Jama Masjid (Bijapur)
The Friday Mosque ( Jama Masjid ) in the southern Indian city of Vijayapura (formerly Bijapur ) in the state of Karnataka is one of the largest mosques on the Indian subcontinent in terms of area .
location
The Friday Mosque is located on the edge of the city center about 1 km southwest of the famous Gol Gumbaz mausoleum.
history
The construction of the mosque began towards the end of the rule of Ali Adil Shah I (r. 1558–1579), the 5th Sultan of Bijapur , after his victory over the kingdom of Vijayanagar ; however, it was never completed. The Mughal emperor Aurangzeb planned - after his victory over the sultanate and the capture of the city (1686) - its further construction, but only a gate was built. Minarets are missing.
architecture
The mosque is one of the court mosques widespread in the Persian-Indian region and has a total area of approx. 70 × 170 m, of which the actual mosque room only takes up about a third. The courtyard area ( sahn ) is surrounded by a covered gallery ( riwaq ) , which is interrupted by two entrances; the third entrance commissioned by Aurangzeb is far larger than the other two, but is isolated on the eastern edge of the courtyard. In the middle of the courtyard there is a well basin for the ablutions ( wudu ' ) prescribed by the Koran (sura 5,6 ) .
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7 arcades of the same height lead into the broad mosque hall; its interior has five bays , with the three middle bays being elevated by a dome resting on a square drum , but - despite numerous niches - not exposed to light. While the pillars and vaults of the hall are undecorated, the comparatively large main mihrab is almost profusely decorated with abstract ornamental paintings; There are even architectural motifs in its border (mosque with side minarets). The underside of the large arch is adorned with calligraphic quotations from the Koran. In the floor area of the mosque hall there are still numerous stone decorations in the form of prayer rugs .
The outer walls on the north and south sides , which are designed with numerous blind arcades on the ground floor and balcony arcades on the upper floor, are very unusual - and not just for Indian mosques .
Web links
- Friday Mosque of Bijapur - floor plan, photos + information (English)
- Bijapur Friday Mosque - video
- Monuments in Bijapur - Photos and brief information (English)
Coordinates: 16 ° 49 ′ 19 ″ N , 75 ° 43 ′ 45 ″ E