Location
The Thousand Lights Mosque lies close to the Anna flyover on the
Anna Salai Road in Chennai. The mosque is located in the Royapettah
township in the capital city of Tamil Nadu. Some important nearby
regions include the Teynampet and Nungambakkam.
Overview
In the beginning of 19th century the place where the popular mosque
stands used to be the assembling place of Shias, a sect of Muslims,
in the month of Moharram. The Arcot family built an assembly hall in
the year 1810 A.D. and eventually a mosque in the year 1820. The
mosque is built over three acres of land that were donated by Nawab
Wallajah. The place derived its name after the illumination of about
1000 oil lamps. However, contradictory evidences have been put by
many who believe that the lights were provided by the Indian
National Congress at the annual session to mark its first visit to
the city. The mosque is treated as an important shrine by the locals
living here. The mosque has been renovated many times after its
construction. Some important features of the mosque include the
structure itself, a library, burial ground and a guesthouse.
Architecture
The mosque represents one of the popular medieval architectural
style building. The structure is multi domed building with two
exalting minarets. The minarets reach to height of 64 feet above the
ground. The structure is painted with the sayings from the Muslim
holy book, the Koran. A main hall is provided in the ground floor
for offering prayers. There is a separate room for women. The two
rooms on the second floor have been designed to represent the
sanctuary. These rooms are called as Bargah. The place does not
constitute a burial site. However, the wooden planks on the second
floor are held to represent the harems (sanctuary) of Imam Hossein
and Abolfazl-al-Abbas. The mosque is a famous pilgrimage place for
the Shias of India, especially from South India.
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