The Wallajah Big Mosque on Triplicane High Road was built in the 1790s by the family of Nawab Muhammad Ali Wallajah of Arcot and is made entirely of grey granite, with no iron or wood, according to a 2024 Madras Musings account. Its two slender minarets, each about 131 ft tall, are among the tallest old landmarks in the Triplicane and Chepauk area.
It is a working mosque, busy with daily prayers and especially during Ramzan. Here is its history, what to look at, and how to visit respectfully.
A mosque built by the Nawab’s court
Muhammad Ali Wallajah moved to Madras in the 1760s and built his palace at Chepauk. His nobles and officials settled in Triplicane next door, beside the Parthasarathy temple. Madras Musings notes that Wallajah Road, which leads to the Chepauk palace, and the Wallajah Gate of Fort St George were both named after him.
Sources differ slightly on the year. DT Next and the 2024 Madras Musings article give 1795, while a 2017 Madras Musings walk gives 1794 based on the chronogram. That chronogram, a Persian verse in which the letters add up to a date, sits above the mihrab. It was composed by Raja Makhan Lal Khirad, a Hindu officer in the Nawab’s service.
Architecture: granite and minarets
- Material: exposed grey granite throughout, with the minarets lime-washed white.
- Minarets: two, one at each end, each about 131 ft high. During the time of Nawab Azam Jah, the minarets were altered and golden finials were added to the spires (DT Next).
- Style: DT Next describes it as Mughal in style.
- Layout: a large prayer hall, a tank and an open court in front.
- Graves: the scholar Bahrul Uloom, whom Wallajah invited to Madras with a reported gift of 1,000 rupees, is buried in the dargah beside the mosque. Muhammad Ismail, known as Quaid-e-Millat, who died in 1972, was buried in the ground where Nawabs had been laid to rest.
As you enter the compound, the large white building on the left is now a lodge. In the early 20th century it served as the Ottoman Turkish consulate, when members of the Badsha family were Turkish consuls.
Ramzan at the Big Mosque
The mosque is at its busiest in Ramzan. Fasting worshippers break their fast with nonbu kanji, a rice and lentil porridge, and dates. For years volunteers of the Sufi Dar trust, Sindhi followers of the Sufi saint Dada Ratanchand and mostly Hindu, have served iftar here for the whole month; in 2024 a volunteer said the aim was to feed 12,000 people a day. Men and women pray and break the fast in separate spaces, with women seated near the dargah.
In the last week of Ramzan, the pavements of Triplicane High Road near the mosque fill with sellers of rumani semiya, the fine vermicelli used to make sheer kurma for Eid.
For many Chennai residents the Ramzan scene here is the clearest sign of Triplicane’s mixed character: Hindu volunteers serving iftar at a mosque built by a Nawab, a short walk from one of the city’s oldest Vaishnava temples.
Visitor etiquette
- Timing: avoid the five daily prayer times, and especially Friday midday prayers, when the hall and courtyard are full.
- Dress: cover shoulders and legs; women should carry a scarf to cover their heads.
- Footwear: remove shoes where indicated before stepping onto prayer areas.
- Women visitors: follow the guidance at the gate on which areas are open to women; during Ramzan, women’s spaces are near the dargah.
- Groups: heritage walk groups should keep numbers small, brief members in advance and avoid blocking the gate or the street outside.
- Photography: ask permission first, and never photograph people at prayer.
- During Ramzan: if you are not fasting, avoid eating or drinking in the compound in daylight, and let worshippers go first at iftar.
Around the mosque
The compound is near the Muhammadan Public Library at the junction of Wallajah Road and Triplicane High Road. Walk along Triplicane High Road to find the Kaman Darwaza, an arched gateway near Adam Market that once led to the palace of Begum Sultan-un-Nisa and still bears the word Azeempet, and Masjid-e-Anwari on Big Street, named after Nawab Anwar-ud-Din. The nearest suburban station is Thiruvallikeni on the MRTS line, and Chepauk stadium is a few minutes’ walk away.
Quick answers
Who built the Wallajah Mosque?
The family of Nawab Muhammad Ali Wallajah of Arcot, in the 1790s.
What is it made of?
Granite, with no iron or wood, according to Madras Musings.
Can non-Muslims visit the Big Mosque in Triplicane?
Visitors are generally welcome outside prayer times if dressed modestly; ask at the gate before entering prayer areas.
Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
