Jama Masjid
Chandni Chowk, New Delhi, DL Phone : 011 2336 5358
The Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, the ‘World-reflecting Mosque’, commonly known as the Jama Masjid Delhi, is one of the largest mosques in India.
It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan between 1644 and 1656 at a cost of 1 million rupees, and was inaugurated by an imam from Bukhara, present-day Uzbekistan. The mosque was completed in 1656 AD with three great gates, four towers and two 40 m high minarets constructed of strips of red sandstone and white marble. The courtyard of Jama Masjid Delhi can accommodate more than 25,000 persons. 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 worshippers. The architectural plan of Badshahi Masjid, built by Shah Jahan’s son Aurangazeb at Lahore, Pakistan, is similar to the Jama Masjid.
The mosque has three great gates, four towers and two 40 m high minarets constructed of strips of red sandstone and white marble. The northern gate has 39 steps and the southern side has 33 steps. The eastern gate was the rural entrance and it 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 metre. The dome is flanked by two lofty minarets which are 130 feet (40 m) high and consists of 130 steps, longitudinally striped by marble and red sandstone. The minarets of Jama Masji Delhi consists of five storeys, each with a protruding balcony. The adjoining edifices are filled with calligraphy. The first three storeys of the minarets is made of red sandstone, the fourth of marble and the fifth of sandstone.
The courtyard Jama Masjid Delhi occupies 408 square feet. The mosque is about 261 feet (80 m) long and 90 feet (27 m) wide. The prayer hall measures 61 metre in length and 27.5 metre 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 implanted in a marble block.
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 worshippers. There are 899 total such boxes.
Source : Wikipedia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03x2xkfTmDs
Reviews
Location : It stands across the road from Red Fort
Visiting hours : All the days of the week, 7.00 AM to 12.00 PM and from 1.30 PM to 6.00PM
Entrance fee : Free
Don’t Miss : Tasting the Famous Non Vegetarian Cuisine of Karim’s, Especially the Mughlai Cuisine near the Mosque.
Must Enter : Through Eastern Gateway once used by the Mughal Kings to Offer their Prayers.Opened on Saturday – Sundays.
Must See : The Footwear – Red Beard Hair and the Foot Impressions of Prophet, the Replica of Quran (Holy Books of Muslims) Written on a Deer Skin kept inside the Mosque.
Rate this article