Fatehpuri Mosque

Fatehpuri Mosque
The mosque façade and entrance, in 2018
Religion
AffiliationSunni Islam
Ecclesiastical or organizational status
LeadershipMukarram Ahmad (imam)
StatusActive
Location
LocationChandni Chowk, Old Delhi, Central Delhi
CountryIndia
Fatehpuri Mosque is located in Delhi
Fatehpuri Mosque
Location of the mosque in Central Delhi
Geographic coordinates28°39′24″N 77°13′21″E / 28.65667°N 77.22250°E / 28.65667; 77.22250
Architecture
TypeMosque architecture
StyleMughal
FounderFatehpuri Begum
(wife of Shahjahan)
Completed1650
Specifications
Dome(s)One (maybe more)
Minaret(s)Two
Spire(s)Two (maybe more)
MaterialsRed sandstone

The Fatehpuri Mosque, also Fatehpuri Masjid, is a 17th-century Sunni mosque, located at the western end of the oldest street of Chandni Chowk, in the Old Delhi neighbourhood of Delhi, India. The mosque is opposite the Red Fort and, after Jama Masjid, is the second largest mosque in Delhi.[1]

History

The Fatehpuri Masjid was built in 1650 by Fatehpuri Begum, one of wives of Emperor Shah Jahan, who was from Fatehpur Sikri,[2] and the mosque at Taj Mahal is also named after her.[3]

The British auctioned the mosque after the 1857 war to Rai Lala Chunnamal for Rs. 19,000[4] (whose descendants still live in the Chunnamal haveli in Chandni Chowk[5]), who preserved the mosque. Later in 1877 it was acquired by the Government in exchange for four villages and was restored to the Muslims at the Delhi Durbar when the British allowed the Muslims back in Old Delhi. A similar mosque, called Akbarabadi Mosque, built by the Akbarabadi Begum, was destroyed by the British.[6]

The Khari Baoli, which is today Asia's largest spice market, gradually developed after the construction of the mosque.

Mufti Mukarram Ahmad is the chief mufti and hereditary imam of the mosque, succeeding his father, Maulana Mufti Mohammad Ahmad (d. AH 1391 (1971/1972 CE)).

The grave of the wife of rebel leader Maulana Abdul Qadir Ludhianvi is located in the courtyard of the Fatehpuri Mosque.[7]

Architecture

The mosque is built using red sandstone and has a fluted dome with mahapadma and kalash finials. Flanked by twin minarets, the mosque has a traditional design with the prayer hall having seven-arched openings. The mosque has single and double-storeyed apartments on the sides.[8]

The central iwan in the middle is flanked by three arches on each side.

  • 1863 map of Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi). Musjid Futtepoori is south of the Lahauri Gate, in the north.
    1863 map of Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi). Musjid Futtepoori is south of the Lahauri Gate, in the north.
  • The mosque in 2017
    The mosque in 2017
  • Worshippers offering namaz during Idu’l Fitr, AH 1439 (2017/2018)
    Worshippers offering namaz during Idu’l Fitr, AH 1439 (2017/2018)
  • The view from the mosque towards the old Delhi market
    The view from the mosque towards the old Delhi market

See also

References

  1. ^ Roy, Ishita (8 March 2024). "What the monuments in Delhi remember". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  2. ^ Nath, R. (2006). History of Mughal Architecture. Abhinav Publications.
  3. ^ Muʻīn al-Dīn, Muḣammad; Muʻīn al-Dīn, Akbarābādī Muḣammad (1905). The History of the Taj and the Buildings in Its Vicinity: With 3 Illustrations from Photographs and 2 Plans. Moon Press.
  4. ^ "Fatehpuri Shahi Masjid: A mute witness to the travails of Dillee". Milli Gazette. 1 May 2000.
  5. ^ "Beyond the WALL". The Hindu. 25 September 2003. Archived from the original on 7 November 2003. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  6. ^ "In memory of a pious Begum". The Hindu. 3 October 2005. Archived from the original on 28 June 2009.
  7. ^ "Punjab mosque opens for prayers after 74 years". www.awazthevoice.in. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  8. ^ Singh, Dr Aradhana (2023). "Monumental Legacy of Mughal Women" (PDF). Samvedna. V (2). India: maitreyi.ac: 33. ISSN 2581-9917. Retrieved 8 January 2025.

Media related to Fatehpuri Masjid at Wikimedia Commons