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A heritage treasure of Sindh
The city of Thatta is full of historical treasures that captivates visitors and leaves them awestruck. Even though there are many pieces of art and architecture that take one’s breath away, the most mesmerising is the Badshahi Mosque that leaves visitors with a sense of nirvana. The mosque was built over a period of three years (1644-1647) by the Moghul emperor Shahjehan. It covered 6316 square metre area which incurred an expenditure of almost eight lac rupees at the time. It bears 101 domes with an echo system that the imam’s voice can easily reach every corner of the mosque without using a loudspeaker. The mosque is extremely spacious and can accommodate approximately around 20,000 people.
It is sad to see that due to government negligence this novel piece of architecture is losing its appeal. The pond used for wazoo is full of stagnant water that makes it very unhygienic. The plants are drying up due to lack of water and there are no cleaning and washing facilities available which can be observed by thick layers of dust that covers the place. Even facilities such as potable water is unavailable, one can find two clay pots filled with water, the quality of which is highly questionable. Local area residents are of the view that renovations at the mosque are in progress; however, the pace is extremely slow. If authorities do not take appropriate measures to preserve this precious heritage symbol, chances are that we might lose a vital link with our history, art and architecture.
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