JAMA MASJID Of DELHI

Jama Masjid of Delhi is the largest mosque in India. The Jama Masjid stands across the road in front of the Red Fort. Built between 1644 and 1658, Jama Masjid is one of the last architectural works of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. The spacious courtyard of the Jama Masjid holds thousands of faithful. Jama Masjid is located on a mound in the heart of the old city and projects beautifully into the Old-Delhi skyline. Jama Masjid Mosque was built in red sandstone and marble by more than 5000 artisans. Originally called the Masjid-i-Jahan-Numa, or "mosque commanding view of the world", the Jama Masjid stands at the center of the erstwhile capital city of the Mughals, Shahjahanbad.

The Jama Masjid was completed under the supervision of Saadullah Khan, the Prime Minister of Shah Jahan. A sum of Rs 10 lakhs was spent on the construction of the Jama Masjid. The Jama Masjid is built on a red sandstone porch, about 30 feet (10 m) from the level of the ground and is about 1400 square yards (1200 m²) in extent. The Jama Masjid has three gateways, four towers and two minarets. The gateways in the north and south are led by a fleet of steps. The main entrance is on the eastern side facing the red fort. It was probably used by the emperors. The tower of the Jama Masjid is made up of five distinctive storeys. Each one of the storeys has a projecting balcony. The adjoining edifices are beautifully done with calligraphy.

The first three storeys of the Jama Masjid tower are made of red sandstone and the fourth one is made of marble, while the fifth is made of sandstone. The Jama Masjid is covered with intricate carvings and has verses inscribed from the holy Koran. The grand Red fort (Lal Qila) stands on the eastern side of the Jama Masjid. The main prayer hall of the Jama Masjid is made up of high cusped arches and marble domes. The cabinet in the north gate of the Jama Masjid contains a collection of Muhammad's relics - the Koran written on deerskin, a red beard-hair of the prophet, his sandals and his footprints, implanted in a marble block.

The aesthetic architectural pattern of the Jama Masjid will surely amaze you. This Islamic architectural wonder has the capacity to accommodate around 85,000 visitors. When you arrive at the holy shrine, you will see that there is a sprawling rectangular shaped square and the area of the square is 75 meters by 66 meters. There are three big domes and two minarets in the shrine. The western portion of the shrine constitutes a huge hall which features 260 columns. You can get to the main courtyard of the mosque from three directions; north, east and south. The gateway to the east takes you to one more tourist attraction which is the burial chamber of Sultan Ahmed Shah.You can get to the main square of the mosque from three directions as mentioned above by three flights of stairs which were constructed with red sandstone. There are 389 staircases in the northern entrance of the shrine. The eastern entrance of the shrine was used by the village people and there are 774 staircases. Historically, these staircases were used for food stalls, stores, and road performances. The eastern portion of the shrine was switched to a marketplace for selling birds and poultry in the morning. When you visit the mosque, you will see that the shrine is south facing. The length of the mosque is approximately 8058 meters or 22561 feet and its breadth is 549 meters or 258258 feet. There are eight domes at the top of the shrine with recurring streaks of white marble and purple. The open areas of the shrine are enclosed with walls and every one of them features a tall entrance in the middle.

Dome

Courtyard

Main Prayer Area

There are two towering minarets in the shrine that are approximately 41 meters tall and have 130 stairs, lengthwise streaked with red sandstone and white marble. These two minarets are placed on both sides of the

domes.There is a hall beneath the attics of the shrine which feature seven

vaulted gateways that face the west. All the boundaries of the shrine are waist-high and coated with marble. If you walk to the far side of this, you

will come across a hall for offering prayers, and the area of the hall is approximately 61 meters by 27.5 meters. There are 11 vaulted gateways

to this prayer hall. White and black marble has been used to coat the floor of the shrine.

The must see attractive features of the mosque include the principal gateway, the iron door of the principal gateway, the central dome, the minarets and their designs, pointed arches, the interiors, and design of the gateways. The view of the principal gateway from within the shrine, adornments of the interior areas, the arcs, the design of the arcs inside, the principal arch, the prayer hall within the shrine, views of the Red Fort

from the mosque and views from the southern gateway are also interesting features.

People making Wuzu in central Hauz

Inscriptions of Holy Quran

Iron Gate Entrance

The first Imam of Jama Masjid was Syed Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari, from Bukhara (Uzbekistan). Bukhara was the centre of great

learning and arts of that time. Experts from all fields got concentrated there, so naturally that’s where Shah Jahan

searched for an imam. He sent a letter to the king of Bukhara, who highly suggested Syed Abdul Ghafoor. The imam led his first

congregational prayers in 1656, an Eid prayer attended by Emperor Shahjahan with all his ministers, retinue, courtiers, and

the inhabitants of Delhi.Thereafter the Emperor bestowed  Syed Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari

with the robe and the accolades, then announced his appointment to the high office of Imamat-e-Uzma, and conferred upon him

the title of Shahi Imam.

Shahi Imams of Jama Masjid include Syed Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari,Syed Abdul Shakoor Shah Bukhari ,Syed Abdul Raheem Shah Bukhari,Syed Abdul Ghafoor

Shah Bukhari Thani,Syed Abdul Rehman Shah Bukhari,Syed Abdul Kareem Shah Bukhari ,Syed Mir Jeewan Shah

Bukhari,Syed Mir Ahmed Ali Shah Bukhari (till 16 October 1892),Syed Mohammed Shah Bukhari (from 16 October

1892),Syed Ahmed Bukhari (till 20 February 1942), Syed Hameed Bukhari (20 February 1942 - 8 July 1973), Syed Abdullah Bukhari (8 July 1973 - 14 October 2000),

Syed Ahmed Bukhari (14 October 2000 till date) Syed Ahmed Bukhari

Syed Abdullah Bukhari

The mosque is at its best during Muslim festivals of Id-ul-Fitr and Id-ul-Zoha when thousands of devotees at a time offer their prayers in the courtyard. There is a festival and carnival like atmosphere in the area and Islam looks at its most impressive in this great urban mosque, on a special occasion like Id.Also Celebrated many Muslim festivals are celebrated by the mosque. The 350-year-old heritage site becomes the capital's centrepiece during this time of the year. Nearby places like chandni chawk get filled with huge crowd shopping and enjoying the atmosphere with jalebis,kababs,sewainyas,etc

Eid-Turkman Gate to Jama Masjid

Eid Prayers

The mosque is at its best during Muslim festivals of Id-ul-Fitr and Id-ul-Zoha when thousands of devotees at a time offer their prayers in the courtyard. There is a festival and carnival like atmosphere in the area and Islam looks at its most impressive in this great urban mosque, on a special occasion like Id.Also Celebrated many Muslim festivals are celebrated by the mosque. The 350-year-old heritage site becomes the capital's centrepiece during this time of the year. Nearby places like chandni chawk get filled with huge crowd shopping and enjoying the atmosphere with jalebis,kababs,sewainyas,etc

Eid-Turkman Gate to Jama Masjid

Eid Prayers