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Showing posts with label Mosques. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mosques. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Kalan Masjid

The Kalan Masjid was built in 1387 by the son of Khan-i-Jahan Junan Shah, Prime Minster of Feroz Shah Tughlaq (r.1351-88). The mosque was built in Ferozabad, the city built by Feroz Shah Tughlaq but was later included in Shahjahan's new city Shahjahanabad.]Inscribed: naqsha-i masjid kalan ‘urf kali.It is about 1 Km.from Turkman gate

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Sunday, March 22, 2009

Flying high

Pigeons fly on over Jama Masjid (above & below), Old Delhi, Indi

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Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Jama Masjid

Pigeons at the top of Jama Masjid: The Masjid-i Jahan-Namaa (Persian: مسجد جھان نما, the 'World-reflecting Mosque'), commonly known as the Jama Masjid of Delhi, is the principal mosque of Old Delhi in India and the largest mosque in Asia.. Commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, builder of the Taj Mahal, and completed in the year 1656 AD, it is one of the largest and best-known mosques in India. It lies at the origin of a very busy central street of Old Delhi, Chandni Chowk.

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Sunday, January 18, 2009

Humayu Tomb

Humayu Tomb at sunset Delhi

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Monday, December 29, 2008

Quwwat-ul-Islam (Might of Islam) Masjid

The Quwwat-ul-Islam Masjid can be a bewildering experience for those unfamiliar with its history. On one hand there is the beautiful, curvaceous Islamic calligraphy, the arabesque designs and then there are pillars with clearly pre-Islamic Hindu motifs. The reason is of course quite simple; the pillars were taken from the 27 temples of Qila Rai Pithora, the city of the Rajput king Prithviraj Chauhan. This in fact has been recorded by Qutub-ud-din in his inscriptions, who calls it the Jami Masjid (Friday Mosque) in his inscriptions.

The Construction of The Mosque The mosque was started in 1192 by Qutub-ud-din Aibak, the first ruler of the Slave Dynasty (called so because the founder was once a royal slave). It was finished four years later. However the masjid, much like the Qutub complex itself, never stopped growing and many subsequent rulers, like Altamash in 1230 and Alauddin Khalji in 1315, added their own bits to it.
The Exquisite Interiors As soon as you passing through the entrance (watch out for the steep steps) of the poetically beautiful Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque the intricately carved temple ceiling catches your eye. In front of you will be the spectacular courtyard of the mosque which is lined by the rows of the profusely adorned pillars talked about earlier on both sides. Hindu motifs, like tasseled ropes, bells, tendrils, cows and leaves, frolic all over the mosque. The very first indication of the Islamic character of the building come from the elegant pointed arches with curvaceous and serpentine calligraphy of texts from Quran in Arabic crowning them, towards the west of the mosque.
The Extension of The Structure Later Qutub-ud-din's son-in-law and successor, Altamash had the prayer hall screen extended, and added three more arches besides the original five. The difference between the two arches is interesting: the earlier arches are not really the 'true' arch which is such a hallmark of Islamic architecture, Altamash's arches were built by workmen from Afghanistan and are stylistically quite distinct. They use Islamic motifs such as geometrical shapes rather than naturalistic designs (which were frowned upon by the Muslim clergy) that Hindus used. Ala-ud-din Khalji added a courtyard to the mosquethe entrance to which is the amazing Alai Darwaza.In the mosque compound is the small but pretty tomb of Imam Zamim, who was the Imam (head priest) of the mosque during Sikander Lodi's (1488-1517) reign.

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Friday, August 29, 2008

MOTH KI MASJID

Moth ki Masjid is situated between Uday Park and the plush South Extension Part 2 area of New Delhi. An interesting legend is attached to the origin of the Moth ki Masjid, or the Lentil Mosque, of India. About 500 years old, it was built by Sikander Lodi. According to the legend, one day Sikandar Lodi gave a grain of moth (a type of lentil) to his loyal minister Miyan Bhuwa as a reward for fun. The witty minister planted the seed carefully years after years until it multiplied so many times that it could finally finance the construction of the mosque. He then went to the sovereign to ask his permission to build the mosque.

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Hazrat Nizamuddin

Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliyaa Dargah is located in New Delhi, across the road from Humayun's tomb. The 'dargah' of revered Sufi saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliyaa has its devotees all over the Islamic world. A settlement has sprung up here, known as 'Nizamuddin' for short. This shrine also houses the tomb of Amir Khusrau, a famous poet and the saint's beloved disciple. Encroachments plaque, the shrine, and the area itself, seem to belong to another century. The shrine was built by Muhammad Tughluq & is one of the sacred places of pilgrimage in India.

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JAMA MASJID

Shah Jahan, as his final architectural extravagance, built one of the largest mosques in India, Jama Masjid. It is situated in Old Delhi area of the capital. Also known as Masjid-i-Jahan Numa, it was the principal mosque of the Emperor. Owing to its huge size, it took six years to be fully complete. Situated on a high platform, the austere, yet beautiful, building was built in red sandstone, with extensive use of white marble. The pulpit of Jama Masjid has been beautifully carved out of a single block of marble. It has three gateways, four soaring towers and two minarets. The 130-ft high slender minarets of the mosque grace its impressive façade.

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