Wallajah Mosque
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The Triplicane Big Mosque, also known as the Wallajah Mosque, is a
mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...
and
dargah A Sufi shrine or dargah ( ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargāh'' दरगाह درگاہ, ''dôrgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often a Sufi saint or dervi ...
complex, located on Triplicane High Road, in the
Triplicane Thiruvallikeni known as Triplicane, is one of the oldest neighbourhoods of Chennai, India. It is situated on the Bay of Bengal coast and about from Fort St George. The average elevation of the neighbourhood is 14 metres above Mean sea leve ...
neighbourhood of
Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
, in the state of
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
,
South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...
. Constructed in the
Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...
style, the mosque was completed in 1795 by the family of
Muhammad Ali Khan Wallajah Muhammad Ali Khan Wallajah, or Muhammed Ali, Wallajah (7 July 1717 – 13 October 1795), was the Nawab of the Carnatic from 1749 until his death in 1795. He declared himself Nawab in 1749. This position was disputed between Wallajah and Cha ...
, the
Nawab of Arcot The Carnatic Sultanate ( Persian: ; Tamil: ; Urdu: ) also known as Carnatic State or Arcot State was a kingdom in southern India between about 1690 and 1855, ruled by a Muslim nawab under the legal purview of the Nizam of Hyderabad, until thei ...
. It has a large prayer hall, a tank and a large courtyard. The entire structure is constructed with granite without the use of iron or wood. The Nawab of Arcot was friendly towards fellow
Hindus Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
, appointing a Hindu as his chief personal secretary. A chronogram written in
Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
by Raja Makhhan Lal Bahdur Khirat, the Hindu
Munshi During the Mughal Empire, ''Munshi'' () came to be used as a respected title for persons who achieved mastery over language and politics in the Indian subcontinent. Use in Bengal The surname "Munshi" ( Bengali: মুন্সি) is used by bot ...
of the Nawab, is located at the entrance to the prayer hall. The mosque is the largest and one of the oldest in Chennai and is active as a place of worship. It is administered by Prince of Arcot Endowments Trust. Most of the administrative staff of the mosque are Hindus, a symbol of peaceful coexistence between the two religions.


History

The Nawab of Arcot was a loyal ally of the
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
who offered him Chepauk Palace where he could house his military and administrative buildings. It is believed that Nawab Muhammad Ali moved to
Chepauk Chepauk is a locality in Chennai, India. The name Chepauk is popularly used to refer to the M. A. Chidambaram International Cricket Stadium, also known as the Chepauk Stadium. It is also home to the Chepauk Palace, built in the Indo-Saraceni ...
, located in Triplicane in 1768. There were around 20,000
Rowther The Rowther (anglicised as ''Irauttar'', ''Rawther, Ravuttar,'' ''Ravutta'', ''Ravuthar, Ravuthamar'') are a distinct Muslim community living largely in the south Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. While some of them are partially descende ...
Muslims who moved with him to the city. It was then the largest community of Muslims in South India after
Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...
. The Nawab had full control of the region and all the cases were resolved under Muslim Law irrespective of the religion of the accused. Historians believe that after the mosque was built, it added to the cultural mix in Triplicane, which had a famous Hindu temple in
Parthasarathy Temple The Parthasarathy Temple is a 6th-century Hindu Vaishnavite temple dedicated to Vishnu in Chennai, India. Located in the neighbourhood of Thiruvallikeni, the temple is glorified in the ''Naalayira Divya Prabandham'', the early medieval Tamil ...
and the Portuguese Christian stronghold of
San Thome San Thomas Church, officially known as St Thomas Cathedral Basilica and National Shrine of Saint Thomas, is a minor basilica of the Catholic Church in India, at the Santhome neighbourhood of Chennai, in Tamil Nadu. The present structure dates ba ...
. The Big Mosque was built in 1795 by the family of Muhammad Ali Khan Wallajah, who was the Nawab of Arcot during 1765. There is a plaque in
Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
written by the private secretary of the Nawab, Rajah Makhan Lal Khirat. The mosque is now administered by Prince of Arcot Endowments Trust. The plaque indicates that the mosque was renovated during the regime of Azam Jah, who modified its minarets and added golden
finial A finial () or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature. In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the Apex (geometry), apex of a dome, spire, tower, roo ...
s to the spires. The Nawabs of Arcot were friendly towards fellow Hindus, appointing a Hindu as chief personal secretary. A significant number of the administrative staff of the mosque are Hindus, which is seen as a symbol of a harmonious mix of cultures.


Architecture

Big Mosque is the largest mosque located in Chennai from the time of its establishment. It is constructed of granite without any iron or wooden additions. There is no fixed architectural style, though the two minarets are characteristic of
Mughal architecture Mughal architecture is the style of architecture developed in the Mughal Empire in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries throughout the ever-changing extent of their empire in the Indian subcontinent. It developed from the architectural styles of ea ...
. Historians attribute the change of architecture to the arrival of North Indian Muslims who settled there. The mosque houses the image of the Persian scholar Barool. It is believed that he came from
Lucknow Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...
to educate the royal family. The chronogram written by Raja Makhhan Lal Bahdur Khirat, the
Munshi During the Mughal Empire, ''Munshi'' () came to be used as a respected title for persons who achieved mastery over language and politics in the Indian subcontinent. Use in Bengal The surname "Munshi" ( Bengali: মুন্সি) is used by bot ...
of the Nawab, is found on the entrance of the prayer hall. There is a large temple tank to the north east of the sanctum and a large ground in front of it. Almost the entire portion of the mosque has an equivalent width of steps leading to it. To the west of the sanctum, the mausoleums of important people associated with the royal family are located.


Culture

Big Mosque is the largest and considered the principal mosque in the city of Chennai. The mosque is an active place of worship. There is a constant flow of visitors in the mosque as it is located in one of the busiest places in Chennai. The mosque can accommodate thousands of devotees. During the sacred festivals of
Bakrid Eid al-Adha () is the second of the two main festivals in Islam alongside Eid al-Fitr. It falls on the 10th of Dhu al-Hijja, the twelfth and final month of the Islamic calendar. Celebrations and observances are generally carried forward to the ...
and Ramzan, the devotees overflow, some of them offering prayers from the surrounding grounds. There was a proposal made by the administration to cover the open grounds at least during festive occasions to protect devotees from inclement weather conditions. There were contrasting views put forth by heritage enthusiasts who argued against roofing claiming the openness and the architecture would be hidden by the structure. The grave of Qaid-e-Millat M. Muhammad Ismail Sahib is situated in front of the mosque.


See also

*
Islam in India Islam is India's Religion in India, second-largest religion, with 14.2% of the country's population, or approximately 172.2 million people, identifying as adherents of Islam in a 2011 census. India also has the Islam by country, third-larg ...
*
List of dargahs in Tamil Nadu This is a list of notable Islamic shrines in Tamil Nadu, a state of India. In Tamil, dargah is sometimes transliterated as ''darga''. List * Erwadi Dargah; contains the tomb of Qutbus Sultan Syed Ibrahim Shaheed Badshah * Hazrat Noor Moh ...
*
List of mosques in India This is a list of notable mosques in India, organised by state or union territory. , India had more than active mosques and had the third largest Muslim population in the world. Andaman and Nicobar Islands Andhra Pradesh Assam B ...


References


External links

{{Mosques in India 18th-century mosques in India Dargahs in Tamil Nadu Mosque buildings with domes in India Mosque buildings with minarets in India Mosques completed in the 1790s Mosques in Chennai Mughal mosques Religious buildings and structures completed in 1795