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Jama Masjid
Work on the Jama Masjid mosque
was begun in 1650 by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan to complement his palace
at the Red Fort. More than 5,000 workers toiled for six years to complete
the largest mosque in India. Every Friday, the emperor and his retinue
would travel in state from the fort to the mosque to attend the congressional
prayers.
A fine example of Mughal
architecture, the Jama Masjid has three gateways. The largest and highest
on the east was reserve exclusively for the emperor. The main courtyard
of the emperor. The main courtyard of the mosque is 408 square feet and
paved with red stone. In the centre is a large marble tank in which the
devout wash before attending prayers.
The main mosque is crowned
by three onion shaped domes made of white marble and inlaid with stripes
of black slate. On the north and south of the complex are two 130 feet
high minarets which offer a spectacular bird's eye-view of the city. Jama
Masjid is not only architecturally beautiful, but also a place of great
religious significance as it houses a hair from the beard of the Prophet
and also a chapter of the Holy Quran written by him
Jama Masjid
Located in the centre of
the old city, this congregational mosque was built by Sultan Ahmed Shah
in 1423. Built in yellow sandstone, it combines the best of Hindu and Muslim
styles of architecture, standing on 260 pillars supporting 15 domes at
varying elevations.
Significance
It is described as the most
beautiful mosque in India.
Architectural triumph
The vast paved courtyard
is a rectangle nearly seventy-five metres by sixty-six metres. The whole
of the western chamber is a big hall, standing on 260 pillars all carved
from Hindu and Jain traditions. The central courtyard is accessible from
the East, though there are three ways on the other side too. The Eastern
side entrance leads to another enclosure containing the mausoleum of Sultan
Ahmed Shah. Thus it is an architectural triumph.
Tombs
Near the Eastern entrance
stands the 'roja' or the tomb of the Sultan Ahmed Shah, which was homage
to the Sultan by his son Mohammed Shah II. The tomb houses the graves of
three great rulers of Gujarat - Ahmed Shah I, his son, Mohammed Shah and
his grandson, Qutub-Ud-Din Ahmed Shah II. After a passage of 100 years,
a nobleman by the name - Farhatul Maluk repaired the tomb, who also got
the walls of the mosque engraved. Today after centuries of heat and rough
weather, the Masjid stands unchallenged serving as a prayer place for numerous
Muslims residing in the city. Among the most popular sights of the city
of Ahmedabad is the Jama Masjid, boasting of a well-proportioned architecture.
It took 13 years to complete this fine example of Indo-Saracenic architecture
of the Ahmed Shahi style. A white marble paved courtyard, with a pool in
the middle provides a perfect pause between the raucous streets outside,
and the dignity of the main sanctuary within. Nearby the Masjid are Pols
and the Teen Darwaza (The Three Gates). Sultan Ahmed Shah built these arched
gateways, which were meant as the royal entrance to the Maidan Shah or
Royal Square. From here the Sultans used to watch the processions from
the palace to the Jama Masjid
Location
It is located in the centre
of the old city.
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About Jama Masjid
The splendid mosque built
by Muhammad Ali Shah in the typical Mughal style with two minarets and
three domes, lies to the west of the Hussainabad Imambara and is entirely
free from pseudo Italian art then in vogue in Lucknow. Mohammad Ali Shah
started the construction of this splendid mosque in 1840 but his wife Begum
Malika Jahan finally completed it after his death. |
It is the country's largest
mosque, built in 1656, where thousands of Muslims offer prayers. It lies
opposite the Red Fort and is surrounded by a large number of shops, which
deal in a variety of goods. The great mosque of Old Delhi is both the largest
in India and the final architectural extravagance of Shah Jahan with a
courtyard capable of holding 25,000 devotees.
The Grand Structure
This monument was built
between 1644 and 1658 by five thousand artisans. Having three gateways,
four angle towers and two minarets standing 40m high, it is constructed
of alternating vertical strips of red sandstone and white marble. Originally
called the Masjid-i-Jahanuma, or mosque commanding view of the world, this
magnificent structure stands on the Bho Jhala, one of the two hills of
the old Moghul capital city of Shahjahanabad. Broad flights of steps lead
up to the imposing gateways in the north and the south. The main eastern
entrance, probably used by the emperors, remains closed on most days of
the week. The main prayer hall on the west side, houses a niche in a wall
that shelters the prayer leader. Worshippers use this hall on most days
but on Fridays and other holy days, the courtyard is full of devotees offering
namaaz. Near the north gate of the mosque stands a cupboard containing
a collection of Muhammad's relics - Korans written on deerskin, a red beard-hair
of the prophet, his sandals and his footprint, embedded in a marble slab.
Travelers arriving barelegged
can hire robes at the northern gate. Old Delhi, with the Jama Masjid is
quite an experience for those willing to brave the crowds. |
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