Alamgir Mosque


The Alamgir Mosque, Varanasi, also known as Beni Madhav ka Darera and Aurangzeb's Mosque, is a mosque built in the 17th century by Mughal king Aurangzeb in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.. It was built atop the ancient 100 ft high Bindu Madhav Temple after its destruction by Aurangzeb in 1682.

Location

The mosque is located at a prominent site above the Panchganga Ghat. The ghat has broad steps that go down to the Ganges.

History

Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the Hindu temple, built by Beni Madhur Rao Scindia, a Maratha chieftain, was demolished when the emperor Aurangzeb had captured Banaras and razed the temple. Aurangzeb then built a mosque over the ruins of the temple in 1669 and named it as Alamagir Mosque in the name of his own honorific title "Alamgir", which he had adopted after becoming the emperor of the Mughal empire.
Non-Muslims are allowed to enter the mosque.

Features

The mosque is architecturally a blend of Islamic and Hindu architecture. The mosque has high domes and minarets. Two of its minarets were damaged; one minaret collapsed killing a few people and the other was officially brought down owing to stability concerns. The Panchaganga Ghat where the mosque is situated is where five streams are said to join. In October lamps are lighted on top of a bamboo staff as a mark of guidance to the ancestors.