The Chawk Mosque (also Chawk Masjid) is a
mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
in the city of
Murshidabad
Murshidabad fa, مرشد آباد (, or ) is a historical city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located on the eastern bank of the Bhagirathi River, a distributary of the Ganges. It forms part of the Murshidabad district.
During ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. It was founded in 1767 AD by Munny Begum, wife of
Nawab Mir Zafar. Earlier in this place Nawab
Murshid Quli Khan
Murshid Quli Khan ( fa, , bn, মুর্শিদকুলি খান; 1660 – 30 June 1727), also known as Zamin Ali Quli and born as Surya Narayan Mishra, was the first Nawab of Bengal, serving from 1717 to 1727.
Born a Hindu in the De ...
had built the "''Chahel Sutan''", which was the city's forty pillared audience hall. The mosque still recalls the stories of the ruling days of the
Nawabs
Nawab ( Balochi: نواب; ar, نواب;
bn, নবাব/নওয়াব;
hi, नवाब;
Punjabi : ਨਵਾਬ;
Persian,
Punjabi ,
Sindhi,
Urdu: ), also spelled Nawaab, Navaab, Navab, Nowab, Nabob, Nawaabshah, Nawabshah or Nobab, ...
and still holds on its glory of the past.
Construction
The Masjid was founded by Munny Begum, the wife of
Nawab Mir Zafar in 1767 AD under the supervision of Shaikh Khalilallah . Earlier on this venue Nawab
Murshid Quli Khan
Murshid Quli Khan ( fa, , bn, মুর্শিদকুলি খান; 1660 – 30 June 1727), also known as Zamin Ali Quli and born as Surya Narayan Mishra, was the first Nawab of Bengal, serving from 1717 to 1727.
Born a Hindu in the De ...
built the "''Chahel Sutan''", which was the city's forty pillared audience hall. The mosque still recalls the stories of the ruling days of the
Nawabs
Nawab ( Balochi: نواب; ar, نواب;
bn, নবাব/নওয়াব;
hi, नवाब;
Punjabi : ਨਵਾਬ;
Persian,
Punjabi ,
Sindhi,
Urdu: ), also spelled Nawaab, Navaab, Navab, Nowab, Nabob, Nawaabshah, Nawabshah or Nobab, ...
and still holds on its glory of the past. The mosque is located in the
Nizamat Fort Area near the
Hazarduari Palace
Hazarduari Palace, earlier known as the ''Bara Kothi'', is located in the campus of Kila Nizamat in Murshidabad, in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is situated near the bank of river Ganges. It was built in the nineteenth century by archit ...
and its other nearby buildings.
This mosque was of great importance in the
Nawab
Nawab (Balochi language, Balochi: نواب; ar, نواب;
bn, নবাব/নওয়াব;
hi, नवाब;
Punjabi language, Punjabi : ਨਵਾਬ;
Persian language, Persian,
Punjabi language, Punjabi ,
Sindhi language, Sindhi,
Urd ...
i era as Munny Begum was a favourite of
Robert Clive
Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, (29 September 1725 – 22 November 1774), also known as Clive of India, was the first British Governor of the Bengal Presidency. Clive has been widely credited for laying the foundation of the British ...
and
Warren Hastings
Warren Hastings (6 December 1732 – 22 August 1818) was a British colonial administrator, who served as the first Governor of the Presidency of Fort William (Bengal), the head of the Supreme Council of Bengal, and so the first Governor-Genera ...
in terms of her lavish distribution. She in turn received several gifts; one was a palanquin which could accommodate 30 people from Rani Bhavani. Munny Begum had her allowances separately assigned. Thus, she was a ''Gaddinashin Begum''. There have been several other
Begum
Begum (also begüm, bagum, begom, begam, baigum or beygum) is a royal and aristocratic title from Central and South Asia. It is the feminine equivalent of the title ''baig'' or '' bey'', which in Turkic languages means "higher official". It us ...
s who have been a ''Gaddinashin Begum'', like Babbu Begum another wife of
Nawab Mir Zafar, she was on a receipt of 8000 per month while Munny Begum received 12000. There have been more such ''Gaddinashin Begums''. Munny Begum had done several acts of munificence to the
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
and their servants. On her death a salute was fired by the Government corresponding to the number of years of her age as she was always viewed with cordial regard and has a distinguished consideration to the Government of the
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
.
