The Jama Masjid Shamsi (), also known as the Jama Shamsi Shahi, and the Great Mosque of Budaun, is a

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: * * * * ...

built in the historic centre of

Budaun Budaun (romanised: Badāʾūn or Badāyūn, ) is a medieval city and headquarters of Budaun district, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located about a mile east of the Sot river, and 27 km north of the Ganges, in the Rohilkhand ...

, in the

Bareilly division Bareilly division is one of the 18 administrative geographical unit (i.e. division) of the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Bareilly city is the administrative headquarters of the division. Part of the Rohilkhand region, Bareilly div ...

of the state of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

, India. 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 ...

, administered by the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...

, and is a National Heritage Site.

Architecture

The mosque was built in the 13th century by

Iltutmish Shams ud-Din Iltutmish (1192 – 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 considered the effective founder of ...

, the ruler of

Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate or the Sultanate of Delhi was a Medieval India, late medieval empire primarily based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for more than three centuries.

at that time. The style of the mosque echoes

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 or Afgan may refer to: Related to Afghanistan *Afghans, historically refers to the Pashtun people. It is both an ethnicity and nationality. Ethnicity wise, it refers to the Pashtuns. In modern terms, it means both the citizens of Afghanist ...

architecture. It has three gates: the main gate, facing Shakeel Road, is made of red

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

and is high. The second gate is in Farshori Tola and the third one in Sotha. It has a central dome surrounded by two more domes, and five other domes. The floor is made from white marble (''SangeMarMar''). It has a "''Hauz''" (pond) and three "''WuzuKhana''" 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 is the highest structure in the town of Budaun. The mosque is the third oldest existing and seventh largest mosque of the country after Delhi's Jama Masjid, having a standard capacity of 23,500 worshippers. 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 the largest dome of any mosque in the country.

Links with Hinduism

In October 2022, rightwing Hindu nationalist organisations claimed the site as one where a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...

served as a foundation for the mosque. They called for demolishing the mosque for what they called reclaiming the site as a Hindu temple.

Gallery

Jama Masjid Shamsi.jpg, A direct view from door number 2 situated on the either side of the mosque

References

External links

1223 establishments in Asia 13th-century establishments in India 13th-century mosques in Asia Architecture of the Mamluk dynasty (Delhi) Budaun Buildings and structures completed in 1223

Monuments of National Importance in Uttar Pradesh Mosque buildings with domes in India Mosques completed in the 1220s Mosques in Uttar Pradesh Sandstone buildings in India {{India-mosque-stub

Architecture

Links with Hinduism

Gallery

See also

References

External links