Hooghly Imambara
Imambara is situated on the bank of River Ganga in Chinsurah. The construction of the building started in the year 1841 and was completed in 1861. The two-storied building consists of several rooms and has a wide entrance, with the main gate flanked by two 80 ft tall towers and a massive clock tower between them. Another special thing about this mosque is its stunning Sun clock at the backside of the Imamabara. To date, it shows the correct time from dawn to dusk. Also, one can see the last will of Haji Mohammad Moshin is engraved on the wall in English and Arabic in the backyard.
History of Hooghly Imambara
Hooghly Imambara is a two-storied mosque cum imambara. The construction of the building was started by Muhammad Mohsin in 1841 and completed in 1861. With its open and spacious courtyard, long-running corridors, and majestic watch tower, the architecture of the imambara is bound to impress at first sight.
The mosque was built around an open-air rectangular courtyard. In the center of the courtyard is a water tank decorated with a few fountains.
Architecture of Hooghly Imambara
The courtyard is surrounded by two-storied buildings with long corridors and numerous rooms that are now used as classrooms for madrasa students. In front of the courtyard is the Zaridalan, the main prayer hall. The prayer hall has a white and black checkered marble floor and the walls are covered with texts from the holy Quran. The interior of the mosque is decorated with marble, candles, and hanging lanterns that add to the colonial charm of the place. One can also see a seven-starred throne of the Imam here, from where he delivers his speeches.
The building is famous for its vaunted clock, placed in the middle of the twin towers, each over 85 feet high, erected upon the doorway. The huge clock is run by a single central machine and is working perfectly to date. The clock has two dials with three bells. Smaller bells ring at an interval of 15 minutes and the bigger bell rings to signify one hour. Climbing the steps inside the twin tower takes you to the top, which offers panoramic and scenic views of the Hooghly River and the Jubilee Bridge.
