Until I visited Masjid-E-Khadria in Benson Town (Bangalore), I never thought women were allowed in mosques. It all started with an invite that I saw on Facebook asking people from all faiths to visit the mosque regarded as one of the most beautiful mosques in the garden city. What is more, it was a free event. I thought, why not attend this event? I have no idea what a mosque looks like inside.

After a lot of thought, I decided to go and “see beyond the walls”. In fact, I made up my mind at the last minute and lost a lot of time that I could have otherwise utilised to reach the mosque at the said time. “Would it be okay if I reached the venue by 4.30 pm?” I asked one of the organisers. “Yes madam! Don’t worry we will be starting only around 4.30,” he replied.
I had boarded the auto around 3.30 pm, which I must say was a tad late. There were way too many signals en route, leaving me wondering whether I should have embarked on this trip. I finally arrived at the destination at around 4.40 pm.

As I entered the mosque’s premises, a couple of ladies from the Muslim community came running towards me. “Welcome, welcome,” said one of them. She directed me to a register where I was asked to fill in some essential details. When I looked around, I saw a lot of female volunteers all of whom smiled and waved at me. They made me feel very important.

Soon, a young volunteer came running to me and introduced herself. After exchanging pleasantries, she ushered me inside. Sanah, the volunteer, is a college student and a Bangalore resident.

“There are so many women here,” I said to Sanah, “I never knew women were allowed inside mosques,” I added. She smiled and replied, “Women are allowed in some mosques but not all. While it is compulsory for men to offer their prayers in a mosque, the same is not with women. We have the option to offer our prayers at our home.”

She showed me to the shoe stand where I had to remove my footwear. “Will you have some tea,” she asked. “Yes,” I replied. Two cookies and a date were served as accompaniments with the tea.

We were soon inside the prayer hall, which was extremely spacious. A section of people was on their knees. It was the evening prayer session.

I was mesmerised by the enormity of the praying space illuminated by pretty lights, the kind I had never seen before. The entire carpeted prayer hall was spick and span. Large windows let in enough light from all sides. The pillars were all decorated with geometric designs. At some places on the ceiling, there was Arabic or Urdu script.

“How old is this mosque, and can you tell me something about the architecture?” I asked Sanah. “I will not be able to help you with the details of the architecture. You will have to Google it,” she said.

The ambience of the prayer hall for some reason reminded me of The Arabian Nights. It was a land totally unfamiliar to me. The space was enchanting and mystical.

The mosque was also hosting a science exhibition. Large charts celebrating the achievements of Islamic scientists, inventors, astronomers and physicians were all over the place. A lot of effort seemed to have gone into the curation of the exhibits.

Also on display were surgical instruments of yore and some mechanical exhibits like compasses and various instruments:

I breezed past the exhibits as I did not have much time to spend. Sanah led me to the first floor which had another prayer hall. As we took the stairs, I clicked pictures of a couple of large and beautiful windows and chandeliers.

The auto ride to the mosque from my home was arduous. Not wanting a repeat journey of that sort, I decided to walk to Wheeler Road to have chaat Shankar Bhel House. Shankar Bhel House was a favourite haunt of mine when I worked at an office on Wheeler Road. After the tantalising heart was in my mouth and I kept wondering whether I would have to spend my whole night on that road. I had to wait for an hour and a half. It was well past 10 pm when I finally got an auto driver to agree to take me home.

I thus ended my Saturday, the 5th of November, on a sweet and sour note.
“Khuda Hafiz”!
heart was in my mouth and I kept wondering whether I would have to spend my whole night on that road. I had to wait for an hour and a half. It was well past 10 pm when I finally got an auto driver to agree to take me home.

I thus ended my Saturday, the 5th of November, on a sweet and sour note.
“Khuda Hafiz”!