Katra Mosque - It Is Famous For Film Shooting Of Bengali Cinemas

KATRA MOSQUE

AT

MURSHIDABAD

Katra Mosque is located 3km to the east of Murshidabad; a historical city located some 200 kms from the capital city of Kolkata. The mosque was built by Nawab Murshid Quli Khan between the years 1723 and 1724 and was an important centre for Islamic learning. The mosque was almost completely destroyed in the earthquake of 1897. 

The word ‘Katra’ means a market and the name was given to the mosque owing to the fact that the place had a large market around the mosque during that time. It is believed that the Katra Mosque was built as a copy of Kartalab Khan's mosque located in Dhaka, built in 1700-1704 AD. The mosque is also the final resting place of Nawab Murshid Quli Khan who lies buried in a tomb under the 14 flight of steps leading to the courtyard. 

The main gate leads to a giant courtyard which was used for reading the Namaz and could hold up to 2000 Namaz readers. Beyond the courtyard is the main mosque. The mosque had a big central dome surrounded by two domes on each side. The central dome and its adjacent ones fell during the earthquake leaving the place in ruins but even then the space under the fallen domes was used as Madarsas (Islamic centres for learning). Each of the domes had three Mihrabs that are semi-circular niches in the wall pointing towards the Kabba in Mecca. 

The Mosque was built on a square plinth and is surrounded by a row of double storied domed cells which could accommodate 700 Quran readers at any given time. The Mosque when built had 4 octagonal minarets 70 feet in height with winding steps leading to the top but two were destroyed in the earthquake. The minarets have small loopholes which were used for musketry against any approaching danger. Even though destroyed, they still have glimpses of magnificence that were once associated with them. 

The mosque has two Persian inscriptions; one above the central mihrab and another over the central entrance in the eastern façade with the former praising Prophet Muhammad and the latter revealing the date of construction as 1137 AH (1724-25 AD).

Nizamat Imambara - It Is Shaped Into Three Large Quadrangles

NIZAMAT IMAMBARA

AT

MURSHIDABAD

The Nizamat Imambara is a Shia Muslim congregation hall in Murshidabad, India. The present Nizamat Imambara was built in 1847 AD by Nawab Nazim Mansur Ali Khan,. It was built after the old Imambara built by Nawab Siraj ud-Daulah was destroyed by the fires of 1842 and 1846. 

This Imambara is the largest one in India and Bengal.ConstructionOld Nizamat ImambaraThe old Nizamat Imambara was built by Nawab Siraj ud-Daulah in the Nizamat Fort Area. He bought bricks and mortar, and laid the foundation of the building with his own hands. However, the old Imambara was primarily made up of wood. 

The plot where this Imambara had been built was dug to a depth of 6 feet. It was refilled with soil which was brought from Mecca so that the poor members of the Muslim community could have an experience of Hajj.DestructionThe old Imambara which caught fire for the first time in 1842 and was partly destroyed. But it was completely destroyed by a fire on 23 December 1846. 

That day the Nawabs along with the Europeans threw a party to celebrate the weaning ceremony of five-year-old Hassan Ali Mirza. The Imambara caught fire at midnight due to the fireworks left off and was completely burnt down. Nothing survived except the old Madina Mosque.

The original Imambara was wooden and went up in flames initially in 1842 and was ruined in part. Subsequently, it was devastated again once an inferno gutted it entirely on December 23, 1846. On that day, the Nawabs together with the Europeans were rejoicing the weaning rituals of Hassan Ali Mirza who was just five years old at that time by a gathering. During the middle of the night, the Imambara was conflagrated as a result of the firecrackers left over and was fully destroyed. Not a single object could be protected other than the Madina Mosque.

The erstwhile Madina Mosque was left in its position where it remained in the previous Imambara. In addition, a new masjid was built inside the newly built Imambara. You can still view the previous Madina Masjid, situated amid the Hazarduari Palace and the Imambara, close to the Clock Tower and the Bacchawali Tope (cannon- 18 foot in length and 16880 pound. In Bengali “Baccha” means baby.

