Thousand Lights Mosque
{{Short description|Mosque in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2019}}
{{Infobox religious building
| name = Thousand Lights Mosque
| native_name = ஆயிரம்விளக்கு மசூதி
| native_name_lang = ta
| image = Thousand Lights Mosque (6708375421).jpg
| image_upright = 1.4
| alt =
| caption = The mosque and its domes, in 2011
| religious_affiliation = Shia Islam
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| organisational_status = Mosque
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| functional_status = Active
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| location = Chennai, Tamil Nadu
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| country = India
| map_type = India Chennai
| map_size = 250
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| map_relief = yes
| map_caption = The mosque located in Chennai
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| coordinates = {{coord|13|3|18|N|80|15|18|E|type:landmark_region:IN-TN|display=inline,title}}
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| architect = Nawab Umdat ul-Umara
| architecture_type = {{nowrap|Mosque architecture}}
| architecture_style = Indo-Islamic
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| year_completed = 1810
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| capacity = 1,000 worshippers
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| dome_quantity = Five
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| minaret_quantity = Two
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| inscriptions = Many
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| website = {{URL|princeofarcot.org}}
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The Thousand Lights Mosque ({{langx|ta|ஆயிரம்விளக்கு மசூதி}}) is a Shi'ite mosque in Anna Salai in Chennai, in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the largest mosques in the country and is a revered place of worship and azadari for Shia Muslims.{{cite web |url=http://www.princeofarcot.org/contributions.html#4 |title=About |work=Prince of Arcot |date=1990-11-22 |access-date=21 July 2015 }}{{self-published-inline|date=February 2025}}
History
The mosque was built in 1810 by Arcot Nawab Umdat ul-Umara.{{cite book |last=Muthiah |first=S. |title=Madras, Chennai: A 400-year Record of the First City of Modern India |publisher= Palaniappa Brothers |series= |volume=1 |date=2008 |location=Chennai |page=126 |isbn=9788183794688}} It was constructed in medieval architecture.{{cite journal |author1= Priya, R. Sasi Mary |author2=Radhakrishnan, V. |title=The art and architectures along the Tamil Nadu coast |journal=International Journal of Art & Humanity Science |volume=3 |issue=2 |page=43 |date=March–April 2016 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313763972 |jstor= |issn=2349-5235 |doi= |access-date=18 December 2021}} The site of the mosque was previously occupied by an assembly hall. There was a tradition of lighting thousand oil lamps to illuminate the assembly hall. The mosque thus gets its name from this tradition.{{cite book |author= |editor= |title=DK Eyewitness Travel Guide India |publisher=Dorling Kindersley |year=2017 |location= |page= |isbn=9780241326244}}
The chief Shia Qazi of Chennai functions from the mosque, and the post has been continuously held by the same family.{{Rp|128}}
See also
{{stack|{{portal|India|Shia Islam}}}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|Thousand Lights Mosque}}
- {{official website|https://www.princeofarcot.org}}
- [http://www.chennai.org.uk/monuments/thousand-light-mosque.html chennai.org.uk]
- [http://indiafascinates.com/chennai/thousand-lights-mosque/ indiafascinates.com]
{{Chennai Topics}}
{{Places of worship in Chennai}}
{{Mosques in India}}
Category:19th-century mosques in India
Category:Mosque buildings with domes in India
Category:Mosque buildings with minarets in India
Category:Mosques completed in the 1810s
Category:Religious buildings and structures completed in 1810
Category:Shia mosques in India
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