The Taj Mahal is unrivalled but it has inspired later architects to attempt to create another mausoleum. In Dayal or Saomi Bagh in Agra, the tomb of Saomiji Maharaj, founder of the Radha Saomi faith, has been a building since 1904. Even so, it reveals its character as an eclectic fusion of mosque, gurudwara, temple, vihara, the Gothic arched door of a cathedral, venetian arches, pillars of a wide variety of classical order, and panels inlaid with carefully identified fruit and flowers resembling plates from Victorian natural history tomes. It is a fascinating exercise in architectural catholicity.

Equally interesting is the fact that traditional artisans work here cutting and dressing marble, inlaying designs and polishing slabs of marble the way, presumably their ancestors did when building the Taj Mahal.



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