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Jama Masjid, Delhi


The masjid-i-jehan-numa (lit. 'international-reflecting mosque'), normally referred to as the jama masjid of delhi, is one of the biggest mosques in india.

It turned into built by means of the mughal emperor shah jahan among 1650 and 1656, and inaugurated by using its first imam, syed abdul ghafoor shah bukhari. Located within the mughal capital of shahjahanabad (nowadays old delhi), it served as the imperial mosque of the mughal emperors until the dying of the empire in 1857. The jama masjid became regarded as a symbolic node of islamic electricity across india, nicely into the colonial era. It changed into also a site of political significance at some point of several key intervals of british rule. It stays in lively use, and is one among delhi's maximum iconic web sites, closely diagnosed with the ethos of old delhi.

The mosque has  names. The older one, bestowed by way of shah jahan, is 'masjid-i-jehān-numā', roughly translating to "mosque commanding the view of the arena" in persian and urdu. The other greater common one is 'jāmā masjid', which emerged most of the not unusual population.its literal translation in arabic is "congregational mosque". It's miles used within the experience of 'friday mosque' (juma masjid), since that is when the congregational prayer is held. The term 'jama masjid' isn't specific to delhi's mosque; for the reason that 7th century, it's been used in the islamic global to indicate the network mosque, and consequently many around the arena undergo this name and its variations.

The mosque is positioned inside the historic city of shahjahanabad, these days referred to as the locality of old delhi. Across from the mosque are the crimson castle and sunehri masjid.as one of the focal points of old delhi, jama masjid is surrounded via numerous industrial centres, consisting of the historic chandni chowk. the tomb of abul kalam azad, indian independence activist, is located adjoining to the mosque.

Mughal emperor shah jahan built the jama masjid between 1650 and 1656, at the highest point of shahjahanabad. The mosque became designed with the aid of architect ustad khalil, and built by means of about 5000 workers. the personnel become numerous, which include indians, arabs, persians, turks, and europeans. The construction become supervised in most cases via sadullah khan, the wazir (or prime minister) for the duration of shah jahan's reign, and fazil khan, the comptroller of shah jahan's household. The value of the development at the time become ten lakh (a million) rupees. the mosque turned into inaugurated on 23 july, 1656 with the aid of syed abdul ghafoor shah bukhari, from bukhara, uzbekistan. He had been invited by using shah jahan to be the shahi imam (royal imam) of the mosque.

The mosque was one of the remaining monuments built under shah jahan. After its completion, it served because the royal mosque of the emperors till the stop of the mughal period. The khutba turned into recited through the mughal emperor throughout the friday noon prayer, legitimising his rule. The mosque became for this reason a symbol of mughal sovereignty in india, sporting political importance. It was additionally an crucial centre of social lifestyles for the citizens of shahjahanabad, imparting a space transcending class divide for numerous human beings to engage.

The british took over shahjahanabad in 1803. The mughal emperor remained the ritual imperial head of the mosque, but mughal power and patronage had significantly waned. the preliminary coverage of the british inside the metropolis became favourable closer to its citizens; the british undertook maintenance or even renovations of the jama masjid. the masjid persevered to serve as a website of social and political discourse, in keeping with different mosques of delhi at the time; as an example, theological and philosophical debates were held between muslims and christians.


The rebellion of 1857 changed into a prime turning factor in this situation. This event resulted inside the deaths of many british people in the metropolis, and weakened colonial authority, deeply affronting the british. it also ended the mughal empire. The british perceived the rise up as instigated via muslims, cultivated inside delhi's mosques.after the british reclaimed the town in the identical year, they razed many mosques and banned the congregation of muslims in any ultimate mosques. The jama masjid fell into british confiscation at some point of this time, and became barred from any spiritual use. It changed into repeatedly considered for destruction, however the british subsequently started out the use of it as barracks for its sikh and eu squaddies. This changed into a desecration of the gap; aziz characterises the decision as planned, to be able to insult the sentiments of the town's muslim inhabitants.

The masjid became subsequently returned to the muslim populace in 1862, because of their growing resentment of british actions. A couple of situations had been imposed, which include the use of jama masjid as strictly a spiritual website online, as well as obligatory policing by using the british. The jama masjid coping with committee (jmmc), such as reputable muslims of delhi, was installed as a proper frame to represent the mosque and enforce these situations.

Upon its go back, the jama masjid changed into reestablished as a mosque. Although the mughal kingdom have been dissolved, the mosque acquired patronage from numerous regional islamic rulers and nobles. In 1886, the nawab of rampur donated a big sum of one,55,000 rupees to facilitate repairs. In 1926, a donation from the nizam of hyderabad of one,00,000 rupees became used for comparable functions.

Jama masjid in 1852, as seen from the adjoining urdu bazaar.

Growing unrest against british rule manifested in delhi's mosques from 1911. The jama masjid was frequently used for non-non secular, political purposes, in opposition to the regulations instituted. While the british may want to police and clamp down on political activities in public areas, the jama masjid turned into a religious space and changed into for this reason included from such action, through each regulation (spiritual endowment act, 1863) and the sentiments of delhi. hindus regularly gathered with muslims within the mosque to specific anti-colonial harmony, in spite of simmering tension between the communities within the colonial length.

The jama masjid continued to be a political image after independence. Indian independence activist abul kalam azad delivered a speech from its pulpit at some point of the friday prayer of 23 october, 1947. The partition of india became underway, inflicting large population actions in delhi. Azad implored the muslims of delhi to stay in india, and attempted to reassure them that india was nonetheless their homeland.

For the duration of 1948, the closing nizam of hyderabad, asaf jah vii changed into requested for a donation of 75,000 rupees to restore one-fourth of the mosque ground. The nizam alternatively sanctioned three,00,000 rupees, stating that the final 3-fourths of the mosque should now not look antique.

The mosque served as a domain of importance on the subject of the infamously communal babri masjid dispute. Abdullah bukhari, the shahi imam of the jama masjid on the time, made numerous speeches in 1986 regarding the problem from the masjid, condemning the political support given to the hindu reason and mobilising muslim sentiments. In one example this ignited riots and clashes in old delhi. In 1987, jama masjid become the staging factor for a main non violent protest concerning the babri masjid dispute. On 28 may additionally 1987, amidst growing communal tensions and riots throughout india, the jama masjid changed into closed by the imam and decorated in black material, symbolising muslim resentment of presidency actions on the time. The choice became relatively controversial amongst islamic management.

Architecture


The jama masjid changed into built as part of shah jahan's new capital in delhi, shahjahanabad. At the time of its construction, it changed into the biggest mosque inside the indian subcontinent. Shah jahan claimed that the mosque was modeled after the jama masjid of fatehpur sikri, and that is meditated within the layout of many outside features, together with the facade and courtyard. But, the interior of the mosque more carefully resembles the jama masjid in agra. the mosque predominantly uses purple sandstone, and is about aside from its predecessors by means of more giant usage of white marble. Black marble additionally capabilities as a ornamental detail.arabic and persian calligraphic portions are located on numerous surfaces of the shape, whose content levels from non secular to panegyric.

Having been built on a hill, the mosque is located on a plinth expanded 10 meters above the encompassing town.the complicated is orientated to the west, closer to mecca. an imperial college, imperial dispensary, and madrasa used to lie adjacent to the shape, however had been destroyed inside the uprisings of 1857.

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