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| Photo By Nishat Rehman |
The Masjid Jahan Numa, which is now known as Jama Masjid, located in Old Delhi is one of them and was built by the fifth Mughal Emperor of India, Shah Jahan. History has it that the Emperor himself laid the mosque’s foundation stone on the strong basement of a hillock in 1650AD.
About 6,000 workers completed the red sandstone mosque in 1656 AD, six years after the construction began, the Jama Masjid Delhi Advisory Council’s general secretary Syed Tariq Bukhari said.
It can accommodate up to 25,000 people at any one time.
The 356-year-old internationally acclaimed mosque is the largest Mosque in India and probably the only place of worship place in the country that has the Royal Imam leading the prayers continuously for the 13th generation, he said.
FORGOTTEN OVER TIME
Syed Tariq, who is the youngest brother of the current Shahi Imam, Maulana Syed Ahmed Bukhari, said most people don’t know or have forgotten over time that the mosque has its own precious uniqueness and stories like many other historical monument.
The mosque houses some precious relics, such as the Holy Quran written on deerskin by the Prophet’s son in law, Hazrat Ali, which is 1,400 years old, its keeper Syed Zahoor al Haq Hussaini said.
“There is another Holy Quran written also on deerskin by the Prophet’s grandson. But this one, only one part is here, the other part is in the Blue Mosque in Istanbul,” said Syed Zahoor, who is the 14th generation of the keeper.
Both scripts are written in original Kufi language, he said.
The other important relics are footprint on marble, shoe made of camel skin and beard hair of the Prophet.
“Only three mosques in the world have the footprint and beard hair, in the Jama Masjid, in the Hazratbal Mosque in Srinagar and in the Blue Mosque of Istanbul.”
“The footprint miracle happened in Mecca when the Prophet was praying the marble became soft and his footprint emerged,” he said.
As for the shoe, one is in the Jama Masjid India, its pair is in the Blue Mosque.
Visitors are allowed to see the relics for themselves, he said.
Sharing some other insights, Syed Tariq said the chief architect of the mosque disappeared for two years after the foundation was laid.
“He came back after two years and informed the Emperor that it was a deliberate move to ensure that the foundation was able to face all the four seasons as the size of the monument requires a strong base,” he said.
Secondly, when the mosque was still under construction there were complaints of its slow progress, but when Shah Jahan came to know that it was because recital of the Holy Quran preceded the installation of every stone to consecrate it, the Emperor was pleased with it and ordered that it should be continued that way.
He said the mosque is actually located on a hill called Bhojla to ensure the stature above all, although the height that it was build on a hill is not visible now.
Special care was also taken to maintain the level of the pulpit of the mosque above that of the royal throne in the Red Fort, which is opposite the Jama Masjid. “Shah Jahan wanted his crown to be below the level of the mosque,” he said.
Similarly, the Emperor also wanted the Imam of the mosque to be a man noble by birth and direct descendent of the Prophet and requested one from Bukhara, Uzbekistan, which was the hub of Islamic scholars then, he said.
Right from the beginning, the Shahi Imam of the Jama Masjid enjoyed the honour to perform the coronation ceremony of the Mughal Emperor.
RESTORATION WORK AND FUTURE PLANS
There has been continuous restoration work since Independence Day as per the need of time fully funded by the government through the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
He said to maintain the mosque for the next 50 years, restoration work needs to be done continuous for five years.
There have also been many plans to redevelop the whole area, which could make the mosque a bigger attraction for tourist as compared with what it is now, said Syed Tariq.
Currently, between 1,500 and 2,000 tourist visits the mosque daily.
However, the plans have been pending for years amid a lack of political will to implement them.
Asked about rumors that the mosque’s administration doesn’t want this place to be developed, he said: “We are very much ready with an open mind to redevelop the area with the cooperation of the government.”
Syed Tariq pointed out that the congestion at the road leading to the mosque is one of the crucial issues that need to be addressed.
He suggested the buildings along the streets leading to the mosque need to be restored according to the Mughal style architecture to bring back the Mughal feel to the surroundings as well.
