The Oonchi Mosque, or Oonchi Masjid (
Punjabi, ur, , lit=High Mosque) is a
Mughal-era mosque located along the
Hakiman Bazaar, near the
Bhati Gate which leads into the
Walled City
A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...
of
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...
, in
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
. The mosque may date from the reign of the Emperor
Akbar. It has been extensively renovated throughout its history, resulting in little of the original mosque's decorative elements being preserved.
Background
The mosque's name means "High Mosque," and refers to the fact that the mosque was built upon a high platform.
Unlike the grand Mughal mosques such as
Wazir Khan Mosque
; ''Masjid Wazīr Khān'') is a 17th-century mosque located in the city of Lahore, capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab. The mosque was commissioned during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as a part of an ensemble of buildings tha ...
and
Badshahi Mosque
The Badshahi Mosque ( Urdu, Punjabi: ; literally ''The Royal Mosque'') is a Mughal-era congregational mosque in Lahore, capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab. The mosque is located west of Lahore Fort along the outskirts of the Walled ...
, no inscription exists which signifies the year of the mosque's construction.
History
The mosque is often said to date from the reign of
Akbar, however, evidence also suggest that the mosque may have been built later, during the reign of
Aurangzeb.
It is said that the spiritual master of the great Punjabi poet and
Sufi saint, Baba
Bulleh Shah
Syed Abdullah Shah Qadri ( pa, ; ; 1680–1757), known popularly as Bulleh Shah ( pa, ; ) and Bulleya, was a Punjabi philosopher and Sufi poet during 17th-century Punjab. His ancestors had migrated from Bukhara (modern-day Uzbekistan) ...
,
Shah Inayat Qadiri
Baba Shah Inayat Qadiri Shatari ( pa, شاه عنایت قادري , also called ''Enayat Shah'' (1643–1728) was a Sufi scholar and saint of the Qadiri-Shatari '' silsila'' (lineage). Shah Inayat Qadiri is famous as the spiritual gu ...
, was
Imam of the mosque. Mulla
Abdul Qadir Badayuni mentions in his writing the mosque as a platform during the reign of Akbar.
The mosque has been ascribed to a ''mashki'' - a water carrier. A
tughra
A tughra ( ota, طغرا, ṭuġrā) is a calligraphic monogram, seal or signature of a sultan that was affixed to all official documents and correspondence. Inspired by the tamgha, it was also carved on his seal and stamped on the coins minted ...
was once located on the mosque's outer gate which read:
Architecture
The mosque features three archways and a small ablution pool for the performance of the
Islamic ritual washing.
Two niches along the mosque's western wall bear Quranic verses, while a third bears the name of Abul Fateh Jalal-ud-Din Muhammad Akbar Badshah Ghazi.
See also
*
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...
*
Mosques of Lahore
*
Walled City of Lahore
The Walled City of Lahore ( Punjabi & ur, , ''"Inner City"''), also known as Old City, forms the historic core of Lahore, Pakistan. The city was established around 1000 CE in the western half of the Walled City, which was fortified by a mud w ...
*
Islamic Architecture
Islamic architecture comprises the architectural styles of buildings associated with Islam. It encompasses both secular and religious styles from the early history of Islam to the present day. The Islamic world encompasses a wide geographic ...
*
Mughal architecture
References
{{coord missing, Lahore
Mosques in Lahore
Mughal mosques
Walled City of Lahore