About Jama masjid Delhi.
Jama Masjid is one of the
largest mosques in India. It stands across the road from Red Fort, Situated in
the ancient town of Old Delhi.
This magnificent structure stands on the Bho
Jhala, one of the two hills of the old Mughal capital city of Shahjahanabad.
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| Jama Masjid Delhi |
The mosque is considered as the best among all mosques built during the Mughal Empire as it has the best mixture of marble and limestone.
It's also known as
'Masjid-i-Jahanuma' or 'Mosque commanding view of the world'.
It was designed
as Emperor Shahjahan's principal mosque. A sprawling path separates it from the
main road.
The mosque courtyard can
accommodate nearly 25000 people for prayer. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the year between 1650-1656 A.D.
Its construction was done under the
supervision of one of the WAZIR during the shah jahan reign namely called SAADULLAH
KHAN.
The total cost of the constructions on that time was estimated one
million rupees.
For the inauguration of Masjid Imam Syed Abdul Ghafoor Shah
Bukhari from Bukhara were called, present-day Uzbekistan.
He was also appointed
as the first Shahi Imam of the Mosque. Jama Masjid remained the royal mosque of
the emperors until the end of the Mughal period.
One should dressed in well
with neat and clean to enter the Masjid. No shorts dresses like half pant, Bermuda,
Capri wearing is allowed inside the premises.
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| Entry gate east |
So if you are planning to visit
then must wear a full clothes. The masjid gate remain closed for half an hour
during Namaz timing, rest of the time, it remains open for the public to visit.
Beside the Mosque, Meena Bazaar
is also situated for shopping, here you can find the all necessary item like
clothes, books, Janamaz for prayer and a variety of Hijab.
It was the bazaar
where the royal ladies used to come shopping for their silks, for their jewels,
and for their bangles.
It was located between the mosque and the red fort,
hence easily accessible to them. Here you can find lot of religious items
associated with Islam.
History of Jama Masjid.
The Jama Masjid was built by
the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan between 1650 and 1656 A.D at a cost of one
million rupees on that time.
The mosque was completed in the year 1656 AD, with
a hard work of about 5000 artisans.
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| Jama Masjid Minaret |
The construction was done under the
supervision of Saadullah Khan, a wazir or the Prime minister.
After the British victory in
the Revolt of 1857 they confiscated the mosque and stationed their soldiers
there.
They also wanted to destroy the mosque as an act of punishment to the
city. But due to opposition faced, the demolition was not done.
The floor plan of the mosque
is similar to that of the Jama Masjid of Agra. It is covered with white and
black ornamented marble to look like a Muslim prayer mat.
Beside it, a thin
black border measuring 3 feet (0.91 m) long and 1.5 feet (0.46 m)
wide is marked for the Muslim worshipers.There are 899 total such boxes.
Before the Revolt of 1857 there was a madrasa near the southern end of the mosque,
which was destroyed during the revolt.
Why Jama Masjid was built by emperor Shah Jahan.
According to the Urdu history
and some of the Moulana or Islamic scholar, Emperor Shah Jahan had dreamt a
mosque in his dream, on Arshe moalla.
So, next day he called up all the
renowned architect from his reign and ordered them to draw a design of mosque
which he had seen in is dream because he want to build the same Mosque.
It was
a tough work for all the architect as they were not having any clues, what the
dreamt were about the mosque design.
So, all of them tried to prepare a design
according to their imagination and presented them but none of the design were
liked by emperor,
several design were prepared in many folds by all the architect but none were
liked by emperor.
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| Front View |
One of the architect who was
the part of the design preparation, under his frustrated and upset mood, he met
one of his Sufi sant friend with whom he used to accompany sometime.
The sufi
sant asked him about his upset and he narrated the whole story.
On this the sufi
wrapped him under his blanket or Chaadar shawl, where he reached somewhere and
a mosque was seen in his view.
After removing the blanket the architect asked
the sant, what was that and where was he, on that the sant replied, no need to
go behind this, just go and submit this drawing which you have seen, the
emperor shah jahan will definitely like it.
