Mosques In India

Tipu Sultan Mosque

Tipu Sultan Shahi Mosque is counted among India’s most admirable mosques. It is located in the eastern part of the country. Main address of the mosque is 185, Dhartamtalla Street, Kolkata. The mosque is a souvenir of our cultural and ethnical heritage. No one is bounded for visiting is here. Every person, from any religion can visit the mosque and can enjoy the ethnical beauty. They are also allowed to capture these moments in their cameras.

The most wonderful thing about the mosque is its architectural style. Tourists are very much attracted towards this mosque. It is counted one of the most visited places by tourists, in Kolkata.Tipu Sultan Shahi Mosque, constructed in 1832, is the collection beautiful architectural styles. The mosque was constructed by Ghulam Mohammad, the youngest boy of Tipu Sultan. It consists of 4 Minarets along with 16 domes. The whole work of the mosque is managed by the two Imams of the mosque. As one of the Imams has involved himself in politics, so the whole work is under second Imam. The mosque is run by the royal trust of the royal family, which is under the property of Ghulam Mohammad.

This Welfare Trust of the mosque was founded in 1980. The members of this committee are Izhar Khan, Syed Zafar and many more. Secretary of the Tipu Sultan Shahi Mosque’s Welfare Committee is Aziz Mubarki and Mohammad Sharfuddin is the chairperson of the same.

Welfare Committee of Tipu Sultan Mosque has always involved them for doing good deeds for the human kind. They helped victims of Tsunami, 2004 by donating Rs.21 501 in their fund.

As discussed above, the building of mosque was constructed under the guidance of Tipu Sultan’s youngest son, Ghulam Mohammad in 1832. After the completion of this mosque, an identical mosque was constructed later on at Tollygunge by Waqf Committee.
From the history, it is well knowned that TipuSulatan was a brave king. He was not famous just for his brave nature, but care and respect for everyone and every religion were also added to his nature. And one can see the humbleness of his nature in all the monuments constructed by him, also including religious monuments.
Famous Jama Masjid also known as Sulatane-e-Jama Masjid was built by Tipu Sultan. This mosque is the fine example for the reflection of his nature which shows his respect for every religion.

Tipu Sultan Shahi Mosque, constructed by TipuSulatn, is the best example of the Indo-Saracen design and architecture. It is said that according to Indian architecture, al the doors and windows are made in the form of square or rectangle or in the triangle form while in that of Arabic (Saracen) architecture, they are in circular or curved shape. But in this mosque, one can see the blending of these architectural styles.

Tipu Sultan gives his best to show the mixture of Hindu- Muslim bond in his monuments. He followed delicate path of architecture but was still explicit. He always wanted to ensure by this style that he does not want to detriment the sentiments of the people following the same religion. This was especially in the case of building religious monuments.

From the available records, the truth that was revealed was that, Sultan was having the architects from the countries like France, Algeria and Morocco. These renowned architects designed the structure of mosque. Venkannachar, well known historian, tells that he was also having architects who gave their special touch in the structure for Saracen style.

At the time of its construction, thiswide mosque comprises of 2 tall and big minarets having 13 rows in it. About 50 people can together offer Namaz here. Later on, more rows were added into it, so that more people can easily pray here.

Architecture

Tipu Sultan Shahi Mosque is rich in its cultural and ethnical inheritance. Being double-aisled it is graced with various domes. The mosque comprises of marvelous corner towers. The interior design of the mosque is very much admirable. Rounded arches in the mosque give a classy look. It totally reflects the insidious European look. It can also be referred as one of the beautiful specimens of Mughal era showing Mughal architecture. Mosque is opened for everyone. People of every religion or society are welcomed open heartedly.

Administration

Early, from the construction of mosque, it is governed by Imams only. Religious prayer like offering Namaz and Imamat are leaded by them only. Holiness of Shahi Imam MAulana Mufti S M NoorurRahmanBarkatiMojeddadi, are performed here. All the expenses of Tipu Sultan Mosque come under the welfare trust of Ghulam Mohammad. This trust is the royal trust of this royal family. Trust is headed by Prince Anwar Ali and other officials are appointed under the considerations of Kolkata High Court.

Restoration Efforts

When Metro railway was taking its turn in Kolkata, Tipu Sultan Shahi Mosque was highly damaged. So

SerajMubarki, Mhd. Sharfuddin, Syed Zafar andIzhar Khan founded Protection and Welfare Trust for the mosque. By this, they just wanted to make people aware and educate about all the damages caused during construction of Metro Railway. Main head of the committee is Mhd. Sharfuddin while Aziz Mubarki is the secretary of the masjid.

Main motive of establishment of the committee was to carry off with the Metro authorities of Kolkata for repairing damage caused beneath this construction. After that, authorities were ready to demolish the discredited part and reconstruct it.

Community Relations

Janab Sami Mubaraki played a major role in the affairs of the masjid by giving his active participation. The committee also raised an amount of INR 21 501, as a part of the fund of Prime Minister for the victims of 2004 Tsunami.

Not only this, they were also on 5 day strike for seeking the intervention of Central government over the ruining of a Muslim dargah and the Hindu temple in Vadodara. They broke their fast only when Hon. Governor Shri. Gopal Krishna Gandhi took initiative and offered them glass of juice and after that sentenced the attacks on Hindus and Christian Missionaries in Pakistan and India respectively.

How To Reach

There are many routes to reach Tipu Sultan Shahi Mosque. They are:

By Air

As the Kolkata is the capital city of West Bengal, so being an international airport, there are regular flights for and from Europe and other countries.And the other major cities of India are connected with domestic airlines.

By Rail

Howrah and Sealdah are two major railway stations of the city. These both are always frenetic with crowd. All the trains from North-easter area originate and even end on Sealdah while that in Howrah, all the trains from western, central and southern regions are operated from there.

While other cities of West Bengal are connected with other cities of India like Delhi, Bangalore, Lucknow, Chennai, Guwahati, Mumbai etc. through rail lines.

By Road

People can also follow bus route from anywhere. Along the way there are many gas stations and the restaurants and hotels for taking rest and for the intake of food. But, the bus route is very long to travel. So, it is recommended to follow route of rails and airlines.

General Facts About The Mosque

• One has to keep their shoes outside the entrance door.
• It is advisable for being neat and tidy while visiting the masjid.
• Tourists have to cover their knees and arms before entering into masjid.

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