Thousand Lights Mosque

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Thousand Lights Mosque, Peters Rd, Peters Colony, Thousand Lights, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600086. Edit

Detail InformationEdit

Thousand Lights Mosque is attractin for its name, its architecture and its historical and religious importance. The Thousand Lights Mosque, a multi-domed mosque, is one of the largest mosques in the country and a revered place of worship for Muslims. It is believed that the Shias who live in the Thousand Lights neighbourhood and Royapettah are the followers of the Ahl al-Bayt (“the People of the House”). The total area of the land, which was donated by Nawab Wallajah, occupied by the Thousand Lights Mosque is 3 acres. The descendent of the Wallajah faily made the hall in 1810, the family owned much of the property in the area for the Shia Muslims to assemble at Moharram Today, the Thousand Lights Mosque is a common mosque for all Muslims, a primary holy place for Shias. Moharram is the most important day for them when Shias mourn for Imam Hussain and participate in Matam in mosques. It is a great scene during the annual Moharram festival. The old mosque is quiet impressive from the inside and very different from the grandeur of the new mosque. The mosque is also a home of Chief Shia Ghazi Moulana Ghulam Mahadi Khan of Tamil Nadu and a Shia burial ground is inside.

Thousand Lights Mosque

HistoryEdit

Thousand Lights Mosque, was built by Nawab Umdat-ul-Umrah in 1810. In early 19th century, the place where the mosque presently stands used to be the assembly place of the Shiite Muslims, during the month of Muharram. Later, the assembly hall was built, following which the mosque was constructed. There is an interesting story behind the name of the mosque. It is said that 1000 lamps needed to be lit in order to illuminate the assembly hall. From this, it derived its name, Thousands Lights Mosque. However, there are others, who are of the belief that the lights were provided by the Indian National Congress to mark their first visit to the city of Madras. The mosque is a medieval architectural style building.

Must SeeEdit

Attraction

Visiting TimeEdit

5.30 AM – 9.00 PM

Closed OnEdit

N.A.

Best Season to VisitEdit

November to February.

Best Time To VisitEdit

Morning, Afternoon, Evening, Night.

Time Required for SightseeingEdit

Minimum 30 minutes.

Ticket Required : No Edit

Individual National Adult Rs. : N.A.

Kids Rs. : N.A.

Individual Foreigner Adult Rs. : N.A.

Kids Rs. : N.A.

Still Photo Camera Rs. : N.A.

Video Camera Rs. : N.A.

Guide Required : No Edit

Approximate cost: N.A.

Dress Code (If Any) : No Edit

Dress Require: N.A.

Restaurants NearbyAdd / Edit

Masa Aappakadai ; 89, Anna Salai, Opposite Makkah Masjid, Thousand Lights, Chennai. ; Ph/M – 91-44-28547007 ; +91-44-28548008 ; Food Serve – N.A.

How to ReachEdit

Taxi : Taxis (locally called “call-taxis” since they must be pre-arranged) are available by phone. Since there are so many listed in thr phone book already and they are mostly reliable we don’t list any. They can be ordered air-conditioned and have digital fare meters, although time-based hire is also possible with some companies. Most companies charge a minimum fare of Indian rupee 100/-(Non-AC)/150/-(AC), which is for 4km (2.4 mile) and for every subsequent kilometre they charge Indian rupee 12/- or 13/-.

Bus : One of Asia’s largest bus stations is in Chennai, the CMBT. There are seven different state owned corporations which drive buses to and from various destinations within South India. There are hourly buses for places like Tirupati, Pondicherry, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli etc. Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) buses ply throughout the city accessing areas which are not accessed by the suburban trains. These are Government-run and extremely cheap. Chennai has few major termini from where the majority of the buses ply towards the rest of the city. Normally Bus Fare in MTC range from Indian rupee 4 – Indian rupee 50.

Train : Chennai Central (code MAS) and Chennai Egmore (code MS) are the two main long distance train stations. There are daily trains from Chennai to Bengaluru, Mumbai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Cochin, Hyderabad Kolkata and most of the big cities of India. The Egmore station covers most of the places in Tamil Nadu and a few important places outside it. The long trains to Egmore stop at Tambaram and some at Perambur. These two stations serve the suburban areas of Chennai. Prepaid taxis, cabs auto rickshaws are available for hire just outside the station.

Air : The third busiest airport of India is the Chennai International Airport which is located at a distance of 7 km from the main city. Both, international and domestic flights land at different terminals: the international flights arrive at the Anna Terminal whereas the domestic flights at Kamaraj Terminal. These two terminals are located at a distance of only 150 metres from each other. Both the terminals are well connected to the major cities of India and the world, respectively. Within a few rupees you can reach the city, but if you have rather bulky luggage look for other options like the pre-paid taxi booth.

Others : Auto-rickshaw/Tuk-tuk drivers in Chennai do not use meters; some try to overcharge and often drive rashly, but that’s part of the fun of being in Chennai. Share autos have emerged in the recent years as an alternative mode of transport in Chennai. There are four wheelers known as meter taxis, which don’t have a meter and are not taxis. They supplement the existing bus services and sometimes operate on routes based on Must See demand.

Things to CarryEdit

The backpack must contain water bottles and juices. Hats, scarves, sun- screen lotion, umbrellas and sun glasses are a must, when traveling in the city.
Carrying medicines for fever, dysentery and diarrhea is advisable.
Camera and video-cam are the must carry things.

Safety / WarningEdit

Keep your valuables safely tucked against your body and avoid flashing money in public .
Before purchasing any product confirm the price from local people.