Born as Zeb-un-Nisa, Dai Anga, was well respected in
the royal family, and the mosque was said to be commissioned by her, and built
prior her departure for the Hajj. Her family was closely associated with
the Mughal Empire. Her husband Murad Khan served Emperor Jahangir as Magistrate
of Bikaner, and her son Muhammad Rashid Khan, was the best archers in the
kingdom, and died fighting in the service of Shah Jahan's eldest son Dara
Shikoh. The Tomb of Dai Anga is known as the Gulabi Bagh, and is also located in Lahore.
The mosque was said to have been built in 1635,
however, the inscription in the mosque is said to date it to 1649 Under Sikh
rule, the mosque was used as a military magazine under the rule of Ranjit
Singh. During the British Raj, the mosque was converted into railway
administration offices.
The mosque was designed on a scaled down version of
larger Mughal mosques, such as the nearby Badshahi Mosque. The mosque is
fronted by an 84 foot wide courtyard, while the building itself is divided into
three section. The central section is the largest and is topped by a 19 foot
dome. This is flanked by two smaller sections with 16 foot domes. The central
portion of the mosque is elaborately decorated with predominantly blue, orange,
and yellow qashani tile work. The interior also displayed fine
frescoes previously, unfortunately these have largely been replaced by modern
tiles.
The exterior of the mosque has been embellished with
fine tile work, echoing similarities to the tiles of the Wazir Khan Mosque.
The exterior features rich decorative works in tile as well. The mosque is
listed on the Protected Heritage Monuments of the Archaeology Department of
Punjab.
