Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra

Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra (literally "shed of 2½ days") is a historical mosque in the city of Ajmer in Rajasthan, India. It is one of the oldest mosques in India, and the oldest surviving monument in Ajmer.

Commissioned by Qutb-ud-Din-Aibak in 1192 CE and designed by Abu Bakr of Herat, the mosque is an example of early Indo-Islamic architecture. The structure was completed in 1199 CE and was further enhanced by Iltutmish of Delhi in 1213 CE. An early example of the Indo-Islamic architecture, most of the building was constructed by Hindu masons, under the supervision of Afghan managers. The mosque retained most of the original Indian features, especially on the ornate pillars.

The structure was used as a mosque up to 1947. After the independence of India, the structure was turned over to the Jaipur circle of ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) and is today visited by people of all religions, as a fine example of a mix of Indian, Hindu, Muslim and Jain architectures.

Etymology

"Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra" literally means "shed of two-and-a-half days". Alternative transliterations and names include ''Arhai Din ka Jhompra'' or ''Dhai Din ki Masjid''. A legend states that a part of the mosque was built in two-and-a-half days (see #Conversion into a mosque below). Some Sufis claim that the name signifies a human's temporary life on the earth.

According to the ASI, the name probably comes from a two-and-a-half-day-long fair that used to be held at the site. Indian academic Har Bilas Sarda points out that the name "Adhai-Din-ka-Jhonpra" is not mentioned in any historical source. Before the 18th century, the mosque was simply known as a "Masjid" ("mosque"), since it had been the only mosque in Ajmer for centuries. It came to be known as a ''jhonpra'' ("shed" or "hut") when fakirs started gathering here to celebrate urs (death anniversary fair) of their leader Panjaba Shah. This happened during the Maratha era, in the second half of the 18th century. The ''urs'' lasted for two-and-a-half days, resulting in the modern name of the mosque.

Alexander Cunningham described the building as the "Great Mosque of Ajmer".

History

Pre-Islamic structure

The site of the mosque originally had another structure. According to Jain tradition, this structure was constructed by Seth Viramdeva Kala in 660 CE as a Jain shrine to celebrate Panch Kalyanaka. Epigraphic evidence suggests that the site had a Sanskrit college building commissioned by Vigraharaja IV (alias Visaladeva), a king of the Shakambhari Chahamana (Chauhan) dynasty. The original building was square-shaped, with a tower-chhatri (dome-shaped pavilion) at each corner. A temple dedicated to Sarasvati was located on the western side. A tablet dated to 1153 CE was found at the site in the 19th century; based on this, it can be inferred that the original building must have been constructed sometime before 1153 CE.

The relics in the modern building show both Hindu and Jain features. According to KDL Khan, the building materials were taken from Hindu and Jain temples. According to Caterina Mercone Maxwell and Marijke Rijsberman, the Sanskrit college was a Jain institution, and the building materials were taken from Hindu temples. ASI Director-General Alexander Cunningham hypothesized that the pillars used in the building were probably taken from 20–30 demolished Hindu temples, which featured at least 700 pillars in total. Based on the pillar inscriptions, he concluded that these original temples dated to 11th or 12th century CE. Alexander Cunningham further attributed Lieutenant-Colonel of the British empire James Tod, who had visited the mosque, in the report. Tod had said that the whole building could have been originally a Jain Temple.

Conversion into a mosque

The original building was partially destroyed and converted into a mosque by Qutb-ud-Din-Aibak of Delhi in the late 12th century. According to a local legend, after defeating Vigraharaja's nephew Prithviraja III in the Second Battle of Tarain, Muhammad of Ghor passed through Ajmer. There, he saw the magnificent temples, and ordered his slave general Qutb-ud-Din-Aibak to destroy them, and construct a mosque – all within 60 hours (that is, days). The artisans could not build a complete mosque in 60 hours time, but constructed a brick screen wall where Ghori could offer prayers. By the end of the century, a complete mosque was built.

The central mihrab in the mosque contains an inscription indicating the completion date of the mosque. It is dated Jumada II 595 AH (April 1199 CE). This makes the mosque one of the oldest in India, and the second mosque to be built by the Mamluks of Delhi (the first being the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque). Another inscription, dated Dhu al-Hijjah 596 AH (September–October 1200 CE), names Abu Bakr ibn Ahmed Khalu Al-Hirawi as the supervisor of construction. This makes Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra one of the oldest mosques in India, and the oldest surviving monument in Ajmer.

Iltutmish, the successor of Qutb-ud-Din-Aibak, subsequently beautified the mosque in 1213 CE, with a screen wall pierced by corbelled engrailed arches — a first in India. An inscription on the central arch of the screen as well as two inscriptions of the northern minaret contain his name. The second arch from the south names one Ahmed ibn Muhammad al-Arid as the construction supervisor.

Archaeological survey and restoration

The mosque seems to have been ignored by the later kings. It does not find a mention in ''Taj-ul-Maasir'', the earliest history of the Mamluk dynasty. It is not mentioned in Khalji, Tughlaq Lodi and Mughal chronicles either. The Maratha leader Daulat Rao Sindhia (1779–1827) restored the central dome of the building and imposed a ban on the removal of stones from the structure. An inscription dated Saavan 1866 VS (1809 CE) exhorts Hindus and Muslims not to remove stones from the ancient building.

In 1818, Ajmer came under the Company rule. James Tod visited the mosque in 1819, and described it in his ''Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan'' as "one of the most perfect as well as the most ancient monuments of Hindu architecture." Subsequently, Alexander Cunningham, the Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) inspected the building in 1864, and described it in the ASI report of that year. Tod believed the earlier structure to be a Jain temple. However, Cunningham pointed out that this could not be correct, since the pillars in the building feature several four-armed figures (characteristic of Hindu gods) besides a figure of the Hindu goddess Kali.

During an 1875–76 archaeological survey, inscriptions referring to a Sanskrit college were unearthed in the mosque premises. Several sculptures and 6 Devanagari basalt tablets (slabs) were recovered from the site. These artifacts are now exhibited at the Ajmer Museum. The tablets are as follows:

* Tablets 1 and 2 contain large fragments of a Sanskrit play ''Lalita-Vigraharaja Nataka''. It was composed by Mahakavi Somadeva, in honour of the king Vigraharaja. The play, as restored by Lorenz Franz Kielhorn from the fragments, depicts the story of king Vigraharaja. It tells of his love for princess Desaldevi, and his war preparations against a Turushka ( Turkic) king named Hammir.
* Tablet 3 and 4 contain fragments of '' Harakeli Nataka'', a play attributed to Vigraharaja himself. The play is written in honour of the god Hara (Shiva). It is inspired by Bharavi's Sanskrit play '' Kiratarjuniya''. The play is dated to 22 November 1153 in an inscription.
* Tablet 5 contains portions of an untitled Sanskrit poem, which praises several devas (deities). The last deity mentioned in the poem is Surya (the sun god). The poem states that the Chahamana (Chauhan) dynasty descends from Surya (see Suryavanshi).
* Tablet 6 contains the fragments of a '' prashasti'' (praise) of the Chahamana kings of Ajmer. The inscription states that the king Ajaideva moved his residence to Ajmer, and defeated the king Naravarma of Malwa. After handing over the throne to his son, he took up Vanaprastha (retirement) in the forest of Pushkar

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