Meeran Mosque (Meerapalli)
மீரான் பள்ளிவாசல் (மீராப்பள்ளி)
Sufi mosque built in the first quarter of the 18th century, the oldest standing mosque in Pondicherry, beside the grave of its founder, the Sufi saint Meeran Saheb.
The oldest standing mosque in Pondicherry, named by Puducherry Tourism first among the city’s notable mosques.
History
Meerapalli was built in the first quarter of the 18th century, in a mix of Indo-Islamic and Gothic styles. A Muslim community was already settled on this coast earlier: the Arab navigator Sulaiman Al Mahri mentions the port of “Bandikeri”, later identified as Pondicherry, around 1500. Beside the mosque is the grave of its founder, the Sufi saint Meeran Saheb; newer buildings, including a small madrasa, have grown around the original structure.
What to see
- The original mosque and the grave of Meeran Saheb beside it
Why visit
It shows a third strand of the city’s history, alongside the Tamil temples and the French churches.
- Coordinates
11.927910, 79.829589