'You can't just go and copy historical monuments,' fumed a spokesman at the Indian High Commission in Dhaka.

'Someone will go out there and have a look. The reports we are reading say it is an exact replica. This is a protected site we are talking about so we need to find out if it really is the exact size,' he told AFP.

Bangladeshi film director Ahsanullah Moni unveiled his 58 million dollar replica, located about 30 kilometres northeast of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, this week.

Mr Moni began building it five years ago but came up with the idea in 1980 when he first visited the real 'Monument to Love' in Agra, India.

He imported marble and granite from Italy, diamonds from Belgium and used 160 kilogrammes (350 pounds) of bronze for the dome.

'Everyone dreams about seeing the Taj Mahal but very few Bangladeshis can make the trip because it's too expensive for them,' he said.

The Taj Mahal was built by Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth in 1631. -- AFP