The Jama Masjid Shamsi is a major

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

built in historic center of

Budaun Budaun is commonly pronounced Badayun is a city and a seat of Budaun district, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located near the Ganges river in the centre of Western Uttar Pradesh. Budaun was the capital of Delhi Sultanate for four years from 1210 C ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

, India. The masjid was built by

Iltutmish Shams ud-Din Iltutmish ( fa, شمس الدین ایلتتمش; died 30 April 1236, ) was the third of the Mamluk kings who ruled the former Ghurid territories in northern India. He was the first Muslim sovereign to rule from Delhi, and is thus ...

, the ruler of

Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526).

that time. This masjid reflects

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

and

Afghan Afghan may refer to: *Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia *Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity ** Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pas ...

architecture. It has three gates: the main gate, facing Shakeel Road, is made up of red marble and stands 100 feet tall. The second gate is in Farshori Tola and the third one in Sotha. It has a central dome surrounded by two more domes, and 5 other domes too. The floor is made from white marble (''SangeMarMar''). It has a "''Hauz''"(pond) and three "''WuzuKhana''"(Washroom and sitting Room) on its premises. Two sides of mosque are occupied by residential blocks: the Jama Masjid Quarters. The mosque is built on an elevated area called Sotha Mohalla, and can be called the highest structure in the town of Budaun. This masjid is the third oldest existing and seventh largest mosque of the country after Delhi's Jama Masjid, having a standard capacity of 23500. The built up part of the mosque is larger than any other mosque of the country. Before the expansion of Delhi's Jama Masjid, it was the largest and most famous mosque of the country. The central dome of the mosque is considered to be the largest for any dome of mosque in the country. It is also a Monument of National Importance and a National Heritage Site. In October 2022 Hindu organzations claimed the site as one where a Hindu temple served as a foundation for the mosque. Their desire is to demolish the mosque and reclaim the site as a Hindu temple. Jama Masjid Shamsi

References

{{India-mosque-stub Mosques in Uttar Pradesh 1223 establishments in Asia 13th-century establishments in India Mosques completed in 1223

Budaun Architecture of the Mamluk dynasty (Delhi)