The Thousand Lights Mosque is a popular place of worship for Muslims in South India. In the early 19th century, mosque grounds were used as an assembly place for Shite Muslims during Muharram. An assembly hall along with a mosque was built later. Today, this mosque holds great importance for Shite Muslims especially during Muharram.
About Thousand Lights Mosque :
The Thousand Lights Mosque is a beautiful early 19th century structure built by the Adyar family on a site popular with Shia Muslims as an assembly venue during Moharram.
The mosque is believed to have derived its name from the era when a thousand lights were required to light up the assembly hall. While others believe that the Indian National Congress gave the mosque the thousand lights to mark their first visit to the city. Other than a unique name, the mosque has a beautiful medieval style façade with minarets and bulbous domes, and inscriptions from the holy Quran on its walls.
Further on explore its interiors; the main area serves as a prayer hall for men, with a separate room on the same level for women. The two rooms on the upper floor represent the bargah or sanctuary. Sprawled across three acres of land donated by Nawab Wallajah, the Thousand Lights Mosque is an architectural marvel from the medieval times. The complex also houses a library and guesthouse.
Attraction Thousand Lights Mosque :
Thousand Lights Mosque, a multi-domed mosque located near Anna flyover in Chennai built in 19th century in the ground donated by Nawab Wallajah and renovated in 1981, is a revered religious place for Muslim community. It is called ‘thousand lights’ because more than one thousand lamps are illuminated in the Assembly Hall of this mosque. It has two big minarets as big as 64 feet. The mosque encloses a beautiful library, a burial ground and convenient guesthouses. This multi-domed mosque, with sayings from the Holy Koran painted on its walls, attracts many visitors and comes alive during the annual Moharram festival. This is a very important religious place for Muslims. Lots of tourists visit this Mosque to offer prayers as well as to see the amazing minarets and illumination.
Features of Thousand Lights Mosque in Chennai :
- Thousand Lights Mosque in Chennai also offers a library, burial ground and a guesthouse.
- Thousand Lights Mosque in Chennai displays the popular medieval architectural style in its structure.
- There is a multi-domed building with two exalting minarets in Thousand Lights Mosque.
- You will also find the dictums from the holy book, Koran painted on the structure.
- There is a main hall in the ground floor for offering prayers.
- There is a separate hall for women to pray and worship in Thousand Lights Mosque in Chennai.
- Thousand Lights Mosque in Chennai has two rooms called Bargah on the second floor for the sanctuary.
- The wooden planks on the second floor are there to stand as the sanctuary of Imam Hossein and Abolfazl-al-Abbas.
- Located at the crossing of Mount Road and Peters Road, Thousand Lights Mosque in Chennai, will haunt you back to into the depths of Islam, which will be induced the sight of aesthetics enchanting you inside the structure.
History of Thousand Lights Mosque in Chennai :
History says that the site of Thousand Lights Mosque in Chennai used to be thronged by the Shias, a sect of Muslims in the month of Moharram during early 19th century. An assembly hall came into place when the Arcot family built an one in 1810 A.D. and then constructed a mosque in 1820 over three acres of land donated by Nawab Wallajah. Thousand Lights Mosque in Chennai derived its name from the lighting of about 1000 oil lamps. This mosque was refurbished many times since its foundation.
Architecture of Thousand Lights Mosque in Chennai :
In general the mosque construction involves a very good piece of work that attracts everyone. In the same way, the Thousand Lights mosque is also constructed in such a way that it attracts everyone’s attention and also attracts everyone. The mosque was constructed with an appearance that looks like an architectural building of medieval age. There are two minarets present in the mosque and also the structure of the mosque is multi domed. There should also be a special mention about the minarets as it is at a height of about 64 feet above the ground. The walls of the mosque are fully filled with the quotations from the holy book Kuran. The devotees will have a great attraction towards the mosque for the design and architecture of the mosque.
The prayers are done by the devotees in the ground floor where there is a big hall for prayers. Also there is a room allocated separately for women. The sanctuary is represented with the help of two rooms that are constructed specially in the second floor and named as Bargah. Even though the structure of the mosque does not represent the burial place but still second floor has some wooden planks representing the sanctuary of Abolfazl-al-Abbas and Imam Hossein. Every day the mosque is visited by many people and many prayers are done in the mosque every day. This place has also got a great recognition all over India such that the people from other places of India will not miss Thousand Lights Mosque when they come to Chennai. The mosque also represents a very good pilgrimage place in south India for the Shias of India.
Location of Thousand Lights Mosque in Chennai :
The exact location of the Thousand Lights Mosque lies in the connection of two different roads such as Peters Road and Mount Road. Anna Flyover is also close to the Thousand Lights Mosque. The location has a very big advantage for the people so that they can easily reach this place from any part of Chennai city. Thousand Lights Mosque come under the township of Royapettah and has all the transportation facilities to reach nearby areas very easily. This place is also a major attraction for the tourists and travelers. Nungambakkam and Teynampet are the areas that are near to the mosque. However there are many bus facilities and transportation facilities to reach Thousand Lights Mosque.
Special Attributes Thousand Lights Mosque :
It is a 19th century mosque and a popular pilgrimage center of Shia Muslims during Moharram.
Dressing restrictions Thousand Lights Mosque :
Dress conservatively, avoid wearing short or revealing clothes.
Travel Route Thousand Lights Mosque :
Airways: There is a domestic as well as the international airport in Chennai. These airports are located at just 20 kilometers from the Thousand Lights Mosque and the domestic airport is well connected with all the major cities of India.
Railways: There are two main railway stations in Chennai and it is well connected through rail lines to all the major cities of India. People can hire taxis and local buses to reach the Thousand Lights Mosque as it is situated in the heart of the city.
Road Ways: This city well connected through good bus services and road transportation. This city is connected to all the major cities of India.
Thousand Lights Mosque holds an important position for the Muslims and hence they honour this place a lot.
Address :
Anna Salai,
Thousand Light,
Chennai-6.