The Taj Mahal [Images] at the Global Village in Dubai is drawing huge crowds.

The replica is close to the one at Agra [Images] in grandeur and almost three-fourths the size of the original.

Spread over a massive 400,000 square feet, this unique structure now completed at the Global Village is drawing thousands of visitors' everyday.

Zee Television and the NRI-owned Dubai Hotel Grand have sponsored the project.

''We have opened the Taj Mahal for public viewing and are thrilled to welcome everyone to see this beautiful replica. We are delighted to partner with Real Media-Zee Network to showcase the Taj at Dubai, a place where world cultures unite,'' S P Singh, chairman, Dubai Grand Hotel, said.

The director of the Global Village Ibrahim Abdulrahim said the importance of having the replica of the Taj Mahal is that it helps broadens visitors knowledge about India's rich civilisation.

The Global Village plays an important role as the melting pot of over 160 nationalities, he added.

''While the original Taj Mahal took 23 years, 20,000 people and 1,000 elephants, its smaller replica in Dubai has been created in just three months by 600 people, of which 270 artisans were flown from India to recreate the magical splendor of the original,'' Singh said.

''Special stone was specially flown in from Jaipur [Images], Rajasthan. The landscaping of the original monument has also found their way into the new creation,'' he added.