Haji Ali Mosque

Haji Ali Mosque is a brilliant testimony of Indo-Islamic architecture floating in the middle of the sea connected to the mainland with a 500 yards narrow causeway. Haji Ali dargah or tomb and mosque are among the most visited pilgrimage sites in Mumbai. The sheer locale of Haji Ali Mosque attract a host of tourists who flock in to marvel the exquisite architecture bobbing in the middle of blue ocean presenting a surreal impression.

Haji Ali is believed to have been a wealthy merchant who renounced all this riches after his pilgrimage to Mecca. Legends have it that he got drowned and died at a place where today his dargah stands. Another belief is that Haji Ali died during his pilgrimage to Mecca in early nineties and the casket carrying his body floated back, coming to a rest near the rockbed on the sea at Mumbai, where his devotees built the dargah.

Built on a picturesque locale amidst the Sea, Haji Ali Mosque is brilliantly white washed structure occupying an area of 4,500 mts with a single minaret rising to 85 feet adds grandeur to the architecture. Behind an intricately sculpted entrance there is a marble courtyard housing the central shrine. A sea of devotees kisses the richly brocaded red and green chaddar that cover the tomb.

One can reach the mosque only during the low tide since the tenuous strip of connecting causeway is submerged during the high tide and Monsoon. Sprawling amidst the surging sea, Haji Ali Mosque is an ideal spot to catch a cool breeze away form the chaos of the city. With cool courtyard and refreshment stalls you can look forward to cooling your heels here.