Mosque of Tipu Sultan

Srirangapatnam, Karnataka

The unprepossessing lower wall of the Jami Masjid (congregational mosque) might distract the eye from features worth noticing, such as the building's handsome minarets (closeup). Tower vents, visible in the photograph, provide ventilation and allow the air to circulate inside.

Tipu Sultan, who ruled the princely state of Mysore from 1782 to 1799, was known as the "Tiger of Mysore" because of his fierce opposition to the British. He built this mosque in 1789. Srirangapatnam, his capital, is an island in the Kaveri river.