“Love is base of all religions”, says Hindu architect from Kerala who built 91 mosques

Thiruvananthapuram: Gopalakrishnan who built 91 mosques has a relevant message to spread. Though he was born a Hindu, he believes that “love is base of all religions”.

In 1965, Gopalakrishnan started his career in architecture by assisting his father who was a contractor for building Palayam Juma Masjid. He designed the structure of the mosque and became the pioneer of introducing minaret architecture to Kerala.

Beema Pally Juma Masjid at Thiruvanthapuram and Taj Mahal model mosque at Karunagappally are some of his famous works.  

Gopalakrishnan, who is 84 years old now, in his career has built 91 mosques, more than 10 temples and five churches. He is popularly recognized as ‘Krishna who builds mosque’.

Interestingly, he did not have an academic background in engineering but his keen interest, aesthetic sense, work experience and skillsets paved way to a long career.

Finishing all his professional commitments, he now lives in his home named as ‘Eshwarantae Sammanam’ (which translates to God’s Gift) near Bakery Junction in Thiruvanthapuram. “Hate spreads when we fail to understand that love is base of all religion”, Gopalakrishan said.