The Nakhoda Mosque is the prime mosque of Kolkata. It is located in the Chitpur area of Barabazar and as it is based in the business locale of Kolkata you can easily reach to the main streets of Zakariya Street and Rabindra Sarani. The mosque is an imitation of the mausoleum of Mughal Emperor Akbar. This is an attempt made by the group of the Sunni Muslims and this is a community which comes from the Kutch. The building was founded by a person known as Abdur Rahim Osman. He is regarded as the head of the Kutchi Memon Jama’at.
It is the largest mosque of Kolkata. The mosque was built in 1926 under the patronage of Abdar Rahim Osman, an aristocrat from the Gulf of Kutch. The architectural design of the mosque is of Indo-Saracenic style and bears prominent resemblance to Akbar’s tomb at Sikandra and the Buland Darwaza at Fatehpur Sikri. The interior courtyard of the mosque is known to accommodate about 10,000 devotees during prayer gatherings.
About the Construction
The Nakhoda Mosque is mainly known for its neat and clear construction. The meaning of the word Nakhoda is mariner. The construction of the mosque started on 11th September 1926. The total cost required for the construction is 1,500,000 Indian rupees. The Prayer Hall of the mosque is huge and it has the capacity of 10,000 people. The masjid is made of three prime domes. There are two minarets and these are 151 feet in height. You even have the additional 25 minarets. These are smaller and they make the construction look neat and complete.
More about the Mosque
The gateway of the mosque is a kind of ersatz and it looks like the Buland Durwaza of Fatehpur Sikri. To give the original tough the granites were being brought from the destination of Tolepur. The exhibition is superb and you would love the exquisite ornamentation and the kind of artistic extravaganza. In fact, it is a treat to be at the Nakhoda Mosque and enjoy the elite and aristocratic show of the mosque.
Earlier the same was a small mosque and now the premise has been made bigger for the advantage of the spectators and the onlookers. In fact, it is a privilege to be at the place and feel the elegance and the vive of the structure.