I was feeling benumbed when
I stared out the window of the bus and saw the sky reddened with strokes of
sunrise. “Dawning of a new day” I told
myself and instantly, burst of excitement shot up my body as this meant a new
opportunity to explore. It was the first morning of the Madhya
Pradesh Travel Mart where I was invited to cover. Before the event started,
the organizers took our group of travel writers for a short incursion to the
city’s landmark known as the ‘Crown among
Mosques’—the biggest mosque in India, the Taj-ul-Masajid.
A Crowning Work of Architecture
The imposing Pink-colored facade
of the Mosque arrested my attention even from the outer gates as I was taking
my shoes off to enter the compound. Upon walking closer, the sheer height of
the dual 18-story (296 feet) octagonal minaret with marble domes appeared to me
in spectacular fashion. I must have mouthed the word "Wow!" a few times as I took my time taking photographs of the
Mosque's massive external walls.
Heavily influenced by the
Mughal architecture prevalent all over India from the 16th to 18th centuries,
the Taj-ul-Masajid is also highlighted by its common building characteristics
of trim minarets, huge spherical domes, wide halls, spacious hallways and
intricate embellishment.
Inside, the Mosque took me
into another notch of fascination as I sensed its hugeness while I walked over
the marble floors and into the red carpeted prayer halls. A Madrasa—an Arabic word for school—is located
inside the Mosque. During our visit, I observed how the kids despite deeply engrossed
in their learning of the Quran, took time to smile and wave at us.
Measuring almost 40,000
square meters inside, the Mosque can hold a capacity of 175,000 Muslim faithful.
It is very easy to get lost inside especially if you direct your eyes at the
ornate work of craftmanship evident in the (what our tour guide counted as) "eleven arches designed with fancy canopies
of trellis workmanship". The massive pillars inside are highlighted by
27 arched ceilings most of which were adorned by overelaborate petaled designs.
Begums of Bhopal
This mosque was built between
the years 1868-1901 upon the order of Nawab Shah Jahan Begum—wife of Nawab Syed
Siddiq Hasan Khan. After her death, her daughter Shahjehan Begum continued the
mosque's expansion. Interestingly, this period coincided with the rise of a
succession of women rulers of Bhopal, who lorded over a patriarchal society. They
became known as the "Begums of
Bhopal”, a dynasty of powerful women: Qudsia Begum, Sikandar Begum,
Shahjehan Begum and Sultan Jahan Begum.
More than a place of
worship, the Taj-ul-Masajid Mosque is also a living symbolism of a feminist
movement that has long fought and won over a patriarchal society. If the women
of India today would look for inspiration in their continuing fight for equality—then,
these massive walls of Bhopal's crown among
mosques should give them a plenteous shot in the arm.
