The Kali Masjid, also known as the Jumma Masjid, 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: * * * * ...

, located in the Old City of Jalna, in the

Jalna district Jalna district (Marathi pronunciation: ͡ʒaːlnaː is an administrative district in the state of Maharashtra in western India. Jalna town is the district headquarters. The district is part of Aurangabad division. Administration Member ...

of the state of

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

, India. The 16th-century mosque is known for its unique architectural features with black stones and rich cultural heritage, and is a tourist attraction for the region.

History

The mosque was constructed by the reigning

Nizam Shahi dynasty The Ahmadnagar Sultanate was a medieval Marathi Muslim kingdom located in the northwestern Deccan, between the sultanates of Gujarat and Bijapur, ruled by the Nizam Shahi dynasty. It was established when Malik Ahmed, the Bahmani governor o ...

in 1578 CE. It is located in the middle of the old section of the city, Old Jalna, and is known as the "black mosque", because it is constructed out of black stone. The stone used for the construction of the mosque and a large pond for water was needed, for this there was a stone-filled complex ground on the west side of the mosque, where Moti Talab was constructed and the stones of that area were cut and carved. Over time, the mosque has been renovated, and its historical significance conserved. Its well-preserved entrance door bears the date of construction in

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 ...

, showcasing the craftsmanship of the era.

Architecture

The Kali Masjid is located inside a rectangular walled compound, closed on three sides with an arcade in the front. The entrance is through a large stone gate, flanked by 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 ...

screens, painted white. The prayer hall is topped by corner

finial A finial () or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature. In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the Apex (geometry), apex of a dome, spire, tower, roo ...

s with fluted domical tops. Octagonal columns carry six small domes within. The mosque's principal dome, is ornamented at the top and the base with carved stone lotus leaves. The adjacent

hammam A hammam (), also often called a Turkish bath by Westerners, is a type of steam bath or a place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. It is a prominent feature in the culture of the Muslim world and was inherited from the model ...

, constructed five years later, has domed chambers on faceted

pendentive In architecture, a pendentive is a constructional device permitting the placing of a circular dome over a square room or of an elliptical dome over a rectangular room. The pendentives, which are triangular segments of a sphere, taper to point ...

s. The sarai, directly opposite the mosque, is a large square paved court, surrounded by arcaded chambers/recesses. In this mosque with three arches, three arches have been made from each side, the four walls of the mosque are made of stones only. Designs have been made under the four small minarets like the petals of a wonderful flower. And in the middle a big gummaz is made in white colour. Right in the middle of the mosque, there is a big quadrangular tank, in which water used to come from the underground pipe system from Moti Talab. Five graves are unknown graves in the northeast of the mosque. There are

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

inscriptions on the walls inside the mosque. The mosque has capacity for 700 worshippers at any one time.

References

External links

{{Mosques in India 1578 establishments in India 16th-century mosques in India Ahmadnagar Sultanate Jalna Indo-Islamic mosques Jalna, Maharashtra Mosque buildings with domes in India Mosque buildings with minarets in India Mosques completed in the 1570s Mosques in Jalna Religious buildings and structures completed in 1578

History

Architecture

See also

References

External links