Information on Ahmed Shah's Mosque (Ahmedabad, Gujarat) - History & Architecture

Ahmed Shah's Mosque is an attractive masjid situated in Ahmedabad city of Gujarat. It is located in the south western end of a historicalmonument named Bhadra Fort. It is a traditionalmasjid, created in the year 1414 AD by the founder of the city named Sultan Ahmed Shah. Hence, the masjid has been named according to him. Ahmed Shah's Mosque has quite appealing appearance and is regarded as one of the oldest mosque in Ahmedabad city.

Ahmed Shah's Mosque Religious Significance

Ahmed Shah's Mosque is also known as JaliWali Masjid. The reason is that the mosque is created with grills which translates as Jaali in Hindu language. The name characterises to the baroque of this remarkable monument. It is an exclusive mosque of Pre Mughal period which was created only for the nobles and royal families for worshipping. It is a religious place which is worth visiting. Many devotees have faith in this masjid and hence gather for worshipping regularly or during the major festivals.

Every day, prayers are conducted in Ahmed Shah's Mosque which is a central part of religious activity for Muslim pilgrims. Apart from that, lots of festivals are celebrated in this temple such as Id-ul-Fitr, Id-ul-Zoha, Muharram, Ramadan and Eid among others. In every festival, thousands of Muslim pilgrims arrive at Ahmed Shah's Mosque and greet each other. Furthermore, meal is also organised by the masjid on these occasions. Ahmed Shah's Mosque has vital spiritual significance as people believe that giving prayer in this temple not only remove the obstacles in life, but also help to fulfil any wish.

Ahmed Shah's Mosque Mythology

Ahmed Shah's Mosque was created almost instantaneously with the creation of Ahmedabad city. It is created in the same location of a Hindu temple which was destroyed by Islamic people. The leftovers of the Hindu temple is believed to be used and incorporated in the structure of the masjid itself. At present days, Ahmed Shah's Mosque is one of the key masjids for Muslim and well respected among devotees. According to historical records, the destruction of Hindu temple on which Ahmed Shah's Mosque was created was an outcome of the wrath between Afgan and Muslim rulers along with the attacks from invaders throughout the Pre Mughal period. In 10th century onwards, attacks from King Mahmud Ghazni and incursion by Afgan emperors was a common occurrence. The places which were mostly influenced by those invasions were the southern and western states of India, due to their geographical position. Since Ahmedabad fall into that particular location, it has become a key centre for such attacks and the Hindu temple became the major victim of them. Legends also states that goddess Laxmi blessed Ahmed Shah that his city Ahmedabad will always be on the course towards affluence.

Ahmed Shah's Mosque Architectural Significance

Ahmed Shah's Mosque was created according to conformist architectural design with a vault and turrets. It has exclusive Mughal architecture and the building of the masjid resembles with Gujarat architectural styles. The prayer halls of the masjid is created with black and white marbles. In the northern eastern side of Ahmed Shah's Mosque, there is a distinct prayer room, particularly for females. Since the leftovers of Hindu temples were used for creating the temple, the incongruous Sanskrit captions can be observed in some columns of Ahmed Shah's Mosque. In the front side of the masjid, there is a well-managed garden. Apart from a holy place, Ahmed Shah's Mosque is regarded as one of the most pursued tourist destination in Gujarat.