The architect done the same, and
now this design was accepted by Emperor Shah Jahan as the same design he were
looking for and the same design he saw in his dream.
It was the design of
mosque on Arshe Moallah, the seventh sky
Architecture History.
The mosque was completed in
1656 AD with three great gates and two 40 meters high minarets constructed with
strips of red sandstone and white marble.
There are three domes on the terrace
which are surrounded by the two minarets. On the floor, a total of 899 black
borders are marked for worshipers.
The mosque has three great
gates, four towers and two 40-metre tall minarets constructed of strips of red sandstone
and smooth white marble.
The northern gate has 39 steps and the southern side
has 33 steps. The eastern gate was the royal entrance and has 35 steps.
Out of all these gateways,
the eastern one, which was used by the emperors, remains closed during weekdays.
The mosque is built on a red sandstone porch, which is about 30 feet
(9.1 m) from ground level and spreads over 1200 square meters.
The
dome is flanked by two lofty minarets which are 130 feet (40 m) high and
consists of 130 steps, longitudinally striped with marble and red sandstone.
The minarets consist of five storeys, each with a protruding balcony. The
adjoining edifices are filled with calligraphy.
The first three storeys of the
minarets are made of red sandstone, the fourth of marble and the fifth of
sandstone.
The courtyard can accommodate
25,000 worshipers and occupies 408 square feet. The mosque is about 261 feet
(80 m) long and 90 feet (27 m) wide.
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| Ariel View of Jama Masjid |
The prayer hall measures 61 meters
in length and 27.5 meters in breadth. It is made up of high cusped arches and
marble domes.
The cabinet located in the north gate has a collection of relics
of Muhammad – the Quran written on deerskin, a red beard-hair of the prophet,
his sandals and his footprints embedded in a marble block.
Relics at Jama Masjid.
The Masjid has some of the
relics that are definitely worth having a look at. There is a hair from the
Prophet Mohammad’s beard.
There are only 3 such hairs that are supposed to be
there in the world. The other two are in Turkey and Hazrat Bal in Kashmir.
Along
with it, there are two Korans, written by the son-in-law and the grandson of
the prophet. Both on deerskin.
There is camel skin sandal belonging to the
prophet, now preserved in a glass case and covered with flowers.
Jama Masjid timing.
It remains opens all the days
of week. Its timing is 7 am to 6:30 pm. During the prayer time, tourist
were not allowed to enter.
There is no entry fee for
Jama masjid and is free for all the visitors, only photography fee is chargeable
which is Rs 300.
Imams of Jama Masjid.
Shahi Imams list of Jama Masjid.- Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari (from 23 July 1656)
- Abdul Shakoor Shah Bukhari
- Abdul Raheem Shah Bukhari
- Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari Thani
- Abdul Rehman Shah Bukhari
- Abdul Kareem Shah Bukhari
- Mir Jeewan Shah Bukhari
- Mir Ahmed Ali Shah Bukhari (until 16 October 1892)
- Mohammed Shah Bukhari (from 16 October 1892)
- Ahmed Bukhari (until 20 February 1942)
- Hameed Bukhari (20 February 1942 – 8 July 1973)
- Abdullah Bukhari (8 July 1973 – 14 October 2000)
- Ahmed Bukhari (14 October 2000 – present)
How to get there.
Nearest Railway Station: Old
Delhi railway station.
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| Evening View |
Nearest Airport: Delhi Palam
airport and IGI T3 airport.
Nearest Metro station: Jama
Masjid, Chawri Bazar, chandni chowk metro station.
Hotels and restaurant near Jama masjid.
If you are a food lover then
there is a variety of restaurant and hotel where you can find the best Mughlai
recipe.
Towards the south gate of Masjid a chain of hotel is available where you
can dine. Among them Hotel Karim and Hotel Al Jawahar is one of the best of its
kind.
Finally this is all about the history of Jama Masjid which we have gathered from different sources.
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