Kazimar Big Mosque, Indo-Islamic mosque in Madurai, India.
Kazimar Big Mosque, also called Kazimar Periya Pallivasal, is a Sufi Hanafi mosque in central Madurai, Tamil Nadu, built in 1284 CE and the oldest mosque in the city. It stands on land given to Kazi Syed Tajuddin by the Pandiyan king Kulasekara Ku(n) Pandiyan, holds about 1,200 worshippers, and its campus contains the Madurai Maqbara dargah and the Kazi Syed Tajuddin Arabi Madrasah.
The mosque was established in the 13th century when a descendant of Prophet Muhammad arrived from Yemen and received land in the area. It has remained an important religious center in the region ever since.
The mosque is also called Kazimar Periya Pallivasal, after the Kazimar Street where most descendants of founder Kazi Syed Tajuddin have lived since the 13th century. These huqdars, about 450 people in 2018, still manage the mosque and hold the office of Qazi of Madurai. The Urus, or Founder's Day, is held on 15 Rajab each year.
The mosque is located near the central bus station and is easy to reach. Visitors should respect prayer times, remove their shoes, and dress modestly when entering.
The mosque's hereditary trustees, called huqdars, are all descendants of founder Kazi Syed Tajuddin; about 450 of them, mostly of the 19th and 20th generations, have lived on Kazimar Street since the 13th century. The Tamil Nadu Waqf Board confirmed their right to manage the mosque in 1954, and the family's genealogical records are kept in the mosque office.
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