The Jami Masjid, also known as Jama Masjid; meaning "public mosque", is a former

Friday mosque A congregational mosque or Friday mosque (, ''masjid jāmi‘'', or simply: , ''jāmi‘''; ), or sometimes great mosque or grand mosque (, ''jāmi‘ kabir''; ), is a mosque for hosting the Friday noon prayers known as ''jumu'ah''.See: * * * * ...

, now a well-preserved heritage site, located in

Champaner Champaner is a historical town in the state of Gujarat, in western India. It is located in Panchmahal district, 47 kilometres from the city of Vadodara. The city was briefly the capital of the Sultanate of Gujarat. At an early period Champan ...

, in the state of

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. The mosque is a

Monument of National Importance A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

, and, together with other structures, is part of the

Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located in Panchmahal district in Gujarat, India. It is located around the historical city of Champaner, a city which was founded by Vanraj Chavda, the most prominent ...

, a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

, and is among the 114 monuments there which are listed by the Baroda Heritage Trust. The mosque is located approximately east of the city walls (''Jahdnpandh''), near the east gate.

History

The mosque dates from 1513; and construction was carried out over 25 years. It is one of the most notable monuments built by Sultan

Mahmud Begada Abu'l Fath Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah I ( Gujarati: અબુલ ફત નાસીર ઉદ દિન મહમુદ શાહ), more famously known as Mahmud Begada, was a Sultan of the Gujarat Sultanate. Raised to the throne at a young age ...

. The

Mughal architecture Mughal architecture is the style of architecture developed in the Mughal Empire in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries throughout the ever-changing extent of their empire in the Indian subcontinent. It developed from the architectural styles of ea ...

is said to have drawn from the architecture of the Sultanates, which is a blend of Jain religious connotations and workmanship with Muslim ethos; the large domes are indicative of such a mix. Restoration works were carried out in the 1890s.

Architecture

It has a blend of Jain and Muslim architecture, preserving the Islamic ethos, and is considered one of the finest mosques in Western India with its elegant interiors. The ornamentation of the surface areas of the mosque and tomb consists of symbols of motifs of the Sun, diamonds, pots and vines, and lotus insignia which were used in the earlier temples; the artists of the region who worked on these monuments had imbibed their craftsmanship from their forefathers and they were not sectarian in character as they worked on assignments given by Hindus, Muslims or

Jains Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and ...

. This mosque had three oblong mural plaques, one at the top of the pulpit and the other two on the sides, with engravings of hymns from the

Koran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

. The building is two-storied, with both Islamic and Hindu styles of decoration. The plan is similar to that of the

Sidi Saiyyed Mosque The Sidi Saiyyed Mosque, popularly known locally as Sidi Saiyyid ni Jali, is a Sunni mosque, located in Ahmedabad, in the state of Gujarat, India. The mosque was built by Sidi Sayyad, a Habshi nobleman, in . The structure is a Monument of Natio ...

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...

; it is rectangular with the entrance on the east side. There is a

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...

which has a large dome built over a podium. There are steps to the mosque from northern and southern directions. Tall octagonal

minaret A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...

s in height are situated on both sides of the main carved entrance. One of the two minarets were damaged by an intentional gun firing in 1812 by Patankar, a Scindia Governor. A typical Gujarat style of architecture is seen in the form of

oriel window An oriel window is a form of bay window which protrudes from the main wall of a building but does not reach to the ground. Supported by corbels, bracket (architecture), brackets, or similar cantilevers, an oriel window generally projects from an ...

s with distinctive carvings on the outer surface. The carved roof contains several domes, and the courtyard is large. There are seven mihrabs and the entrance gates are carved and fitted with fine stone

jali A ''jali'' or ''jaali'' (''jālī'', meaning "net") is the term for a perforated stone or latticed screen, usually with an ornamental pattern constructed through the use of calligraphy, geometry or natural patterns. This form of architectu ...

s. Multiple prayer halls are separated by almost 200 pillars. The main prayer hall has eleven domes, with the central dome, a double-storied structure, built on pillars in an arcade form. The ruler's prayer hall is separated from the main area by ''jalis''. There is a double

clerestory A clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey; from Old French ''cler estor'') is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye-level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, a ''clerestory' ...

in one of the domes. Other interior features include an arcuate maqsurah screen, trabeate

hypostyle In architecture, a hypostyle () hall has a roof which is supported by columns. Etymology The term ''hypostyle'' comes from the ancient Greek ὑπόστυλος ''hypóstȳlos'' meaning "under columns" (where ὑπό ''hypó'' means below or und ...

''lwan'', double square side wings, ''zanana'' enclosure, and screened off northern ''

mihrab ''Mihrab'' (, ', pl. ') is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the ''qibla'', the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a ''mihrab'' appears is thus the "''qibla'' wall". ...

''.

Grounds

Tombs have been built adjacent to the mosque, invariably to a square plan with columns and domes erected over them, and also embellished with decorations. An ablution

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine; ...

of octagonal ''kund'' appearance is near the building; it was used for

rainwater harvesting Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is the collection and storage of rain, rather than allowing it to run off. Rainwater is collected from a roof-like surface and redirected to a Rainwater tank, tank, cistern, deep pit (well, shaft, or borehole), Aquifer s ...

and washing before prayer. The mosque has become a place of pilgrimage for those who seek blessings from the pir who is buried in one corner of the garden.

Other mosques

There are several other mosques within the Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park, including the Bawaman, Kevada, Lila Gumbaj Ki, and Nagina mosques.

Gallery

Ceiling Carvings Jami Masjid Champaner.JPG, Ceiling

fractal In mathematics, a fractal is a Shape, geometric shape containing detailed structure at arbitrarily small scales, usually having a fractal dimension strictly exceeding the topological dimension. Many fractals appear similar at various scale ...

carvings resemble to

Kalpavriksha Kalpavriksha (, Kalpavṛkṣa) is a wish-fulfilling divine tree in religions like Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. In Buddhism, another term, ''ratnavṛkṣa'' (jeweled tree)'','' is also common''.'' Its earliest descriptions are mentione ...

illustration in Dilwara Jain Temple Support system Main Dome Jami Masjid.jpg, Sky light and supports of main dome Jami Masjid Minar Base Detail Champaner.JPG, 'Jaali' design at minar base Two minars at front of main entrance of prayer hall.JPG, Minarets Jami masjid Jarukha.jpg Jami Masjid Champaner Open Roof.jpg, Open roof of the entry hall

References

External links

{{Mosques in India 16th-century mosques in India Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park

Gujarat Sultanate mosques Monuments of National Importance in Gujarat Mosque buildings with domes in India Mosque buildings with minarets in India Mosques completed in the 1510s Mosques in Champaner Religious buildings and structures completed in 1513 Mosque ruins in India