Begumpur Mosque, Dindigul

Begumpur Mosque is a mosque located in Madurai Road, Begampur in Dindigul, the capital of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Constructed in the Mughal architectural style, the mosque was built by Haidar Ali. The mosque is named after Ameerunnisa Begum, the younger sister of Hyder, who is buried in the mosque during 1766.The mosque is the largest and one of the oldest in Dindigul and is active as a place of worship.HistoryHyder Ali (1721 -82 CE) was the Sultan Kingdom of Mysore in South India. He and wife Fakhr-un-Nisa were childless for some years and prayed at the tomb of Tipu Mastan Aulia. They also visited a Sufi saint, who assured them that they would be blessed with a child soon. Tipu was the first son of Hyder, who helped him win many of the battles. Dindigul is the place where Hyder and Tipu resided for many years. Hyder was appointed the commandent at Dindigul in 1755 to increase the taxes and he was effective in the same. He donated a part of the funds for the development of temples and mosques in the region. Hyder's son Tipu was made the commandent of the Fort and he ruled from there from 1784 to 1790. Tipu was killed in the Mysore War of 1790, when the British forces annexed the Fort. Hyder is believed to have constructed three mosques in Dindigul - one for himself, second for his soldiers and third for the public, which is the Begampur Mosque. During 1766, Ameerunnisa Begum, the younger sister of Hyder was dead and a tomb was built in the mosque for her.