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Mecca Masjid, Bijapur

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Mosque in Bijapur, Karnataka, India
Mecca Masjid
Religion
AffiliationIslam
Location
LocationBijapur, Karnataka
CountryIndia

Mecca Masjid is a mosque in Bijapur, in the Indian state of Karnataka. The mosque was built especially for women of the royal household. It is listed as a monument of national importance.

History

The date of construction of the mosque is not known. In The New Cambridge History of India, it is ascribed to the reign of Ali Adil Shah II, while Henry Cousens dates it to the end of the 13th century. There is a tomb of a saint at the eastern end of the enclosure, who had probably commissioned the mosque.

The minarets are remnants of an earlier structure, probably an earlier mosque. Henry Cousens posits that the high walls built around the mosque, indicate that it was used as an elephant stable. He posits that the earlier mosque, in its ruinous state, was used as an elephant stable before the newer mosque was built.

Description

The mosque is located within an open court, enclosed on all four sides by arched cloisters. The arches of the cloisters have low piers, similar to those of the Jama Mosque, Kalaburagi. The facade of the mosque contains five arched entrances, and a cusped outline emphasizes the central arch. It is surmounted by a hemispherical dome, carried on a terrace with eight arches. A two-tiered parapet rises above the facade, and a chhatri is placed upon each of the buttresses at the corners.

Interior

The western wall containing the mihrab is decorated with carvings. There is no pulpit within the mosque, as women's prayers are not preceded with a sermon.

References

  1. DHNS (2010-05-24). "Mecca Masjid gets a facelift". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  2. Sharma, Ruchika (2016-02-06). "What history proves: Indian mosques barring women is only a recent trend". Scroll.in.
  3. ^ Cousens, Henry (1905). Bijapur, the Capital of the Adil Shahi Kings: A Guide to Its Ruins. Scottish Mission Industries Company. pp. 67–70.
  4. Michell, George; Zebrowski, Mark. Architecture and Art of the Deccan Sultanates (PDF). The New Cambridge History of India I : 7. Cambridge University Press. p. 96.
  5. Wright, Colin. "General view of the east façade of the Mecca Mosque, Bijapur". www.bl.uk. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  6. ^ Sherwani, Haroon Khan; Joshi, P. M. (eds.). History of Medieval Deccan. Vol. II (Mainly Cultural Aspects). p. 285.

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