Taj-ul-Masjid

About this place

Bhopal’s third female ruler, Shah Jahan Begum wanted to create the largest mosque in the world, so in 1877 she set about building Taj-ul-Masjid Fortress-like terracotta walls surround three gleaming white onion domes and a pair of towering pink minarets with white domes. This is the largest mosque in the country. The building of this mosque was begun by Shah Jehan Begum but was incomplete on her death and was completed only after 1971. The most impressive features of the mosque are its main hall with inter-arched roof, broad facade, spacious courtyard, and smooth marble flooring. The name Taj-ul-masjid literally means ‘The Crown of Mosques’, which is truly reflected in the majestic architecture of the mosque, a magnificent spectacle in its own right. The mosque features a pink facade, on top of which stand the two 18-storeyed octagonal minarets. These minarets each have a huge bulbous dome, below which lies a main hallway with beautiful pillars and marble flooring. Apart from this, the mosque also encompasses a courtyard with a large tank in the centre. The double-storey gateway in the courtyard, with 9 cusped, multi fold openings and 4 recessed archways, leads to the main prayer hall. The Quibla Wall within the prayer hall is ornately adorned with 11 recessed arch carvings and fine screens of trellis work.