History Badshahi Mosque

1 history

1.1 construction
1.2 sikh era
1.3 british rule
1.4 post-independence

history
construction

the badshahi mosque features monumental gateway faces hazuri bagh quadrangle , lahore fort.

the mosque s commissioned mughal emperor aurangzeb in 1671, construction overseen emperor s foster brother, , governor of lahore, muzaffar hussein - known name fidai khan koka. aurangzeb had mosque built in order commemorate military campaigns against maratha leader shivaji bhonsle. after 2 years of construction, mosque opened in 1673.

sikh era

the samadhi of ranjit singh (white edifice) sikh shrine built next mosque in 1848.

on 7 july 1799, sikh army of ranjit singh took control of lahore. after capture of city, maharaja ranjit singh used vast courtyard stable army horses, , 80 hujras (small study rooms surrounding courtyard) quarters soldiers , magazines military stores. in 1818, built marble edifice in hazuri bagh facing mosque, known hazuri bagh baradari, used official royal court of audience. marble slabs baradari may have been plundered sikhs other monuments in lahore.

during first anglo-sikh war in 1841, ranjit singh s son, sher singh, used mosque s large minarets placement of zamburahs or light guns used bombard supporters of chand kaur, had taken refuge in besieged lahore fort. in 1 of these bombardments, fort s diwan-e-aam (hall of public audience) destroyed, subsequently rebuilt british. during time, henri de la rouche, french cavalry officer employed in army of sher singh, used tunnel connecting badshahi mosque lahore fort temporarily store gunpowder.

in 1848, samadhi of ranjit singh built sikh ruler ranjit singh @ site adjacent mosque after death.

british rule

badshahi mosque had fallen disrepair after city s sikh rulers desecrated site.

in 1849 british seized control of lahore sikh empire. during british raj, mosque , adjoining fort continued used military garrison. 80 cells built walls surrounding vast courtyard demolished british after freedom fight of 1857, prevent them being used anti-british activities. cells replaced open arcades known dalans.

because of increasing muslim resentment against use of mosque military garrison, british set badshahi mosque authority in 1852 oversee restoration , re-establish place of religious worship. onwards, piecemeal repairs carried out under supervision of badshahi mosque authority. building officially handed muslim community john lawrence, viceroy of india. building re-established mosque.

in april 1919, after amritsar massacre, mixed sikh, hindu , muslim crowd of estimated 25,000-35,000 gathered in mosque s courtyard in protest. speech gandhi read @ event khalifa shuja-ud-din, later become speaker of provincial assembly of punjab.

extensive repairs commenced 1939 onwards, when sikandar hayat khan began raising funds purpose. renovation supervised supervised architect nawab alam yar jung bahadur. khan largely credited extensive restorations mosque, buried adjacent mosque in hazuri bagh.

post-independence

the mosque heavily used during islamic month of ramadan.

restoration works begun in 1939 continued after independence of pakistan, , completed in 1960 @ total cost of 4.8 million rupees.

on occasion of 2nd islamic summit held @ lahore on 22 february 1974, thirty-nine heads of muslim states offered friday prayers in badshahi mosque, including, among others, zulfiqar ali bhutto of pakistan, faisal of saudi arabia, muammar gaddafi, yasser arafat, , sabah iii al-salim al-sabah of kuwait. prayers led mawlānā abdul qadir azad, khatib of mosque.

in 1993, badshahi mosque in tentative list unesco world heritage site. in 2000, marble inlay in main prayer hall repaired. in 2008, replacement work on red sandstone tiles on mosque s large courtyard begun using red sandstone imported original mughal source near jaipur, in indian state of rajasthan.