She died in Burhanpur, the site of the newly built replica, while giving birth to their fourteenth child.
Her body was temporarily buried in the city and later exhumed and taken to Agra, according to Anand Prakash Chouksey, 52, who built the replica.
"I jokingly told my wife, if you pass over, then I will build a Taj Mahal," said Chouksey, 52, a hospital owner who lives in Burhanpur. "She obviously refused and said she doesn't want to die. Then I said, not a problem, I will make a Taj Mahal you can live in."
The replica took three years to build and artisans from Agra were hired to recreate the artwork on the marble.
Emperor Shah Jahan had the Taj Mahal built between 1632 and 1654 after Mumtaz died. The complex houses both of their graves and a mosque, as well as several graves of lesser Mogul royalty.
The monument, acclaimed for its delicate latticework, is India's biggest tourist draw, attracting millions of visitors every year. The tourists keep hundreds of thousands employed and Agra's economy moving.
