I first visited Jama' Masjid, being originally named as "The Masjid-i Jahān-Numā" in Persian, translated as the 'World-reflecting Mosque' in July 2009. It is a principal mosque of Old Delhi in India, built by the the 5th Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, in the year 1650 AD. It was completed in 1656 AD as the largest and best-known mosque in India. It lies at the beginning of the Chawri Bazar Road, a very busy central street of Old Delhi. It is encourage to visit in early morning and/or before the day prayer started. The first look upon my entrance, I cant help but comparing to the mosque built by the great Akbar in Fatehpur Sikri.
The courtyard of the mosque can be reached from the east, north and south by three flights of steps, all built of red sandstone. It's northern gate has 389 steps and the southern side of the mosque also has the same steps. The eastern gate of the mosque was the rural entrance and it has 774 steps. These steps used to house food stalls, shops and street entertainers. In the morning, the eastern side of the mosque used to be converted into a bazaar for poultry and birds in general. The mosque faces south. The beautiful and massive copper door, in below photo shall welcome you in 1 of the entrance gate.
The later name, Jama Masjid, refers to the weekly Friday noon congregation prayers of Muslims, Jummah, which are usually done in a mosque. It should be a good reference to the "congregational mosque". The courtyard of the mosque can hold up to 25,000 thousand worshippers. The mosque also houses several relics in a closet in the north gate, including an antique copy of the Qur'an written on deer skin. People flock to the pool in the middle of the courtyard to wash their face, hands and feet before entering the holy mosque and offering prayer. Pigeons flew down whenever they see vacant spaces and cool themselves by splashing in the water. They have learned to share the pool and live in harmony with each other.
The mosque stands on a platform of about five feet (1.5 m) from the pavement of the terrace, and three flight of steps lead to the interior of the mosque from the east, north, and the south. The floor of the mosque is covered with white and black marble ornamented to imitate the Muslim prayer mat; a thin black marble border is marked for the worshippers, which is three feet long and 1 ½ feet wide. In total there are 899 such spaces marked in the floor of the mosque. But, at a vast paved rectangular courtyard (nearly 75m x 66m), which is open to hot weather would be very hot for those praying during summer time. Even I used a thick stoking and walked on a laid rugs, the heat from the floor was still there.
The foundation of the historic Jama Masjid was laid on a hillock in Shahjahanabad by Shahjahan on Friday, October 19,1650 AD, (10th Shawwal 1060 AH). The mughal had a habit of keeping and maintaining a good record. The mosque was the result of the efforts of over 6,000 workers, over a period of six years. The cost of the construction in those times was 1 million Rupees. The Red Fort is stands opposite the Jama Masjid. The Jama Masjid was completed in 1656 AD with 3 great gates, 4 towers and 2, 40m high minarets constructed on strips of red sandstone and white marble. The whole of the western chamber is a big hall standing on 260 pillars all carved from Hindu and Jain traditions. The central courtyard is accessible from the East. The Eastern side entrance leads to another enclosure containing the mausoleum of Sultan Ahmed Shah.
Shah Jahan built several important mosques in Delhi, Agra, Ajmer and Lahore. The Jama Masjid's floor plan is very similar to the Jama Masjid in Fatehpur Sikri near Agra, but the Jama Masjid in Delhi is the bigger and more imposing of the two. It's (click here for my earlier entry) Badshahi Mosque of Lahore built by Shah Jahan's son Aurangzeb in 1673 is closely related to the Jama Masjid at Raipur.
The minarets are divided by 3 projecting galleries and surmounted by open 12 sided domed pavilions. Under the domes of the mosque, is a hall with seven arched entrances facing the west and the walls of the mosque, up to the height of the waist, are covered with marble. Beyond this is a prayer hall, which is about 61m x 27.5m, with eleven arched entrances, of which the centre arch is wide and lofty, and in the form of a massive gateway, with slim minarets in each corner, with the usual octagonal pavilion surmounting it.
Important to note that a lunch at Karim's to enjoy the royal taste of Mughlai cuisine is a must. The restaurant is assessable from Gate No. 1. Their address is H.No. 16, Gali Kababyan, Bazaar Matia Mahal, near Jama Masjid.The Mughlai food developed under the patronage of the Mughal Kings and Queens using the Indian spices since Emperor Babur's time when the Mughals made India their permanent homeland. This are the story that I found from Karim's website. They claimed that at the end of their family prestigious royal employment came to an end during the year of mutiny in 1857, when the last Mughal King Bhadur Shah Zafer was dethroned. The Karim's ancestors to save themselves from the fury of the British, fled from the Lal Qila and took shelter in the vicinity now called Farukhnagar, district Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, there they lived in disguise trying the different types of livelihood, simultaneously the father never forgot to inherit the fine art of cooking the "Royal Food" to his son. I had my lunch in Karim's for the first time after I finished my visit to Jama' Masjid in 2009. I visited Karim's numerously after I return to Delhi in 2011 till 2012.
Another note for reference is that, there is no entrance fee here but it is one of the most expensive places for photography. The authorities charge you 200 Rs for Photography inside the Masjid. Ticket was given for the paid fee. You may leave your footwear outside for a sum of "give whatever you want" but the tricky part is when you give them some coins they want a Rs.100 note. It helps to be cautious.
I wish you to have fun exploring Jama Masjid and royal mughlai cuisine in the old part of Delhi.
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