Mosques in Bangalore

Bangalore is a cosmopolitan yet religious city. Its multi religious character is shown in the hundreds of temples, mosques (masjids) and a good number of Gurudwaras and Jain Mandirs that it proudly boasts of. You can characterize Bangalore as a demographically diverse, multi religious, yet fastest growing metropolis and a technically advance economic hub. If you will closely have a look, the city houses people and worship places of all religions and major and minor communities namely, Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christen, Jains and Parasi.

The city houses Masjids that are famous all over the country in the Muslim community. The city has more than 400 Muslim shrines, let us take a look at some important ones.

How to reach:
The Masjid is located on N.R. Road in the City Market. You can take any of the easily available local transport in the city to get there. The nearest transit point to the masjid is K.R. Market bus stand. Also, it is at a distance of about 30km from the Airport.

It is said that its foundation was laid by Aurangzeb (a Mughal emperor). You will find that the extensive carvings on the minarets easily catch your attention. This beautiful masjid was designed by Rayyaz Asifuddin. It was built by Haji Qazi Abdul Quddus Saheb and was patronized by Tipu Sultan.

You will notice huge pillars (14 in number) in the prayer hall. The pillars were transported on bullock carts and were worked upon by artisans from Mysore. The capacity of the main prayer hall is 1,500 people at a time, but it is said that around 2,500 to 3,000 people turn up here on Fridays for prayers.

The mosque is famous for its carving of flowers and leaves (in Persian style) that adorn the upper part of the walls and spreads on the roofs.  Also it is noticeable that a single block of granite stone was used for carving out the ‘Mehrab’ (pulpit).  The huge, bright and shiny candelabras here take you to the era that has gone by.

When you will move further a bit, you will come across with a pool of water on the left side of the courtyard. The pool is having fountains for lavation. A window is there on the top of the dome, where the head priest offers the prayers. It also houses the relics of Hazrat Abdul Qudar Jeelani and Prophet Muhammad. The pulpit is having an arch located on it that has Persian inscriptions carved on it in gold. These inscriptions were written at that time by the poets, Ali Qahab (Qasam) and Sahib Qadri (Wafa).

• This masjid is a perfect example of communal harmony as it is flanked by two temples namely, Laxmi Narsimhaswamy Temple (built in the 19th century) and Sri Venugopalswamy Temple (107 years old), on both the side. Still not a single dispute has arisen ever.
• The arch above the pulpit has an old clock that is ticking continuously from past 106 years.
• It is the only masjid in India that has same Imam conducting the prayers from past 54 years.
  

It is quite simple. It is located in Cottenpet near the Majestic bus stand in Bangalore. It is at a distance of approximately 5km from Bangalore Cantonment Railway Station. You can easily spot and hire local transport here. You can go rental cars that are ample in number, local buses or just take an auto rickshaw to reach up to your destination.

It is about 350 years old and is dedicated to Sufi Saint Hazrat Tawakkal Mastan.  In 1777, Haider Ali initiated work on the Dargah and Tipu Sultan completed it in 1783. You can visit this holy shrine as early as 5a.m. in the morning till 11p.m. at night. The Dargah boasts of being probably the first Dargah to be associated with a Hindu festival.

The three main festivals which are celebrated in the Dargah are Uruus, the death anniversary of Hazrath Takwal Mastan, second is Karaga Festival and the third one is celebrated on Mohramm’s ninth date. In all three festivals, people from Hindu, Muslims, Sikhs, or Christians community turn up in large numbers. Karega is a popular Hindu festival celebrated in the South. According to a ritual, the Karega carrier visits the Dargah three days before the procession and takes the blessing of the priest. On the Fridays huge number of people visits the Dargah to offer prayers and a small fair is also organized outside the Dargah.

Amazing Facts:

It is said that, daily around 4a.m. People mainly from Hindu community visit the Dargah, take Parikrama (to take rounds of the shrine from outside) and feed Idli and Sambhar to the poor people.

The shrine is particularly sacred to the Hindus as well.  Karaga is Bangalore's oldest and popularly celebrated festival, it is a tribute to Draupadi, who was the wife of the Pandavas related to the religious epic Mahabharata of Hindu religion.

According to legend, Mastan was hurt while he was trying to have a glimpse of the carriage procession. The temple priests applied Turmeric to his wounds. An overwhelmed Mastan requested  Draupadi to allow  the procession to halt at his Dargah (grave) forever, after his death. This tradition is now seen as the unification of the two religions.