TheBadshahi Mosque (Punjabi:بادشاہی مسیت,romanized: Bādśā’ī Masīt;Urdu:بادشاہی مسجد,romanized: Bādśāhī Masjid) is aMughal-eraimperial mosque located inLahore, Punjab, Pakistan.[1][2] It was constructed between 1671 and 1673 during the rule ofAurangzeb, opposite of theLahore Fort on the northern outskirts of the historicWalled City. It is widely considered to be one of the most iconic landmarks ofPakistan.[3]
The Badshahi Mosque was built between 1671 and 1673 by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. The mosque is an important example ofMughal architecture, with an exterior that is decorated with carved red sandstone with marble inlay. It remains the largest mosque of the Mughal-era, and is thethird-largest mosque in Pakistan.[4] In 1799, during the rule ofRanjit Singh of theSikh Empire, the mosque's courtyard was used for worship. When theBritish Empire took control of Lahore in 1846 it was used as agarrison until 1852. Subsequently, the Badshahi Mosque Authority was established to oversee its restoration as a place of worship. It is now one of Pakistan's most iconic sights.[1]
The sixthMughal Emperor, Aurangzeb, chose Lahore as the site for his new mosque. Aurangzeb, unlike the previous emperors, was not a major patron of art and architecture and instead focused, during much of his reign, on various military conquests which added to the Mughal realm.[5] The mosque was built to commemorate Aurangzeb's military campaigns in southern India, in particular against theMaratha rulerShivaji.[4] As a symbol of the mosque's importance, it was built directly across from the Lahore Fort and itsAlamgiri Gate, which was concurrently built by Aurangzeb during construction of the mosque.[6]
The mosque was commissioned in 1671, with construction overseen by the Emperor's foster brother, and Governor of Lahore, Muzaffar Hussein - also known by the nameFidai Khan Koka.[7] After only two years of construction, the mosque was opened in 1673.[6]
Badshahi Mosque duringSikh rule; theSamadhi of Ranjit Singh (white edifice on right) was built next to the mosque.
On 7 July 1799, the Sikh army ofRanjit Singh took control of Lahore.[8] After the capture of the city, Maharaja Ranjit Singh repaired the mosque.[9] In 1818, he built a marble edifice in theHazuri Bagh facing the mosque, known as theHazuri Bagh Baradari,[10] which he used as his official royal court of audience.[11] Marble slabs for the baradari may have been plundered by the Sikhs from other monuments in Lahore.[12] In 1839, after his death, construction of asamadhi in his memory was begun by his son and successor,Kharak Singh, at a site adjacent to the mosque.
During theFirst Anglo-Sikh War in 1841, Ranjit Singh's son,Sher Singh, used the mosque's large minarets for placement ofzamburahs or light guns which were used to bombard the supporters ofChand Kaur, who had taken refuge in the besieged Lahore Fort. In one of these bombardments, the fort's Diwan-e-Aam (Hall of Public Audience) was destroyed, but was subsequently rebuilt in theBritish era. During this time, Henri de La Rouche, a French cavalry officer employed in the army of Sher Singh,[13] also used a tunnel connecting the Badshahi mosque to the Lahore fort to temporarily store gunpowder.[14]
In 1849, the British seized control of Lahore from the Sikh Empire. During the British Raj, the mosque and the adjoining fort continued to be used as a military garrison. The 80 cells built into the walls surrounding its vast courtyard were demolished by the British after theIndian Rebellion of 1857, so as to prevent them from being used for anti-British activities. The cells were replaced by open arcades known asdalans.[15]
Because of increasing Muslim resentment against the use of the mosque as a military garrison, by the help of Khan Bahadur Nawab Barkat Ali Khan the British set up the Badshahi Mosque Authority in 1852 to oversee the restoration and to re-establish it as a place of religious worship. From then onwards, piecemeal repairs were carried out under the supervision of the Badshahi Mosque Authority. The building was officially handed back to the Muslim community byJohn Lawrence, who was theViceroy of India.[16] The building was then re-established as a mosque.
In April 1919, after theAmritsar Massacre, a mixed Sikh, Hindu and Muslim crowd of an estimated 25,000–35,000 gathered in the mosque's courtyard in protest. A speech byGandhi was read at the event by Khalifa Shuja-ud-Din, who would later become Speaker of theProvincial Assembly of the Punjab.[17][18]
Extensive repairs commenced from 1939 onwards, whenSikandar Hayat Khan began raising funds for this purpose.[19] Renovation was supervised by the architectNawab Alam Yar Jung Bahadur.[1] As Khan was largely credited for extensive restorations to the mosque, he was buried adjacent to the mosque in the Hazuri Bagh.
