let me take you to a known mosque of Lahore – the Badshahi Mosque which can be rightly said as the ‘King of all Mosques’ in Lahore. Every time you will visit this mosque it will mesmerise you with its exquisiteness and everlasting grandeur and I must say that it is a matchless mosque and remained the world’s largest mosque for almost 313 years in history. For the first 70 years after its construction in 1673, the mosque was known simply for its great size, and was visible from almost 10 miles away. Now you can imagine the value, importance and splendor of the mosque!
The mosque is said to be constructed between 1671 and 1673, under the supervision of Fida’i Khan Koka who was Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb’s brother-in-law and the governor of Lahore. After only two years of construction, the mosque was opened in 1673. Badshahi Mosque’s splendor is influenced by the Jamia Mosque of Delhi which was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. Since the north end of the mosque was built along the edge of the Ravi river, it was not possible to install a north gate like the one used in the Jamia Mosque, and a south gate was also not constructed in order to maintain the overall symmetry.
Sunset at Badshahi Mosque Lahore
If we talk about the exterior of the mosque it is decorated with strong stone carving and marble inlay on red sandstone, which makes the mosque look different from all other Mughal era mosques, which is why it is known as the ‘king of mosques’. The exterior of the Mosque represents grandeur and dignity of the mosque. On the exterior you will observe the lotus motifs in bold relief. These are also replicated in other parts of the mosque. Architects claim that the embellishment of the mosque has Indo-Greek, Central Asian and Indian architectural influences both in techniques and decorative motifs. Beautiful ornamental merlons, inlaid with marble lining, add grace to the perimeter of the mosque and beautify the skyline. The notable features of the mosque are the vast square courtyard, the side aisles (dalans), the four corner minarets, the projecting central transept of the prayer chamber, and the grand entrance gate. The mosque has the capacity of accommodating 55,000 worshippers, and I guess it’s a huge number. There is also a museum inside the mosque where you can see amazing relics of the past and Islamic history.