JAMIA MASJID: SRINAGAR
Jamia Masjid, Srinagar popularly called Jama Masjid, is one of the oldest and most spacious of all mosques in Kashmir. Situated on the banks of the Jhelum in the old city, it receives a record number of faithfuls especially on Fridays. The foundation was laid by Sultan Sikandar in 1389 AD. The master mason was requisitioned from Khurasan and the construction was completed in 1402 AD. Constructed on 370 pillars of wood, Jamia Masjid symbolizes one of the best architectural specimens. The mosque was destroyed many times by fire, the first during the period of Hassan Shah in1479 AD, when according to Shrivara, a pall of gloom descended on the city.
While studying the history of Jamia Masjid, Maharaja Pratap Singh’s name also figures among those who displayed exceptional interest in the maintenance of the precious heritage.He offered financial assistance for its repair and renovation. During the reign of Jehangir, the mosque was again gutted in a devastating fire that consumed about 12,000 houses in the city. Its reconstruction took 17 years. The Muslim Waqf trust took the custody of the mosque in 1947 and, subsequently,the birch-bark roof of the mosque was replaced bycorrugated iron sheets. The area of the mosque is spacious enough for over thirty thousand people to offer prayers at a time. It is the first fortified mosque of its type in Kashmir. Its walls are four feet in width and it is 30 feet in height. It has four gates in maharabi design and on three gates exist tall minars and the tallest minar is erected on its Western side.The roof of the mosque is supported by 370 tall wooden pillars which are in between 25 feet to 50 feet in height. It is one of the most prominent places of tourist attraction in Kashmir and perhaps there is hardly any tourist, either foreign or domestic, who does not visit the Jamia Masjid.While studying the history of Jamia Masjid, Maharaja Pratap Singh’s name also figures among those who displayed exceptional interest in the maintenance of the precious heritage.
He offered financial assistance for its repair and renovation. During the reign of Jehangir, the mosque was again gutted in a devastating fire that consumed about 12,000 houses in the city. Its reconstruction took 17 years. The Muslim Waqf trust took the custody of the mosque in 1947 and, subsequently,the birch-bark roof of the mosque was replaced bycorrugated iron sheets. The area of the mosque is spacious enough for over thirty thousand people to offer prayers at a time. It is the first fortified mosque of its type in Kashmir. Its walls are four feet in width and it is 30 feet in height. It has four gates in maharabi design and on three gates exist tall minars and the tallest minar is erected on its Western side.The roof of the mosque is supported by 370 tall wooden pillars which are in between 25 feet to 50 feet in height. It is one of the most prominent places of tourist attraction in Kashmir and perhaps there is hardly any tourist, either foreign or domestic, who does not visit the Jamia Masjid.
