Badshahi Mosque Lahore
History Structure Biography
The gem of the city of Lahore, Badshahi Masjid was built by the Sixth Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir in the year 1673. The construction of the masjid started in 1671 and completed in 1673.
Inscribed in a marble tablet on the
entrance of Badshahi Masjid are the following words in the Persian language:
"The Masjid of Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir,Victorious King, constructed and completed under the superintendence of the Humblest Servant of the Royal Household, Fidai Khan Koka,"
Badshahi Masiid was built in front of Lahore Fort, emphasizing its stature in the Mughal Empire.
It was constructed on a raised platform to avoid inundation from the nearby River Ravi during flooding season. The Masjid's foundation and structure were constructed using bricks and compacted clay. The structure was then covered with red sandstone tiles brought from a stone quarry near jaipur in Rajistan and its domes were covered with white marble. The Masjid has the capacity of accommodating 5,000 worshipers in its main prayer hall and an additional 95,000 in its courtyard and covered pillared passages.
The exterior walls of Badshahi Masjid are decorated with sculptured panels. In each corner of the Masjid there is a minaret which is sauare in shape and one hundred and seven feet high. Each tower has two hundred and four steps.
There is a small museum above the gate in the chambers. The relics displayed there are attributed to the Rasoolullah(ﷺ), his daughter Hazrat Fatima Tuz-ahara and his son-in-law Hazrat Ali. These relics were brought to the sub-continent by Amir Taimoor. They include: a cap, white trousers, a green coat, a slipper worn by Hazrat Muhammad(ﷺ), the mark of his(ﷺ) foot prints impressed on a sand coloured stone and his banner with the verses of the Holy Quran on it.
The steps leading to the prayer room are in variegated marble. The Prayer hall is very spacious and is divided into seven compartments with eye-catching arches. The arches are beautifully decorated with engravings. Out of the seven compartments, the three chambers are covered with double domes and are made of white marble. The original floor of the courtyard was of small Kiln-bricks laid in Mussalah pattern. There are only two inscriptions of Kalimah Tayyaba in the Masjid. one in the prayer chamber and the other on the majestic gateway.
Badshahi Masjid, Lahore Fort, Minar-e-Pakistan and Allama lqbal's Tomb lie in close vicinity. Each one has a unique significance. However, Badshahi Masjid occupies a unique position among them. The foreign dignitaries when on their tours do visit the Masjid. One such occasion was the second Islamic Summit held at Lahore on February 22, 1974, when thirty nine heads of states offered their Friday prayer in this Masjid. Even now it is a famous landmark and a tourist attraction of Lahore.
The various architectural features like the four corner minarets, three majestic domes, vast square courtyard and the elegant entrance gate of Badshahi Masjid show the grandeur of Mughal architecture.