Jama Masjid, Burhanpur

Jama Masjid
19th-century photograph of the mosque, by Henry Cousens
Religion
Affiliation	Sunni Islam
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Friday mosque
Status	Active
Location
Location	Burhanpur, Madhya Pradesh
Country	India
Location of the mosque in Madhya Pradesh
Geographic coordinates	21°18′59″N 76°13′56″E / 21.3163°N 76.2323°E / 21.3163; 76.2323
Architecture
Type	Mosque architecture
Style	Indo-Islamic
Founder	Adil Shah IV of the Faruqi dynasty
Groundbreaking	1588
Completed	1590
Specifications
Minaret(s)	Two
Materials	Black stone
Monument of National Importance
Official name	Jama Masjid, Burhanpur

The Jama Masjid is a Sunni Friday mosque, located in Burhanpur, in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India.^[1] The mosque is a Monument of National Importance.^{[2][better source needed]}

According to the Sanskrit and Arabic inscriptions within the mosque, the mosque can be dated from the 16th century. It was commissioned by Adil Shah IV, a son of Mubarakh Shah of the Faruqi dynasty. The mosque was built as the royal congregational mosque of Burhanpur, located within the centre of the city.^[3] Construction of the mosque began in 1588 CE. Repairs to the mosque were made by the Mughal emperors Akbar and Aurangzeb during their reigns.^[1][a]

The mosque has an open courtyard, with the prayer hall towards the west. The prayer hall is flat-roofed, and has fifteen arched openings on the façade. The main attraction of the mosque are its symmetrical pillars made of special black stone, which was brought from a very far place.^[where?] The stones were so bulky and heavy that its transportation was costed the king in rate of gold.^{[clarification needed]} The pillars were designed in such a fashion that four pillars combined together and, when locked at the centre of the meeting point at top, they covered the complete top area and form roof by themselves.^{[clarification needed]} The pillars do not obstruct the visibility of the imam standing at the Qibla from the extreme outer façade. A parapet, composed of battlements, runs along the roof. The façade is flanked by two five-storied minarets.^[3]

The prayer hall is five bays deep. The mosque has fifteen mihrabs.^[3] Over the central mihrab is an Arabic inscription. Over the southern mihrab is a bilingual inscription, with Arabic text on top and Sanskrit text at the bottom. The inscription mentions the inauguration date as 10th of “pausha” [day], “samvat” [month], 1646 “saka” [year], hence, on 5 January 1590 CE.^[4][5][6] In 1601 an additional inscription was added, in Persian.^[5]

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  Main entrance
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  Decorative entrance façade
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  Qibla
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  Four arc shape pillars with midpoint lock at roof top centre
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  Photo of translated inscription, engraved on the mosque wall
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  Pillar alignment from Qibla to extreme outer entrance façade
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  Engraved writing detailing the mosque history
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  Big Tasbeeh of old Moghul era in the mosque
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  Minaret and front courtyard
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  Qibla sculpture in detail

• Islam in India
• List of mosques in India
• List of Monuments of National Importance in Madhya Pradesh

Media related to Jama Masjid, Burhanpur at Wikimedia Commons