As the government talks of heritage tourism, Jamia Mosque, which managed by separatists, remains ignored
Witness to Kashmir’s history 14th century onwards, Srinagar’s central mosque, Jamia Masjid, continues to live to tell the tale of the times gone by. It has braved hazardous fires. It has braved historic wars. It has braved decades of bloodshed. What the architectural marvel may not be able to brave is neglect from the government, ironically at a time when it is looking to promote heritage tourism in the state.
The grand mosque is located in Nowhatta area of Old Srinagar. Its wooden structure prone to hazards, the mosque has witnessed three devastating fires. However, despite these setbacks, it has survived as the principal architectural monument of Kashmir, particularly the capital Srinagar. Its beauty draws a large number of visitors as well as devotees from across the Kashmir and abroad to itself every year.
“Jamia is the first centralised mosque of Kashmir, which has been at the centre of all the major happenings in Kashmir,” says Saleem Beigh, state convener of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), which has also carried out the structural analysis of the historical mosque. Mohammad Shafi Zahid, director, Archives, Archaeology & Museums department, says it is “an iconic building with an overwhelming archaeological, historical, architectural and religious significance for Kashmir and the Kashmiri people.”
When atrocities by governors appointed by the Mughals in Kashmir peaked between the reigns of Jahangir and Shah Jahan, it was Jamia Mosque where people assembled and requested Shah Jahan, through the then Governor Zaffar Ahsan Khan, to bring down increased taxation and beggary. The ‘shahi farmaan’ (royal decree) by Shah Jahan, asking the successive governors to not inflict atrocities towards Kashmiris, was inscribed on stone and still remains installed at the southern entrance of the mosque, which underlines the political significance of Jamia in Kashmir.
The mosque was built by Sultan Sikandar Shah Kashmiri Shahmiri in 1394 AD and is the only major mosque in Kashmir region to have followed the Central Asian Arabic pattern of mosque construction, peculiar for its central courtyard.
“Its architect, Sadruddin Khorasani, had no idea or knowledge of Kashmir or its climate. Therefore, the Kashmiris did not repeat or adopt the design of the mosque anywhere as the courtyard did not suit the cold climate,” Beigh says.
“But despite this, the sanctity of the place and layout of the mosque was retained by the Kashmiris over the years,” he says, adding that INTACH has already prepared a roadmap for the preservation of the mosque and renovation of the area around it. “If the government wants to renovate downtown Srinagar to promote heritage tourism, Jamia Mosque has to be at its centre,” he says.
Its 370 wooden pillars carved out of lofty deodars are one of the key architectural features of the mosque. They add to the grandness of the structure. However, of late, moisture, dampness and seepage have been posing a threat to the wooden structure, particularly the pillars. Recently, a group of scientists and entomologists from Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology, Srinagar, in their recent inspection report, has pointed out that at least 36 deodar pillars, on which the structure of the mosque rests, have been damaged by the dampness.
The current custodian of the mosque and Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who is also the lead preacher at the mosque, believes that Jamia has been ignored by successive governments on the basis of ideology as the place has been under the control of the separatists.
“Jamia has its own centrality as far as the Muslims of Kashmir are concerned, but because I belong to a different political thought, the successive government have not paid much attention at preserving this heritage site,” Mirwaiz says, adding that the Auqaf Committee, which manages the affairs of the mosque, has been consulting the experts and even approached the Archaeological Survey of India for preservation and restoration of Jamia.
Points of intrigue
Major attractions of the mosque are its beautiful Indo-Saracenic architecture, the magnificent central and open courtyard
Composed of 370 pillars of wood, Jamia symbolises one of the best architectural specimens of Kashmir having survived ravages of time
Damaged by fire at least on three occasions, first major restoration of the mosque was carried out by Emperor Aurangzeb in keeping with the original plan
The square courtyard of 245 ft length is surrounded on all four sides with wide colonnades, with the entire area contained within lofty exterior walls of 285 feet on all sides
