The Jama Masjid of Delhi

The Jama Masjid of Delhi, also known as the Masjid-i-Jahan-Numa, or “Mosque Commanding a View of the World,” is the principal congregational mosque of the old city of Delhi, commissioned by the fifth Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in 1644 and substantially complete by 1656. Built on a raised platform opposite the Red Fort and constructed primarily of red sandstone with white marble inlay, the mosque is one of the largest and most famous religious buildings of the Mughal architecture tradition, and it remains the principal venue for the Friday prayer of the Muslims of Delhi. The mosque was designed by Ustad Khalil and Ustad Ahmad Lahauri, the latter of whom is also associated with the design of the Taj Mahal, and the building represents a particularly clear expression of the imperial Mughal idiom of the Shah Jahan period. The complex has been a protected monument since 1947, and it has been the focus of extensive restoration work in the post-Independence period.

Historical Context and Commission

The Jama Masjid of Delhi was commissioned by Shah Jahan in 1644, the sixteenth year of his reign, as the principal congregational mosque of the new imperial capital at Shahjahanabad. The decision to build a great congregational mosque opposite the Red Fort was part of the larger urban programme of the new capital, and the location of the mosque on a raised platform overlooking the older city of Delhi was intended to proclaim the religious authority of the new dynasty and to provide a fitting counterpart to the imperial citadel on the opposite side of the road.

The construction of the mosque was a long-term project, and the work was carried out in stages over more than a decade. The principal building, including the prayer hall, the courtyard, and the two minarets, was substantially complete by 1656, and the entire complex was effectively in use by the end of Shah Jahan’s reign. The cost of the project was considerable, and the mosque is one of the most expensive religious buildings of the Mughal architecture tradition.

The Architects

The principal architects of the mosque were Ustad Khalil and Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. Ustad Khalil was a senior architect in the imperial workshop, and he had been involved in a number of the major projects of Shah Jahan’s reign, including the Red Fort in Delhi. Ustad Ahmad Lahauri is the same architect who is traditionally credited with the design of the Taj Mahal, and the two buildings share certain formal qualities that suggest a common hand. The collaboration of the two architects on the Jama Masjid is a useful reminder that the major imperial projects of the period were generally the product of the imperial workshop as a whole, with a number of senior architects contributing to the overall design.

The Plan and the Courtyard

The mosque is built on a raised platform of red sandstone that rises about six metres above the level of the surrounding streets, and the principal building consists of a large rectangular courtyard, the sahn, surrounded on three sides by arcaded galleries and on the eastern side by the prayer hall. The courtyard, about eighty metres on each side, is one of the largest in the Mughal architecture tradition, and it is paved with red sandstone and white marble in a geometric pattern. The courtyard is approached from the east through a monumental gateway, and from the north and south through smaller gateways that are aligned with the principal streets of the old city.

The use of running water in the courtyard, in the form of a central tank for the ritual ablutions and a series of channels and fountains, is consistent with the broader traditions of the Mughal religious architecture of the period, and the integration of the courtyard with the surrounding prayer hall and arcaded galleries is a feature of the design. The courtyard is capable of holding about twenty-five thousand worshippers at prayer, and it remains the principal venue for the Friday prayer of the Muslims of Delhi.

The Prayer Hall and the Three Domes

The prayer hall of the mosque, oriented towards Mecca, follows the conventional plan of the Mughal imperial mosque, with a central nave flanked by subsidiary aisles and a mihrab in the western wall. The hall is crowned by three bulbous domes of white marble, each about thirty-eight metres in height, that are supported on high drums and that are a distinctive feature of the design. The three-dome composition of the prayer hall became a signature of the late Mughal idiom, and it is found in a number of the religious buildings of the period, including the Moti Masjid of the Red Fort and the Badshahi Mosque of Lahore.

The interior of the prayer hall is decorated with carved and inlaid ornament, including Quranic inscriptions, the floral and geometric motifs that became a signature of the late Mughal idiom, and the calligraphic bands that include passages from the Quran chosen for their resonance with themes of divine mercy, paradise, and the judgement of souls. The mihrab in the western wall, indicating the direction of Mecca, is decorated with carved and inlaid ornament, and the floor of the prayer hall is paved with white marble in a geometric pattern.

The Two Minarets

The two minarets of the mosque, located at the corners of the eastern facade, are constructed primarily of red sandstone with white marble inlay, and they rise to a height of about forty metres. The minarets are articulated in five storeys, each marked by a balcony and a chhatri, and they are crowned by a domed pavilion that combines Persian and Indian motifs. The minarets are notable for the use of red sandstone as the principal material, the vertical accent that they give to the eastern facade, and the integration of the buildings with the surrounding complex.

The Use of Red Sandstone and Marble

The principal material of the mosque is red sandstone, used for the structural elements, the principal facades, and the courtyard paving, and white marble, used for the domes, the principal decorative elements, and the calligraphic bands. The contrast between the warm red of the sandstone and the white of the marble is a feature of the design, and it is consistent with the broader architectural patronage of Shah Jahan, which combined the use of red sandstone for the structural elements with the use of white marble for the most prominent decorative features.

The Symbolic Programme

The Jama Masjid of Delhi is a statement of imperial authority, religious legitimacy, and dynastic identity. The location of the mosque on a raised platform opposite the Red Fort and the use of the building as the principal religious counterpart to the imperial citadel were intended to proclaim the close relationship between religious and imperial authority in the Mughal polity. The scale of the building, exceeding that of any earlier congregational mosque in Delhi, was a clear statement of the new dynasty’s religious and imperial ambitions. The use of the Quranic inscriptions, the calligraphic bands, and the symbolic programme of the building all locate the mosque within the broader Islamic and Mughal tradition of religious architecture.

Place in Mughal Religious Architecture

The Jama Masjid of Delhi is religious buildings of the Mughal architecture tradition, and it is closely associated with the other major religious buildings of the period, including the Moti Masjid of the Red Fort and the Badshahi Mosque of Lahore. The building is notable for the use of red sandstone and white marble as the principal materials, the three-dome composition of the prayer hall, the two minarets at the corners of the eastern facade, and the integration of the building with the larger urban programme of Shahjahanabad.

Post-Independence History

The Jama Masjid of Delhi has been the focus of considerable attention in the post-Independence period. The 1947 partition of India, the subsequent migration of large numbers of Muslim refugees from the Punjab and the wider region, and the construction of a large number of new houses and shops in the area around the mosque have had a significant impact on the monument and its surroundings. The Archaeological Survey of India and the Delhi Waqf Board have undertaken a number of restoration campaigns, and the building has been the subject of considerable legal and political attention. The mosque remains the principal venue for the Friday prayer of the Muslims of Delhi, and it is a focus of religious, cultural, and political life in the old city.

Sources

• Catherine B. Asher, Architecture of Mughal India (1992), pp. 245–50.