The red walls
White bands and a tall gate.
Sumit Surai — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Sumit Surai — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Sumitsurai — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Sumit Surai — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Sumitsurai — CC BY-SA 3.0
Nakhoda Masjid is the principal mosque of Kolkata and the largest in West Bengal and eastern India, with a prayer hall for about 10,000 worshippers. It stands in the Chitpur area of the city centre, among streets packed with trade, and the word Nakhoda means mariner. Before 1854 two mosques stood on the site. Rebuilding began in 1926 at the initiative of the Kutchi Memon community and finished in 1935, at a cost of 1.5 million rupees, with Abdul Rahim Osman the biggest donor. The design imitates Emperor Akbar's mausoleum at Sikandra near Agra, and a British engineering firm carried out the work. The building has three green domes and two minarets 46 m high, along with 25 smaller minarets. Red walls, white bands and a tall gateway give it a powerful presence among the old houses and shops around it. Inside are wide halls with marble floors, pillars and pale green ornament. The streets around it are busy, especially in Ramadan, when the area fills with food stalls. Go between prayers, and avoid Friday if you are not there to pray. Dress modestly, remove your shoes, and women should cover their hair. Ask the staff before entering or taking pictures, as we found no official rules for visitors.
White bands and a tall gate.
46 m high.
Food stalls around the mosque.
Zakaria Street and Rabindra Sarani, central Kolkata
It means mariner, and the Memon trading community helped build the mosque.
Between prayers, or in Ramadan for the evening street atmosphere.