HYDERABAD : Approximately 2 km from Golconda stands proudly, a marvel from the late Qutb Shahi era. The Toli masjid at Karwan Road, signifying the openness and hospitality of the city, is ranked a step below the Mecca masjid in terms of architecture and style. It was built in 1671 by Musa Khan, the chamberlain, or key-keeper of Abdullah Qutb Shah. He was granted a commission equivalent to one Toli or Damri, which was one-fortieth of a rupee. Due to this, the mosque is also called Damri masjid.
The main building is divided into two halls, with the outer hall having five arched entrances and the inner one with only three. The arches converge in a beautiful pattern to allow the rectangular base of the building to come together in a dome in the centre. Two minarets, each approximately 20 meters high, flank the building on either side. The pillars have pot-shaped bases reminiscent of Hindu and Buddhist architecture, supporting octagonal shafts based on a lotus, each opening into a diminutive balustrade. The parapets comprise a series of miniature arches closed with intricate jalis (screens), each section with its own unique design.
Along the nearly straight path from Golconda to Charminar, one encounters this mosque on Karwan Road. ‘Karwan’ is a term used for caravans that used to be parked along the path as travellers, traders, and merchants passed through the city. Having reached the city after dark, travellers needed a place to rest, wait, and rejuvenate. The mosque, which provided a place to pray, also had sprawling caravan serais, providing refuge to exhausted travellers.
What one could have imagined to be an enriched complex with planted gardens, a fountain, a stepwell and surrounding serais, lies encroached from three sides, including the area where Musa Khan is buried. The stepwell, about 30-feet-deep, had clean water until 50 years ago, that provided refuge to the locals from sweltering summer heat. The boundary wall of the mosque, from what is left of the original, also seeks preservation.