jama mosque in Delhi

Jama Masjid (जामा मस्जिद, Urdu: جامع مسجد jamia mosque) or Masjid-i Jahān-Numā (Persian: مسجد جھان نما, Mosque of the World Mirror) is the main mosque located in the Old Delhi area of India. The mosque was founded by Emperor Mogul, Shah Jehan, who also built the Taj Mahal. The mosque was completed in 1656 AD and is the largest and famous in India. Jama Masjid itself is located on the side of a very busy highway in Old Delhi, namely Chadni Chowk Road.

Another name for this mosque is the Jami Mosque, because the mosque is always filled by pilgrims on Friday to perform the Friday prayer service. The mosque can accommodate about 25,000 worshipers. The Jama Masjid itself also houses relics, including the manuscripts of the Qur'an written on deer's skin.

Development

Jama Masjid, Delhi, 1852
The construction of the Delhi Jami Mosque began on Friday 19 October 1650 to coincide with the 10th Shawwal 1060H. The cost incurred by the Mogul Empire in the construction of the Jama Masjid is 10 lakh Rupees (worth 1 million Rupees).

Shah Jehan also built major mosques in Delhi, Agra, Ajmer and Lahore. The floor plan in Jama Masjid is even the same as the Jama Masjid plan at Fatehpur Sikri, near Agra. But Jama Masjid is still bigger and magnificent because Shah Jehan has chosen a mosque building site in high altitude. The design and architecture of the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore built by the son of Shah Jehan, Aurangzeb in 1673 almost matches the design of the Jama Masjid.

The construction of this mosque received special attention from the Sultan by sending his prime minister Saadullah Khan to oversee the process of building this mosque. There are two things that really concern the Sultan is making the calligraphy of the Qur'an that decorate this mosque and the pulpit in the mihrab, the pulpit of Jami mosque must be higher than the Sultan's Throne located in Red Fort

Architecture

The terrace area of ​​the mosque can be reached from the east, north and south through the stairs of each door made of brick. The north entrance of the Jama Masjid has 39 steps, while the south door has 33 steps and the east door has 35 steps and is a special door of the royal family. These stairs are commonly used by street vendors and street entertainers. At dusk, the eastern door of the mosque is used as a chicken and bird livestock bazaar. Prior to the Indian War of Independence in 1857, a madrassa at the south entrance of the mosque was demolished.

The mosque itself faces west. On the three sides of the mosque there are three gates, where each gate has a tower. The length of the mosque is 80 meters and its width is 27 meters. On the roof there are three dome decorated by black and white marble with the top decorated with gold. These three domes are actually built in the form of a whole onion dome. The base of the dome is a cylindrical shape resembling a drum. Dome like this which later inspired mosque mosque architecture in the corners of the world built afterwards.

The Jama Masjid also has two towers whose height is 41 meters and consists of 130 staircases adorned with black marble and brick. While at the back of the mosque there are still 4 more small towers as in the front. The eight minarets and two tall minarets of the mosque are all built in typical Mughal architecture. The three main gates of this mosque bring visitors to the central courtyard of the mosque (inner courtyard). An open courtyard of 1200 square meters can accommodate about 100 thousand pilgrims. In this courtyard there is also a pool of water reservoir which is a pond for ablution. On the front (west) this pond built a slightly elevated place from the surface of the surrounding floor called Dikka, this place is reserved for a muatllawi (second priest) who repeats the readings the priest is reading.

The Delhi Jami Mosque is built on an elevated foundation of the surrounding land approximately 1.5 meters. From the terrace of the mosque to the inside of the mosque is equipped with 3 stairs both from the north east and south side. The floor of this mosque is lined with marble stone with striped ornaments resemble each 95 x 45 cm prayer rugs, allowing pilgrims to straighten the prayer shaf. There are at least 899 similar ornaments on the floor in the mosque. When viewed from the back of this mosque seen standing firmly on the pile of foundation stone. The foundation where this mosque stands is also a rocky hill. Its location is indeed located on the hill plus the building is high enough to make this mosque can be seen from various angles of old Delhi.

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