Wallajah Big Mosque, The Arcot nawabs Trails, A Heritage walk with Kobai Anwar. Chennai Tamil Nadu.

… A Continuation post to The Arcot Nawabs Trail at Triplicane – a Heritage walk with Kombai S Anwar – Part- II ( Azeempet ) 

21^st August 2017.

After AZEEMPET, we headed towards the Wallajah Big Mosque. During our earlier visit to this Wallajah Big Mosque Wallajah Big Mosque, we were not allowed inside the prayer hall, instead, a person took us around the mosque. But on this walk along with Mr Anwar, we were given a warm welcome and the ladies were also allowed inside the prayer hall. After washing our feet entered the mosque.

The complex consists of a Mosque and a Dargah with a big open space in front. The mosque has two minarets and was built during the 18^th century by Mohammad Ali Khan Wallajah with stone including a ceiling. The minarets are built with stucco. It was said that the minaret stupi or kalas are made of Gold.

  

Wallajah followed secularism during his rule.  The niche of the center of the mosque mihrab is inscribed with a chronogram   (  “Chronogram” means “time writing”. For example, the word ‘scatterer’ is the year 1492 the year in which Jews were expelled from Spain. Rajah Makhan’s Chronogram, ‘Dhikrullahi Akbar’ (Remembrance of God is great) gives us the year of construction as 1209 Hijri which translates to 1794 CE. Taken from Mr Venkararangan's post.  Thanks for the information sir).  This contains the numerical value assigned to each letter in the text when added gives the year of the event. This verse was selected after a competition and composed by a Hindu Rajah Makhan Lal Hirat. It was told that the Sindhi community is allowed to  serve “nonbu kanchi” during Ramzan's fasting period at the mosque. Wallajah also donated to Hindu and Christian temples. Mr Anwar pointed out that the Kapaleeswarar temple Tank/pond was gifted by Wallajah. 

LOCATION OF THE MOSQUE: CLICK HERE

On the right is the Dargah of Bahrul Uloom a great scholar. Wallajah invited him to teach in his madrasa which is adjacent to the mosque. When he arrived in Madras, Wallajah personally carried the palanquin which carried Bahrul Uloom into the Mosque. Many Wallajah family members are laid to rest in this Dargah.

On the left side of the open ground, there is a white building, which was the “Ottoman Empire’s Consulate". As a consul of Turkey Mohamed Badsha Sahib started a business on Triplicane High Road in 1812 CE. When he was on tour in West Asia during 1866 CE, his family sent money for the Hamede-Hadjaz Railway Project which connects the Holy cities of Arabia with Turkey. This Railway line was featured in the film “Lawrence of Arabia”. 

When we finished our visit to Wallajah Big mosque, it was around 08.30 hours, so we rushed to Amir Mahal since as per the schedule we were supposed to be there by 08.00 hrs.  On the way, we peeped into a mid-18th century “Majid Anvari” mosque with a plain prayer hall & courtyard and another Mosque of the same period which has a central dome structure adjacent to the previous one.

Majid Anvari

Majid Anvari ( A mosque with a dome is another one )

On the way to Amir Mahal, pass through “Khana Bagh Street”. ( Khana in hindi  – song  ). Mr Anvar said that this street was busy with musicians and dancers during the Nawab period. Hindustani music also flourished in the Triplicane area.

 ….. to be Continued The Arcot Nawabs Trail at Triplicane – A Heritage Walk with Kombai Anwar – Part IV ( Amir Mahal ).