Delhi, India - Friday Prayer at Jama Mosque - postcard c.1980s

• Postcard

   

• Picture / Image:  "Friday  Parayer at Jama Mosque", Delhi, India
• Publisher: Delite, Delhi
• Postally used: no
• Stamp:  n/a
• Postmark(s): n/a
• Sent to:  n/a
• Notes / condition: slightly larger than 'modern' size

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Text from the free encyclopedia WIKIPEDIA may appear below to give a little background information (internal links may not  work) :

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The Masjid-i Jehan Numa (lit. the 'World-reflecting Mosque' or "Mosque of the Celestial Sphere"; Persian: مسجد جامع دهلی‎), commonly known as the Jama Masjid of Delhi, is one of the largest mosques in India.[1] It was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan between 1650 and 1656 at a cost of one million rupees, and was inaugurated by Imam Syed Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari from Bukhara, present-day Uzbekistan. The mosque was completed in 1656 AD with three great gates and two 40 metres high minarets constructed with strips of red sandstone and white marble. The courtyard can accommodate more than 25000 people. There are three domes on the terrace which are surrounded by the two minarets. On the floor, a total of 899 black borders are marked for worshippers. The architectural plan of Badshahi Masjid, built by Shah Jahan's son Aurangzeb at Lahore, Pakistan, is similar to the Jama Masjid. The Majestic Mosque for Indian Muslims is considered as the "National Mosque of India" respectively.

History

Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan built the Jama Masjid between 1650 and 1656. It was constructed by more than 5000 workers. It was originally called 'Masjid e Jahan Numa', meaning 'mosque commanding the view of the world'. The construction was done under the supervision of Saadullah Khan, wazir (or prime minister) during Shah Jahan's reign. The cost of the construction at the time was one million Rupees.[1] Shah Jahan also built the Taj Mahal, at Agra and the Red Fort in Old Delhi, which stands opposite the Jama Masjid.

The Jama Masjid was completed in 1656 AD (1066 AH).[1] The mosque was inaugurated by Imam Syed Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari, from Bukhara, Uzbekistan, on 23 July 1656, on the invitation from Shah Jahan.[2] About 25,000 people can pray in the courtyard at a time .[3][4] The mosque is commonly called "Jama" which means Friday.[1]

After the British victory in the Revolt of 1857, they confiscated the mosque and stationed their soldiers there. They also wanted to destroy the mosque as an act of punishment to the city. But due to opposition faced, the demolition was not done.[5]

The iconic mosque is one of the last monuments built under Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. After the construction of the monument in 1656, it remained the royal mosque of the emperors until the end of the Mughal period.[citation needed]

During 1948, the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Asaf Jah VII was asked for a donation of ₹75,000 to repair one-fourth of the mosque floor. The Nizam instead sanctioned ₹3 lakh, stating that the remaining three-fourths of the mosque should not look old.[6][7]

Modern times

In 2006, it was reported that the mosque was in urgent need of repair and then the Saudi Arabian king, Abdullah, offered to pay for it. The Imam said that he had received the offer directly from the Saudi authorities, but requested them to approach the Indian government.[8] However, the Delhi High Court said that this matter had no "legal sanctity" giving no "special equities" to the Imam.