Shah Ganj Mosque is a popular holy pilgrimage destination for people belonging to Muslim religion. This mosque is situated in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. This mosque has been accredited as India’s one of the most attractive monument due to its incredibly mesmerizing architecture. The great attraction about the mosque is its built-up which is similar to the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture. Shah Ganj Mosque got its initiation by Sayyad Husain Ali to relieve the suffering and distress of the local residents due to scarce of water by collecting water in the water tanks of the mosque.

History

Shah Ganj Mosque belongs to the golden era of Mughals and also represents the Mughal artistic richness with its remarkable architectural built-up. It is said that the mosque was built in 1720 A.D. by great Sayyad Husain Ali and Aazu-d Daula Iraz. It is said that Sayyad Husain Ali was the one who built the reservoir of this historic mosque and Aazu-d Daula Iraz is the one who made and enlarged the building premises. These facts have been stated by none other than the Khafi Khan who was the author of ‘Muntakhabu-1-Lubab’.

Location

It is situated in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. Shah Ganj Mosque occupies the big market square in the core of Aurangabad and is a major tourist attraction here.

Architecture

Shah Ganj Mosque is undoubtedly one of the most eye-catching structures present in India due its astonishing architectural style that relates deeply to Indo-Saracen architectural style. The mosque is situated artistically on a high elevated platform while having shops on 3 of its outer sides. The 4th side is left open which can be climbed by the use of stairs. The entry of Shah Ganj mosque is in the shape of a small mosque having a pointed archway along with 2 towers. The roof of the mosque is crafted in the model of a sequence of small domes, each dome supported on 4 pillars.

The chief chamber of the Shah Ganj Mosque is enclosed with a graceful globular shaped dome having a base of incredibly carved leaves of lotus flower. The interior of the mosque is allied by some beautifully built horizontal arches. This interior contains 24 pillars and from these, 6 pillars are prearranged in the appearance of a square. The courtyard of the mosque comprises of two huge water tanks. These were built with a belief that during summer season when the water is limited these water tanks relieve the distress of the residents.

How to Reach

By Air

In order to reach Shah Ganj Mosque, one needs to reach Aurangabad. Aurangabad Airport, which is also known as Chikalthana Airport, is at a distance of 10-11 km from the city centre. This airport is well allied with other main Indian cities. Standard air services to Mumbai, Udaipur, Jaipur, Delhi and Jodhpur are available on regular basis from Aurangabad.

By Train

Aurangabad can be reached with railways. The nearest railway station to reach Shah Ganj Mosque is Manmad railway station. This railways station is at a distance of 120 km from city of Aurangabad. One can also chose personal taxi or cabs from here to reach the mosque. Regular buses are also available from here.

By Road

Aurangabad is linked to all the main cities in the Maharashtra. Government transport buses are easily available at quite low-priced fare. You can also use overnight luxury bus services which are running between Aurangabad and Mumbai.

Best Time to Visit

Aurangabad has a very pleasant and soothing weather during the months from October to March so the best time to visit this artistic mosque is from October to the end of March. Summers are quite hot and dry and Maharashtra is famous for heavy rains. Moreover during April - May the temperature is really high i.e. between 37 °C to 44 °C making the weather really hot and humid making it difficult to travel around the city.s