Jamia Masjid, Srinagar

Mosque in Srinagar, India

Jama Masjid is a mosque in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Situated at Nowhatta in the Old City, the Mosque was commissioned by Sultan Sikandar in 1394 CE and completed in 1402 CE, at the behest of Mir Mohammad Hamadani, son of Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani, and is regarded as one of the most important mosques in Kashmir. The mosque is located downtown, a central zone in the religio political life in Srinagar. Thronged by Muslims every Friday, it is a prime tourist attractions of Srinagar. These are in the middle of each side and covered with pyramidal roofs. All of the turrets are interconnected by spacious halls, with bright yellow poppies lining the mossy brick paths and the entire structure is surrounded by wide lanes on all four sides and has a square garden in the middle. The entrance on the southern side of the Mosque comprises a recessed portico which further leads onto an inner courtyard. This courtyard is based on the traditional Chaar Bagh plan and has a tank in the centre. The entire courtyard is made up of pointed arched, brick arcade.

For 21 years, No prayers were offered and no call for prayers was given from the Mosque. It was reopened by Governor, Ghulam Muhi ud Din, in 1843 who spent nearly a lakh and a half of rupees on its repair. But for 11 years, rulers allowed prayers only on Fridays. The Mosque would be opened for just few hours on Fridays and closed again. The Jama Masjid has been a hot bed of raging political discourse on the present turmoil in the state, and the politics that has unfolded in Kashmir has led to curbs and gags on congregations here. The Mosque has also become a platform for people to debate and discuss the politics of the Kashmir conflict. After the revocation of the erstwhile state's special status—and its bifurcation into two union territories—on 5 August 2019, the government imposed restrictions on prayers for 136 days.

On the western and eastern sides, the mosque is 381 feet (116 m) in length while the northern and southern sides are 384 feet (117 m) long. The inner courtyard measures 375 feet (114 m) x 370 feet (113 m) having a 33 feet (10 m) x 34 feet (10 m) water tank with a fountain flowing in the centre. Thus the space area of the Mosque is Its walls made of burnt bricks are over 4 feet (1 m) thick. The lower portion of the walls is made of rectangular stones. There are three big entrance gates on north, south and eastern sides of the Mosque confronting three turrets standing on lofty columns of deodar wood. To reach the Mosque roof, the walls of the four turrets have interior stairs in the circular form that end in the lounges of each turret. The city of Srinagar can be viewed from these high turrets. The roof is constructed out of timber and iron bars. The birch bark over the roof is now replaced by corrugated iron sheets. The inner courtyard of the Mosque has a water fountain, that is used for ablution, with four lawns around it decorated with chinar trees. The existing construction was erected by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1672 C. E. The reconstructions and major renovations in mosque's history have been conducted by:
Sultan Sikandar (r. 1389–1413 CE) in 1394 CE (796 AH): The Sultan commissioned the construction of the Mosque in 1394 CE The entire repair work took 17 years to complete. He got together all the bricklayers and masons of the city, and Jama Masjid was restored within three years. in the primary structure. The last restoration work was carried out under the reign of Maharaja Pratap Singh (r. 1885 1925 CE). Singh enthusiastically encouraged the reconstruction of the Mosque many times and even offered financial assistance. A day to "purify" the mosque, and another to reiterate its importance and sanctity, were observed the following week.