HOOGHLY IMAMBARA
HOOGHLY IMAMBARAHooghly Imambara is situated in Hooghly, West Bengal, around 40 miles from Kolkata.
The Imambara, a Shia Muslim congregation hall and mosque, was set up by a distinguished Persian merchant named Mohammad Aga Motahar in 1717 AD. The present day Imambara was built on the ruins of the original one under the patronage of Haji Muhammad Mohsin, one of Bengal’s prominent philanthropists, who made arrangements to fund the project after his death. The construction was started in 1841 and took twenty years to complete.
The building is a two storied structure, with a central rectangular courtyard with fountains and a tall clock tower over the entrance gate. The mosque has intricate designs and texts from the Holy Qur’an engraved on the wall. The interior of the mosque is decorated with marbles, candles and hanging lanterns. There is a sundial at the open side at the back-side of the Imambara.