Famous Bedroom Modeled After Taj Mahal Now Open to the Public

Mausoleums are beautiful buildings and hallowed sanctuaries for the souls residing therein. Their quiet solemnity and dignified architecture can be more than beautiful buildings, some are even world famous shrines built for those who have passed before us. With the care and craftsmanship dedicated to these structures, it’s no surprise that some could become fixated on these monuments. For instance, Doris Duke, a famed Islamic art enthusiast and tobacco heiress, modeled a bathroom and bedroom suite in her Hawaii home after the most famous mausoleum of all — the Taj Mahal.

According to a story by the Associated Press, Duke became fixated with the Taj Mahal during her ten-month long honeymoon there in the 1930s. She later had the bathroom and bedroom suite in her Honolulu home, called Shangri La, modeled after the famed mausoleum. In fact, Shangri La has been acting as a museum to house Duke’s extensive collection of Islamic and Middle Eastern art and has been open to the public since 2002. The Taj Mahal-inspired suite was previously closed, however, due to repairs to the roof above it. These private chambers are now open to the public and will act as a sort of tribute to a building which stands thousands of miles away.

So profound was Duke’s appreciation of this style of art that she began to collect and preserve more pieces to be housed in Shangri La, setting up the house as a tribute. She later set up the Doris Duke foundation for Islamic Art to teach the world about this style of art and allow her home and her collection to be used in further study.

Just as the Taj Mahal itself, Shangri La’s tribute to the mausoleum is built out of marble and tile and makes use of archways and windows to accentuate natural light. The tiles in the bathroom of Shangri La feature inlays of semi-precious stones, just as the stone and tile used in the original.

The original Taj Mahal was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a tribute to his queen after she died in child birth. At the time, northern India was ruled by the Islamic Mughal dynasty, and these influences can be easily seen in the Taj Mahal’s architecture. The famed mausoleum, which took over 20 years to build, features artwork indicative of the Islamic, Indian, and Persian cultures. Not only does the Taj Mahal stand as tribute to a cherished queen, it also serves as a perpetual example of India’s vibrant history.