It was believed that the cannon produced such a deafening sound that pregnant ladies gave birth to their babies when the sound reached their ears—hence the name “Bacchawali Tope—tope is hindi for cannon). The place is popularly called as Madina, its previous name. As a result of this, visitors get puzzled between the new and old one. Check out the Nawabs’ pleasure ground Roshni Bagh as well in Dahapara.

Sadeq Ali Khan was the overseer of the new Imambara which was constructed in 1847 AD. The principal gateway is south facing and lies just opposite to the northern side of the Hazarduari Palace. The craftsmen just required eleven months for completing the building since over and above their remuneration, they got food as well which enabled them to labor round-the-clock.

The length of the current Imambara is 680 feet. Nonetheless, the widths differ. The middle portion which houses the Madina has a length of 300 feet. The section was constructed marginally few feet away from the location of the earlier edifice to the north. The Imambara lies on the riverbanks of the Bhagirathi. The difference between the coasts of the river and the western fence of the shrine is just 2-3 feet.

By Air

The nearest airport is NSC Bose Airport, Kolkata. Murshidabad is around 182 km from Kolkata.

By Train

Berhampur Court is the nearest station and is well connected to Kolkata. It takes around 6 hours from Kolkata to Berhampur via rail route.

By Bus

Berhampur and Kolkata are very well-connected to the rest of India via the country’s road network. Buses ply frequently from Kolkata to Murshidabad and Berhampur.

Hazarduari Palace - It Is Placed On The East Reservoir Of Bhagirathi River

HAZARDUARI PALACE

AT

MURSHIDABAD

Hazarduari Palace is situated in the Murshidabad district of west Bengal State of India,and the palace with a thousand doors, is the chief tourist attraction of Murshidabad. Built in 1837 by Duncan McLeod for the Nawab Najim Humaun Jah, a descendant of Mir Zafar, it has a thousand doors (Only 900 are real) and 114 rooms and 8 galleries.

It is now a museum and has an exquisite collection of armour, aplendid paintings, exhaustive portraits of the Nawabs, works of art that include beautiful works of ivory from China and many other valuables.

The enclosure where the palace is situated is known as Kila Nizamat or Nizamat Kila. The campus except this palace, has in addition the Nizamat Imambara, Wasif Manzil, the Bachhawali Tope, Murshidabad Clock Tower, three mosques out of which one is the Madina Mosque, and the Nawab Bahadur's Institution. Other buildings include residential quarters.

It is situated on the east bank of the Bhagirathi River, which flows just beside it. The palace is rectangular in plan (130 meters long and 61 meters broad) and is a good example of Indo-European architecture. The front facade of the palace, which has the grand staircase, faces north. This staircase is perhaps the biggest one in India.

The Indo-European architecture of the palace and the royal staircase add to the grandeur of the palace. River Bhagirathi flows besides the palace and the view looks stunning in the evening when the palace is beautifully illuminated.

The main palace along with other structures including Nizamat Imambara, Murshidabad Clock Tower, Madina Mosque, Chawk Masjid, Zarud Mosques are enclosed in the Kila Nizamat.

It includes portraits of nawabs, pieces of ivory, Swords used by Shiraj-ud-Daulla and his grandfather, Nawab Alivardi Khan and even some vintage cars used by various nawabs and their families.

If you plan to go to Murshidabad, then allotting an entire day to visit the palace will save you much time as the vicinity has much more to offer, in addition to the palace

By Air

The nearest airport is NSC Bose Airport, Kolkata. Murshidabad is around 182 km from Kolkata.

By Train

Berhampur Court is the nearest station and is well connected to Kolkata. It takes around 6 hours from Kolkata to Berhampur via rail route.

By Bus

Berhampur and Kolkata are very well-connected to the rest of India via the country’s road network. Buses ply frequently from Kolkata to Murshidabad and Berhampur.