A group of 17 CHC members and guests, went to explore built heritage in the outskirts of Calcutta. The magnificent structure and intriguing story of the Hooghly Imambara left the group absolutely speechless. As narrated by our member Rajiv Soni who led the tour - a Persian salt merchant Mohammad Aga Motahar built his abode at the site of the grand Imambara at Hooghly in 1717 AD. Eventually he dedicated his home to the Almighty. Later in 1735, his son-in-law, Mirza Saleh-ud-din, added another building and named it “Tazia Khana”, where the Tazias were kept.

The present day Imambara was built on the debris of the older one under the patronage of Haji Md. Mohsin, the only successor of Md. Aga Motahar. Being childless, highly pious and philanthropist, he donated the entire property to the local Muslim community. Though he died before the Imambara was completed, he made arrangements for its construction and appointed a Mutawalli or official trustee to look after the shrine. In 1834, Syed Keramat Ali, a Mutawalli, took initiative to build the Hooghly Imambara which took twenty long years to be completed and incurred an expense of Rs.850000/-