Taj-ul-Masjid, largest and majestic mosque in India -work initiated by a royal woman!!

Taj-ul-Masajid,Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh India. www.indianmirror.com

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Taj-ul-Masajid,

Entrance gate. Taj-ul-Masajid,Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh Indiaen.wikipedia

Taj-ul-Masajid ("Crown Among Mosques"), an attractive Mosque situated in Bhopal,the capital city of  Madhya Pradesh, India has the distinction of being the largest Mosque in India, perhaps one of the biggest in Asia, covering 23,312 sq.feet

A fascinating aspect behind the history of this big mosque, that took so much time before completion, is a dedicated royal Muslim  woman with grit, passion and commitment who took up the mega project against all odds, including her gender gap and financial difficulties. After her death, equal zeal was shown by her daughter who did as much as she could  to carry on the unfinished mammoth dream of her mother - biggest Mosque in the British empire with available funds. 
  
The construction of this big  masjid began  during the reign of the Mughal Emperor  Bahadur Shah Zafar by  Nawab  Shah  Jahan Begum (1844–1860  1868–1901) of Bhopal, wife of   Baqi Mohammad Khan and  after her the work, it was continued  by her daughter Sultan  Jahan Begum, in spite of financial constrains till her lifetime. The mosque  construction  came to a standstill owing to lack of funds coupled with the famous Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 against the oppressive and arrogant British rule under the East India company and its cronies.
The construction  of this grand mosque resumed in 1971 after  a pretty long hiatus - more than 114 years at the initiative of Allama Mohammad Imran Khan Nadwi Azhari and Maulana Sayed Hashmat Ali Sahab of Bhopal and  completed by 1985. The Emir of Kuwait to commemorate the memory of his departed wife came forward and bore the costs of entrance gate work..

Taj-ul-Masajid,Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh India www.tripadvisor.com

The Mosque, unlike most, has a pink facade with   two 18-storey (296 feet high) high octagonal minarets capped with marble domes, three huge  domes, an impressive main hallway with attractive pillars and marble flooring, etc reminding the visitors of the Mogul architecture style,the likes of which one can see at Jama Masjid in Delhi and the huge Badshahi Mosque of Lahore,Pakistan.  There is a large tank in the center of a courtyard. The Quibla wall in the prayer hall is carved with eleven recessed arches, massive pillars holding 27 ceilings and  fine screens  embellished with  trellis  are worth mentioning .

Annual congregation.Taj-ul-Masajid,Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh India www.thehindu.com

The  annual three-day congregation - Aalmi Tablighi Ijtima is famous that attracts  people from all over the world. It was held at Taj-ul-Masajid later the venue was shifted to Gazi Pura/Islam Nagar as more space was required.

 At last the unfinished life long dream of a royal woman and her daughter - Taj-ul-Masajid came to fruition in 1985 through the efforts of above mentioned dedicated people who equally the share the limelight with the late great Begums of Bhobal.


Ref:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taj-ul-Masajid
 
http://travel.india.com/bhopal/photos/taj-ul-masjid-bhopalmadhyapradesh?

Gazi Pura,outside the city due to shortage of space