So, the mosque was of utmost importance then under the rule of the
Nawabs
Nawab ( Balochi: نواب; ar, نواب;
bn, নবাব/নওয়াব;
hi, नवाब;
Punjabi : ਨਵਾਬ;
Persian,
Punjabi ,
Sindhi,
Urdu: ), also spelled Nawaab, Navaab, Navab, Nowab, Nabob, Nawaabshah, Nawabshah or Nobab, ...
.
Etymology
The Masjid (mosque) has been named so as it has a ''Chawk'' still surrounding it. Chawk means a shopping place often square in shape. So Chawk- means ''shopping place or a market'' and Masjid- means ''mosque''. Thus, the total sums up to ''a mosque in a market''. This market is the principal market of the city of
Murshidabad
Murshidabad fa, مرشد آباد (, or ) is a historical city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located on the eastern bank of the Bhagirathi River, a distributary of the Ganges. It forms part of the Murshidabad district.
During ...
.
Features
This mosque has a majestic and grand appearance. It is a five domed mosque and has two ''chau-chala-end-vaults'' at the two corners at the side of the mosque. The exterior and the interior of the mosque both are decorated with motifs, panels and so on; this mosque has been ornamented with such arched shaped niches in stucco and vegetal motifs lavishly. Five gates passing through arched gateways lead in front of this grand mosque. There are several shops around so this place is known as the ''"Chawk"'' (shopping place or market, square in shape). This market is the principal market of the city of
Murshidabad
Murshidabad fa, مرشد آباد (, or ) is a historical city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located on the eastern bank of the Bhagirathi River, a distributary of the Ganges. It forms part of the Murshidabad district.
During ...
.
Festivals
Earlier this mosque usually used to remain closed throughout the year. But nowadays, daily 5-time prayers are led by the Imam of the Masjid and a large number of people attend the daily obligatory prayers. For prominent occasions like Eid-uz Zoha,
Eid ul-Fitr the mosque is decorated and whitewashed to welcome the people of the town. Earlier a single gun was fired from the
Hazarduari Palace
Hazarduari Palace, earlier known as the ''Bara Kothi'', is located in the campus of Kila Nizamat in Murshidabad, in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is situated near the bank of river Ganges. It was built in the nineteenth century by archit ...
and several other guns were fired from several other places - one was fired from here - to proclaim the different intervals of the hours for the meals and prayers during the great fast of
Ramzan.
Map
Chawk Masjid picture gallery
File:Chawk Masjid - Chawk Bazaar - Murshidabad 2017-03-28 5906-5908.tif, Chawk Masjid
File:Chawk Masjid.jpg, An old photo of the ''"Chawk Masjid"'' (picture taken by C.B. Asher)
File:Chak Masjid at Murshidabad.jpg, Chawk Masjid
See also
*
Baro Shona Masjid
Baro Shona Masjid (''English'': The Great Golden Mosque) also known as Baroduari Masjid (12-gate mosque), is located in Gour, West Bengal, India. Completed in 1526, it is situated half a kilometer to the south of Ramkeli, 12 km south fro ...
*
Hazarduari Palace
Hazarduari Palace, earlier known as the ''Bara Kothi'', is located in the campus of Kila Nizamat in Murshidabad, in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is situated near the bank of river Ganges. It was built in the nineteenth century by archit ...
*
Nizamat Imambara
The Nizamat Imambara ( bn, নিজামত ইমামবাড়া) is a Shia Muslim congregation hall (''imambara'') in Murshidabad, India. It was built in 1740 AD by Nawab Siraj ud-Daulah and rebuilt in 1847 by Nawab Mansur Ali Khan
...
External links
{{Tourist attractions in Murshidabad
Mosques in Murshidabad
Tourist attractions in Murshidabad
1767 establishments in India