Jama Masjid Mosque

Jama Masjid Mosque : The city of Delhi is in itself a hybrid of the modern and the traditional. Its moidernity is perceived by the plush malls, the dust free roads of the New Delhi. the multinational companies , the expensive hotels, whereas the its traditionalism is observed by the historical monuments that have withstood the test of time and have remained in existence to proclaim its importance in times of past. Delhi is a mixture of culture heritage. There is a distinct difference among the ancient and the modern aspects of the culture present in the city of Delhi. Among the historical monuments, one one must necessarily make an

attempt to visit the Jama Masjid along with the other significant places such as the India Gate, the Red Fort, the Qutub Minar. Humayun's Tomb and so on andso forth. Delhi has no dearth of places that one can visit in a trip. The time always falls short of what the city has to offer.Hence,in order to have a complete experience in the observation of the historical places, one must make a proper planning prior to stepping outdoors.

Built under the leadership of Shah Jahan, the Jama Masjid, also known as the Masjid-i -Jahan -Numa was built at a distance of 500 kms from the Red Fort, it was started in the year 1644 and was completed by 1656. It was built with the aid of 5000 workers. The architecture of Jama Masjid reveals the typical Mughal architectural style with the presence of two minarets andthree domes. It is the largest mosque of India where thousands of Muslims go to offer their prayers. With the magnificient architectural designs ,the mosque has the

capacity of holding around 25000 devotees. What one must observe in the mosques the carvings of Koran on its stuctured walls. The North Gate of Jama Masjid has relics of the Prophet. What constitues these relics are the Kuran carved in deerskin, the red beard hair of the Prophet, his sandals, his footprints that are implanted on the marble block.

The designer of the mosque was Ustad Khalil who was regarded as the greatest sculptor of that era. Delhi's Red Fort stand opposite to the Jama Masjid. There are three gates in the Mosque along with four towers and two 40 meters high minarets . These are made up of redsandstone andwhite marble. A visit to the Jama Masjid is one of the essential elements for anybody who is out on a trip to Delhi. No doubt, the place possessess religious flavour but is also a popular tourist attraction for the charm it possesses and some of the rare elements that it houses, including Muhammad's chappals(sandalks), his footprints implanted on the wall along with a copy of the Kuran that is written on deerskin.

For its charm as well as for its historical relevance, the Jama Masjid is regarded as a place markedwith history , a place that has witnessed the present city of Delhi evolve over the years from its construction and destructions. Since it is situtaed in the hub of Old Delhi, one must also give adequate attention tothe sights and sounds of the place surrounding the mosque. There are shops selling artefacts, historical monuments in miniatures, along with popular Delhi cuisines andstreet food available in every nook and corner of the place including the lanes and the bylanes.The place where Jama Masjid is situtaed has a history of its own, a history that has survived the hands of time and has still remianed in existence for all of us to perceive and wonder in excitement and appreciation.