Begumpur Mosque (also called Begumpur Big Mosque) is a mosque located in Madurai Road, Begampur in

Dindigul Dindigul, also spelt Thindukkal (), is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of the Dindigul district. Dindigul is located southwest from the state capital, Chennai, away from Tiruchirappalli, away ...

, the administrative headquarters of the Dindigul district in state of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

. Constructed in the Mughal architectural style, the mosque was built by

Haidar Ali Hyder Ali ( حیدر علی, ''Haidarālī''; 1720 – 7 December 1782) was the Sultan and ''de facto'' ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born as Hyder Ali, he distinguished himself as a soldier, eventually drawing the att ...

. The mosque is named after Ameerunnisa Begum, the younger sister of Hyder, who is buried in the mosque during 1766. The mosque is the largest and one of the oldest in Dindigul and is active as a place of worship.

History

Hyder Ali Hyder Ali ( حیدر علی, ''Haidarālī''; 1720 – 7 December 1782) was the Sultan and ''de facto'' ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born as Hyder Ali, he distinguished himself as a soldier, eventually drawing the att ...

(1721 -82 CE) was the

Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...

Kingdom of Mysore The Kingdom of Mysore was a realm in South India, southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. From 1799 until 1950, it was a princely state, until 1947 in a subsidiary allia ...

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...

. He and wife Fakhr-un-Nisa were childless for some years and prayed at the tomb of Tipu Mastan Aulia. They also visited a Sufi saint, who assured them that they would be blessed with a child soon. Tipu was the first son of Hyder, who helped him win many of the battles. Dindigul is the place where Hyder and Tipu resided for many years. Hyder was appointed the commandent at Dindigul in 1755 to increase the taxes and he was effective in the same. He donated a part of the funds for the development of temples and mosques in the region. Hyder's son Tipu was made the commandent of the Fort and he ruled from there from 1784 to 1790. Tipu was killed in the Mysore War of 1790, when the British forces annexed the Fort. Hyder is believed to have constructed three mosques in Dindigul - one for himself, second for his soldiers and third for the public, which is the Begampur Mosque. During 1766, Ameerunnisa Begum, the younger sister of Hyder was dead and a tomb was built in the mosque for her.

Architecture

The mosque is named after Ameerunnisa Begum, the younger sister of Hyder, who is buried in the mosque. The place is called Begampur on account of the same. The mosque has an open terrace with an arch at the front. The tomb of Ameerunnisa is found in the first building, which has tiled roof in the fronts and a dome over the sanctum. The mosque is located behind the mausoleum. It has two minarets and a large prayer hall. The subsidiary shrines are found around the sanctum. A Madrasa is located on the Eastern side close to the entrance.

Culture

Big Mosque is the largest and considered the principal mosque in the city of Dindigul. The mosque is an active place of worship. There is a constant flow of visitors in the mosque as it is located in one of the busiest places in Dindigul. During the sacred festivals of Bakrid and Ramzan, the devotees overflow, some of them offering prayers from the surrounding grounds.

Margaz

It is the largest mosque in the city. It has the head Markaz of

Tablighi jamaat Tablighi Jamaat (, also translated as "propagation party" or "preaching party") is a transnational Deobandi Islamic missionary movement that focuses on exhorting Muslims to be more religiously observant and encouraging fellow members t ...

. Every year conference of ulamas are arranged and many imams all over India attends it.

References

{{Mosques in India Mosques in Tamil Nadu Mosques completed in 1776 Dindigul district