Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh): The city of Bareilly has witnessed many events of history. One of the significant events is the first war of independence in 1857.
Noumahla Masjid is a historical place in Bareilly city. The Noumahla Masjid is located in the middle of the road leading to Ayub Khan Square in front of the city's Government Inter College. The older the mosque, the more lively is its history.
Noumahla Masjid is witness to patriots being buried on its land. This is the only mosque where the secret meeting of the revolutionaries was held against British rule. The strategies of attacks were drawn here. This mosque came into existence in 1749.
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When Hafiz Rehmat Khan established his authority in Bareilly in 1749, he repopulated the Noumahla area and handed it over to his mentor Syed Shah Masoom Shah. The British had earlier annexed Bareilly.
When the flame of the first revolution erupted in 1857, the heroic sons of Rohilkhand also jumped into the battle to get independence. At that time the revolutionaries were led by Nawab Khan Bahadur Khan. He made the Noumahla Mosque his headquarters. The revolutionaries used to meet here. The strategy of Jung-e-Azadi was used here against British rule.
The British had used their full force to suppress the first rebellion against their rule. Later they came to know that revolutionaries were sheltered in Noumahla Mosque. They attacked the mosque. The Imam Syed Ismail Shah was martyred. At that time the family of Sayyids also lived here. In order to save their dignity and evade capture, the women, and women of the Syed family jumped into the well and perished.
