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Taj-Ul-Masjid
 The most impressive structure in Bhopal is the Taj-ul-Masjid, one of the largest and most elegant Muslim mosques in India.
Taj-ul-Masjid literally translates as 'The Crown of Mosques', and the construction of the monument was characterised by sporadic bursts of activity alternating with spans of inactivity during the reigns of successive Begums.
However, the monument was never completed due to lack of money, and after a long lay-off, construction was resumed in 1971.
The building really presents a spectacular sight and is worth taking a bow to. It's pink façade is topped by two huge white-domed minarets pointing upwards to the heavens, as if seeking its blessings.
The mosque also has three huge bulbous domes, an impressive main hallway with attractive pillars, marble flooring and a spacious courtyard. Must a visit site.
The mosque is one of the most important Muslim landmarks in the city of Bhopal, and is multi-purpose as it is used as a madarsa, a Islamic religious school during the day.
The Grand Structure
The Taj-ul-Masjid is one of the largest mosques in Asia, around a courtyard
with a large tank in the centre and with an imposing double storeyed gateway with 4 recessed archways and 9 imposing cusped multifold openings in the main prayer hall. The Quibla wall in the prayer hall is carved with 11 recessed arches. The structure is enlivened by the limpid expanse of water in the tank outside the northern wall. The monumentality of this structure was much greater originally when it faced the towering bastions of the Fatehgarh Fort. The great queen, Bhopal's eighth ruler, left many monuments and to her goes the credit for postal system, railways, and waterworks in the city. The massive pillars in the hall create 27 ceilings through squinted arches of which 16 ceilings are decorated with ornate petalled designs. Some of the remarkable features of this great mosque are the 18 storey high octagonal minars, onion shaped marble dooms and the gossamer fine screens of trellis work in the prayer hall.
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