“About 95 per cent of the tourist come by buses, we have made parking facilities but to expand the roads and clean up the surrounding is the government’s prerogative.”
The government should come up with inclusive plan, not only to make it easily accessible for tourist but also ensure that the business and livelihood of the people are sustained.
“Majority are too poor and they have to earn their living within the area. The government should accommodate this people in a planned way to keep the businesses alive. They are the daily wage. We don’t want them to be dislocated,” he said.
He said the government should give a real thought to the area’s redevelopment. “Our concern is the bureaucracy and the fact that a lot of departments involved in one work.”
He pointed out that Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah had once offered Rs 3,000 million about (US$56 million) for the restoration work when he visited the mosque.
The Shahi Imam said it had to go through the Indian government as such huge funding need to be a government-to-government arrangement. Syed Tariq said unfortunately the offer was not taken by the Indian government and the money got diverted to other use.
As for salary and administrative expenses, he said they are handled by the trust led by the Shahi Imam.
CAUGHT IN BETWEEN
All historical monuments come under the complete care of ASI, but the Jama Masjid administration choose not have the mosque under ASI as it is a live monument.
The ASI has few strict rules, one of which is that the mosque can be opened from 10am to 5pm only.
“This is a live monument and it is not possible (to have) Fajr and Maghrib prayers if we had to follow the ASI’s time,” he said.
Besides, it has been traditional for worshipers, especially those who are too poor to find cheap accommodation to stay in the Mosque, this has been a concern from the government, especially after a twin blast in the mosque in 2006 and a shooting in 2010.
“So, we have to keep a strict vigil but we can’t stop them people from coming as far as security measures are concern,” he said.
“The rugs for prayers is also laid manually everyday as not modern machines can be fit into such historical monument,” he said, adding that besides security concern, there are also sanitary issues to be deal with.
These were among the challenges in looking after a mosque of such magnitude, where people of all walks of life come and go.
A TAKE OFF THE STREET
“It is not going to be positive,” was 30-year-old Slovak tourist Maca’s immediate reply when asked about the surroundings of the Jama Masjid.
The place definitely needs a lot of improvements in terms of cleanliness and more sanitary facilities that tourist can use, she said.
“It is a holy place and I respect it very much but it is very stressful to come here. The place is congested and there isn’t any proper place for us to buy drinks as well,” said Maca, who was leading a tour group of eight people.
“We don’t mind haggling with the rickshaw (on price) but the place needs much improvement,” a rather disappointed Maca said.
Two other tourists met at the Mosque, Chen Shu Rong, 30, from Southern China, and Mohammad Jameel, 50, from the state of Jammu and Kashmir, also felt the same way as Maca.
“It is crowded everywhere. It was difficult to get to the Jama Masjid from the Red Fort,” said Chen.
Jameel felt that the traffic around the place makes it difficult for pedestrians to walk.
“This area has so much traffic. It is not easy for pedestrians to cross the road or walk around,” he said.
MORE THAN JUST A TOURIST ATTRACTION
The Jama Masjid’s location is truly a showcase of two cultures’ convergence, making it more then a just a tourist attraction, said Syed Tariq.
“Around the mosque is 100 per cent Muslim population, you walk across the street and it is 100 per cent Hindus. So, it is also an important monument as far as the culture and unity is concern.”
Similarly, at one end the tourist can indulge themselves with mouthwatering Mughal dishes and the other end with pure Hindu vegetarian food.
Hence, the mosque’s administration has a lot of plans but if it can be inducted in the government’s plan and be executed the result will be a gem.
Syed Tariq who loves to travel also opined that the government was not doing enough not only to make the Jama Masjid a better tourist attraction but also India in general.
“I have been to Malaysia as tourist and for business purpose. There are very minimal historical monuments as attraction but a lot of modern structures to attract tourists.”
Malaysia has managed to attract many Asian tourists with modern architectures, whilst in India there are a lot of natural attraction and yet it is not being fully utilized.
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