the Agra fort. Despite his health, he continued to participate on the battlefield and lost his life in 1803, defending the fort on a battlefield.

Devastated by his death, his wife, Anne Hessing, commissioned a monument in his memory. She ordered the memorial to look exactly like the Taj Mahal to give out the message of love in remembrance of her husband.

But this Taj Mahal was Red!

** The architecture of the Red Taj Mahal **

Made of red sandstone, which explains the color red, it cost around Rs. 100,000. Hessing's grave remains in the crypt at the outer mausoleum, locked and guarded by the guard, who unlocks it for the visitors.

Due to a lack of funds, the minarets could not be built perfectly. The minarets are attached to the tomb and are 29 ft high. Like the Taj, the tomb here also has a marble panel at its main entrance, inscribed in Persian. Minarets hold square cupolas, while the double dome crown holds an inverted lotus design.

Like all tombs, the grave lies beneath, while the symbolic stone cenotaph sits at the chamber’s center.

Special Mention of the Red Taj

FS Growse notes that a French traveler named Victor Jacquemont had visited Agra in 1830. He wrote about the Red Taj and compared it with the actual Taj in his travalogue. He mentioned that the Taj was hardly elegant, while the Red Taj was the perfect specimen of oriental architecture.

His description shows a clear representation of how orientalists view the East, demeaning the originality while appreciating a way inferior monument in terms of architectural feature only because a Westerner commissioned it—ignoring the fact that the architect indeed was a local and that the actual Taj has much more to offer.

Regardless of what Jacquemont wrote, the Red Taj is worth a visit. Fanny Parkes, in her Journal, noted that it is a “beautiful mausoleum,” which is “worth a visit…in imitation of the ancient Mohammedan tombs.”

Mausoleum beneath the Red Taj Mahal (marble panel); Image Source: Amusing Planet