The place where this building stands has been in use as a prayer hall or more specifically, an Assembly Hall for Shi'a muslims to gather for prayers during the month of Muharram, for over two hundred years now. The first structure in the wedge between Peters Road and Mount Road was constructed by Nawab Umdat-ul-Umrah, the Nawab of Walajah. The date of its construction is vague, with some accounts putting it as between 1795 and 1801, others dating it to 1810 and yet others contending that it does not appear in any map of Madras until 1816. But they all agree that the Assembly Hall was a grand structure, large enough to need more than a thousand oil-lamps to light it up. More buildings were added later, the first being a proper mosque for the faithful; if I'm correct, that was a flat-topped structure, with a couple of minarets on the sides. The domes and minarets in the photo were added much later, sometime in the 1970s and show a strong west Asian influence. Though named Majeed Dowlah in its first appearance on a map of Madras (in 1816), the unique feature of its assembly hall gave it the name it is known by today - the Thousand Lights Mosque. Indeed there are many who believe that it is not the mosque that gave this area of Chennai the name 'Thousand Lights'; they belive that the locality was always called Thousand Lights and the mosque is called so only for fixing its location easily!
The Church Park has always been a bit of a mystery to me. I have always known that some girls' school was located inside it. Had never tried to find out what it is called - Presentation Convent? St. Ursula's? Sacred Hearts? - until I had to make this post.
Adding to the enigma was the fact that one couldn't get to see the school buildings at all. On the Peters Road side, it was heavily wooded; and all along the Mount Road periphery were these huge movie hoardings that were such an integral part of Chennai. So there it was, a mystery wrapped in an enigma. And it remained that way until early last month, when the hoardings started coming down. The first time I saw the perimeter wall without the hoardings, I was so astounded that I forgot to take pictures!
But now I have the picture. And I'm even more confused, because I see all the names - Presentation Convent, St. Ursula's, Sacred Hearts - and also Church Park, being used. I probably should be overcoming my ignorance of a fact known to every Chennai schoolboy; but now that the enigma layer has been shorn, I must ensure that the mystery is retained. So, even if you know the school name(s), don't tell me!
