| Ek Minar Mosque | |
|---|---|
The mosque minar, in 2011 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Islam |
| Ecclesiastical or organisational status | Mosque |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Raichur, Karnataka |
| Country | India |
Location of the mosque in Karnataka | |
| Geographic coordinates | 16°12′12″N 77°21′10″E / 16.203295°N 77.3526662°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Mosque architecture |
| Style | |
| Founder | Malik Ambar |
| Completed | AH 919 (1513/1514 CE) |
| Specifications | |
| Minaret(s) | One |
| Minaret height | 20 metres (65 ft) |
| Inscriptions | One (maybe more) |
The Ek Minar Mosque, also known as Ek Minar Masjid (lit. 'One-minaret Mosque') and Ek Minar Ki Masjid (lit. 'Mosque of One Minaret'), is a mosque located in Raichur, in the state of Karnataka, India. The mosque is a state protected monument.
Whilst the minaret is standing, some of the historical structures in the grounds of the mosque were demolished in 2016 to enable an adjacent road to be widened.
History
According to the Persian inscription on its threshold, it was commissioned by Malik Ambar, Peshwa (Prime Minister) of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate in AH 919 (1513/1514 CE) during the reign of Mahmud Shah Bahmani.
Etymology
The mosque draws its name from the fact that it has only one minaret. In Indo-Islamic architecture, stand-alone minarets, such as the Qutb Minar and Chand Minar, would typically serve as victory towers, while minarets attached to mosques would be multiplied symmetrically for aesthetic reasons. The stand-alone minaret of this mosque is an exception to this rule.
Architecture
There is a courtyard in front of the mosque, with two graves. At the head of the courtyard is a water cistern. The mosque is entered from the south, with the roof of the entrance being supported on eight Chalukyan pillars.
The prayer hall is rectangular, measuring approximately 12.2 by 9.1 metres (40 by 30 ft). It has a flat ceiling, and a battlement parapet rises above the roof. The western wall is decorated with verses from the Quran as well as hadith, inscribed in stone slabs.
Minaret
The minaret, for which the mosque is named, is the principal architectural characteristic. It is situated just above the entrance in the south-eastern corner of the courtyard. It rises to a height of approximately 20 metres (65 ft) and has a diameter of approximately 4.0 metres (13 ft). The minaret is built in a Persian style, very similar to the Chand Minar, as well as the minarets of the Mahmud Gawan Madrasa, both of which are earlier Bahmani-style constructions.
It consists of two stories, each being provided with windows to let in light and air, and each having galleries girded with stone balustrades. A winding staircase within leads up to the top story of the minaret. The minaret gradually tapers from bottom to top, and is surmounted by a typical Bahmani rounded dome, adorned with floral decorations at the bottom. The dome is topped by a pinnacle with a crescent.
See also
References
- ^ Sripada, Dilip Kumar (19 April 2022). "No Hindu temple has emerged while demolishing the Ek Minar Mosque in Raichur". Factly India. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ^ Reddy, K. N. (15 April 2016). "Road works in Bengaluru: Temple pillars found?". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Yazdani, Ghulam (1933). Annual Report of the Archaeological Department of His Exalted Highness The Nizam's Dominions (PDF). Baptist Mission Press. pp. 13–14.
- ^ Burton-Page, John (2008). Michell, George (ed.). Indian Islamic Architecture: Forms and Typologies, Sites and Monuments. p. 51.
External links
Media related to Ek Minar Masjid, Raichur at Wikimedia Commons
- "Amidst hills & ruins". Deccan Herald. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
