Jamia Masjid, Srinagar

The Jamia Masjid (Kashmiri: بٔڑ مٔشیٖد) is a Friday mosque located at Nowhatta in the Old City of Srinagar, in the Indian administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. 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 in a central zone in the religio-political life in Srinagar. Thronged by Muslims every Friday, it is a prime tourist attraction of the city.
The mosque has been the site of anti-India protests over generations, and has become a platform for people to debate and discuss the politics of the Kashmir conflict.
For 21 years, the mosque faced closure under the Sikh empire of Maharaja Ranjit Singh beginning in 1819 CE, when the-then Governor of Srinagar, Moti Ram, put curbs on offering prayers in Jamia Masjid. No prayers were offered and no call for prayers was given from the mosque. It was reopened by the Governor Ghulam Muhi-ud-Din in 1843 CE, who spent nearly a lakh and a half of rupees on its repair. For 11 years, rulers allowed prayers only on Fridays. The mosque was opened for just few hours on Fridays and closed again.
During the 1931 Kashmir agitation, a funeral was held for 22 muslim rioters that were taken to Jamia Masjid after the Dogra police opened fire at them. The bodies of the victims were laid in the shrine compound of Khawaja Naqashband Sahab Khawaja Bazar Srinagar where Sheikh Abdullah, Mirwaiz Maulvi Muhammad Yusuf Shah and other leaders started delivering speeches against Dogra Maharaja Hari Singh.
According to historian Mohammad Ishaq Khan, “Jamia Masjid has primarily played a significant part in imparting religious education. However, with the spread of modern education among Kashmiri Muslims, thanks to the efforts of Mirwaiz Ghulam Rasul Shah, the Masjid began to play a seminal role in the growth of political consciousness. Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah was, in fact, initiated into what I would call the mysteries of Kashmiri Muslim politics at Jamia Masjid by Mirwaiz Muhammad Yusuf Shah.”
The Jamia 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.
Prolonged closure of the mosque came into effect in 2008 when the Amarnath land row erupted. The decision of the state government to prevent people from offering Friday prayers for weeks led to massive outrage, and was seen as an attempt to choke the rebellion whose epicentre was the areas of the old city, particularly around Jamia Masjid.
During the Mehbooba Mufti-led coalition government, the mosque was again locked down for three months during the unrest of 2016, and again in 2017 and 2018 for different periods of time.
On 28 December 2018, a group of masked young men stormed into the mosque with ISIS flags after Friday congregational prayers, when the mosque was nearly empty, and a video of the incident went viral on social media. The incident became highly publicised and provoked condemnation from a wide range of organisations and public figures, including the mosque's Mirwaiz and the chief minister of the state. A day to "purify" the mosque, and another to reiterate its importance and sanctity, were observed the following week.
After the revocation of the erstwhile state's special status, and its bifurcation into two union territories, on 5 August 2019, including the rise of COVID-19 pandemic in Kashmir, the government imposed restrictions on prayers for 136 days.
The Jamia Masjid is heavily influenced by Persian architecture, with similarities to the Buddhist pagodas. The structure occupies is quadrangular in shape with four turrets. 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. The court which was originally planted with a series of chinars is enclosed by arched liwans (cloisters) covered with two tiered sloping roof.
On the western and eastern sides, the mosque is 116 metres (381 ft) in length while the northern and southern sides are 117 metres (384 ft) long. The inner courtyard measures 114 by 113 metres (375 by 370 ft) having a 10-by-10-metre (33 by 34 ft) water tank with a fountain flowing in the centre. Thus the space area of the mosque is 13,600 square metres (146,000 sq ft).
Its walls, made of burnt bricks, are over 1.2 metres (4 ft) 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. The eastern side has a large entrance called the Shah Gate which is covered with a pyramidal roof surmounted by a square open pavilion (brangh) with a spire on top. A total of 378 wooden columns support the roof. Each turret is supported by eight lofty pillars 15 metres (48 ft) high and 1.8 metres (6 ft) in girth. The mihrab too has a similar turret over it. The remaining interior of the Mosque has 346 columns 6.4 metres (21 ft) high and 1.5 metres (5 ft) in girth. Initially the roof was covered with birch bark and clay. The western wall of the cloister has a mihrab made of black Kashmiri marble which is adorned with calligraphic work and has the ninety-nine attributes of Allah engraved on it.
The mosque can hold 33,333 worshippers in addition to the Imam.
The walls of the four turrets have interior stairs in the circular form that end in the lounges of each turret which lead to the mosque's roof. 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 water tank in the courtyard was originally fed by a water channel known as Lachma Kual.
The mosque was subject to much destruction due to the damage caused by fires, and was partially or completely destroyed by devastating fires three times, and was restored after every disaster. The existing construction was erected by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1672 CE. The reconstructions and major renovations in mosque's history have been conducted by:
During his reign, Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin extended the mosque and constructed a turret in the primary structure. The last restoration work was carried out under the reign of Maharaja Pratap Singh. Singh encouraged the reconstruction of the mosque many times and even offered financial assistance. However, all the renovations were carried out to reflect the original architecture and to retain the historic value of the mosque that it has carried through centuries.
The Jamia Masjid falls under the domain of Anjuman-e-Auqaf, a private enterprise. The caretaker board of the mosque was constituted in 1975. Major source of revenue comes from the rent of 278 shops (owned by the Auqaf) around the Mosque and other sources of public funding. The revenue is not fixed and varies annually. Before the inception of the Auqaf, income for the mosque used to come from rich donors. For the welfare of the mosque, INTACH took over the reins of renovation in 2012.
Media related to Jamia Masjid, Srinagar at Wikimedia Commons