Top row: the domes.Bottom row: the elaborate internal decoration.
As a gateway to the west, and Persia in particular, Lahore had a strong regional style which was heavily influenced byPersian architectural styles. Earlier mosques, such as theWazir Khan Mosque, were adorned in intricatekashi kari, orKashan style tile work,[4] from which the Badshahi Mosque would depart. Aurangzeb chose an architectural plan similar to that ofShah Jahan's choice for theJama Masjid in Delhi, though he built the Badshahi mosque on a much larger scale.[23] Both mosques feature red sandstone with white marble inlay, which is a departure from typical mosque design in Lahore, in which decoration is done by means of intricate tile work.[24]
Entrance to the mosque complex is via a two-storey edifice built of redsandstone which is beautifully and elaborately decorated with framed and carved paneling on each of its facades.[20] The edifice features amuqarna, an architectural feature from the Middle East that was first introduced into Mughal architecture with construction of the nearby and ornate Wazir Khan Mosque.
Various views of the mosque's monumental entrance arches, built on the orders ofAkbar out of redsandstone
The mosque's full name "Masjid Abul Zafar Muhy-ud-Din Mohammad Alamgir Badshah Ghazi" is written in inlaid marble above the vaulted entrance.[25] The mosque's gateway faces east towards the Alamgiri Gate of the Lahore Fort, which was also commissioned by Aurangzeb. The massive entrance and mosque are situated on aplinth, which is ascended by a flight of 22 steps at the mosque's main gate which.[26] The gateway itself contains several chambers which are not accessible to the public.
After passing through the massive gate, an expansive sandstone paved courtyard spreads over an area of 276,000 square feet, and which can accommodate 100,000 worshipers when functioning as anIdgah.[26] The courtyard is enclosed by single-aisled arcades.
The main edifice at the site was also built from red sandstone, and is decorated with white marble inlay.[20] The prayer chamber has a central arched niche with five niches flanking it which are about one third the size of the central niche. The mosque has three marble domes, the largest of which is located in the centre of the mosque, and which is flanked by two smaller domes.[25]
Both the interior and exterior of the mosque are decorated with elaborate white marble carved with a floral design common to Mughal art. The carvings at Badshahi mosque are considered to be uniquely fine and unsurpassed works of Mughal architecture.[20] The chambers on each side of the main chamber contains rooms which were used for religious instruction. The mosque can accommodate 10,000 worshippers in the prayer hall.[27]
At each of the four corners of the mosque, there are octagonal, three-storey minarets made of red sandstone that are 196 ft (60 m) tall, with an outer circumference of 67 feet and the inner circumference is eight and half feet. Each minaret is topped by a marble canopy. The main building of the mosque also features an additional four smaller minarets at each corner of the building.[20]
Various views of the Badshahi mosque.Clockwise from top: the mosque standing across theHazuri Bagh fromLahore Fort; an internal view of the mosque; an evening silhouette; thetomb of Allama Iqbal, located north of the mosque's gateway; a panoramic view of the mosque; and a view of the mosque from theAlamgiri Gate.
The mosque is located adjacent to theWalled City of Lahore, Pakistan. The entrance to the mosque lies on the western side of the rectangular Hazuri Bagh, and faces the famous Alamgiri Gate of the Lahore Fort, which is located on the eastern side of the Hazuri Bagh. The mosque is also located next to theRoshnai Gate, one of the original thirteen gates of Lahore, which is located to the southern side of the Hazuri Bagh.[28]
Badshahi Mosque as seen from Lahore Fort
Near the entrance of the mosque lies theTomb of Muhammad Iqbal, a poet widely revered in Pakistan as the founder of thePakistan Movement which led to the creation of Pakistan as a homeland for the Muslims of British India.[27] Also located near the mosque's entrance is the tomb ofSir Sikandar Hayat Khan, who is credited for playing a major role in preservation and restoration of the mosque.[29]
^Omer Tarin,Sir Sikandar Hyat Khan and the Renovation of the Badshahi Mosque, Lahore: An Historical Survey, inPakistan Historical Digest Vol 2, No 4, Lahore, 1995, pp. 21–29.
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