Badshahi Mosque Lahore History, Construction, Architecture and Facts

Badshahi Mosque Lahore Quick Facts

Badshahi Mosque Lahore Overview

The day of 15 August 1947 had proved to be a very auspicious and inauspicious day for India. This was the day in Indian history when India saw independence as well as the partition, in which many pieces were being cut to serve its political interests.

The Badshahi Mosque located in Lahore, Pakistan is a unique example of Mughal architecture, this mosque is one of the largest and wonderful mosques in the world. This world famous mosque was built by the famous Mughal ruler Aurangzeb in the late 16th century.

Badshahi Mosque Lahore History

The construction of this world famous mosque was started by the Mughal Emperor “Aurangzeb” in the year 1671 AD, after which his elder brother and Governor of Lahore “Muzaffar Hussain” (Fidai Khan Koka) started the construction work in the year 1673 AD. This mosque was built by Aurangzeb in the joy of winning the battle with the Marathas.

Badshahi Mosque Lahore Interesting Facts

1. This historic mosque was built in the year 1673 AD under the rule of famous Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
2. The construction of this mosque took about 3 years, its construction started in the year 1671 AD, and was completed by the year 1673 AD under the supervision of "Muzaffar Hussain", the Governor of Lahore.
3. The famous ruler of the Sikh Army, Ranjit Singh, established his suzerainty over this mosque and the area on 07 July 1799. The mosque was used by his horses and its 80 hujras (study rooms) for the accommodation of his soldiers and for military shops. had done for
4. In the year 1818, he constructed a marble building in front of the mosque at Hazuri Bagh, known as Hazuri Bagh Baradari, to be used as the official royal court of his visitors.
5. In the year 1841, during the First Anglo-Sikh War, Sher Singh, son of Ranjit Singh, used the large minarets of this mosque to store light guns and cannons to attack Chand Kaur's supporters.
6. After the death of Ranjit Singh in the year 1848, the Sikh ruler Sher Singh used the places near this mosque to build his tomb.
7. In the year 1849 AD, the British took over the control of the Sikh Empire from Lahore and established their rule, after which the mosque and its adjoining fort were used by the British as their military cantonments.
8. After the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the British demolished 80 cells built into the walls around the courtyard of this huge mosque, to prevent them from being used for anti-British activities. The chambers were replaced by open hallways, known as parties.
9. In the year 1852, the opposition of the Muslim people increased after seeing the use of this mosque as a military cantonment, which established the Masjid Authority, which later made this mosque again prayerable.
10. After the Jallianwala massacre in April 1919 AD, about 25,000 to 35,000 people of Hindu, Muslim, and Adi sects gathered in the courtyard of this mosque to protest against the British and a speech of Mahatma Gandhi was read by Khalifa Shuja-ud-din.
11. In the year 1939, Sikandar Hayat Khan started raising funds for the purpose of renovation of this mosque. Which was later renovated by the famous architect Nawab Alam Yar Bahadur.
12. From 1939 AD to 1960 AD, the renovation work of this mosque was going on, at a total cost of about 4.8 million rupees.
13. The Entrance complex of this mosque is constructed of red sandstone, it is 2 floors, on which various types of carvings have been done. It was also constructed in the Mughal architectural style.
14. The Huge entrance of this mosque is situated on a platform, due to which people have to climb about 22 steps to enter the mosque.
15. The courtyard of this mosque is quite spacious, which is covered over an area of ​​about 276,000 square feet, in this courtyard the wing design has been made on sandstone. At the time of Namaz, about 100,000 people can be seated in this courtyard and about 56,000 people in other parts of the mosque.
16. The Prayer hall of this mosque is decorated with red sandstone and white marble stones, it includes 5 exit gates, 3 large marble domes, and 2 small domes. About 10,000 people can be seated in this prayer hall at a time.
17. The Octagonal 3-storey minarets have been built on the four corners of this mosque, which were constructed with red sandstone.
18. The total number of minarets in this mosque is 8, out of which 4 are big, whose height is 196 feet and 4 are small, whose height is about 67 feet.
19. In the year 1993 AD, seeing its historical importance, amazing structure and people's love for it, it has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
20. In 2000 the marble inlay in its main prayer hall was repaired and in 2008 replacement work on the red sandstone tiles on its large courtyard was done with red sandstone imported from Jaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan.
21. The Full name of this mosque is "Masjid Abul Zafar Muh-ud-Din Mohammad Alamgir Badshah Ghazi" which is written in the inner marble above the entrance.