Golden Mosque (Red Fort)
The mosque is a Monument of National Importance, administered by the Archaeological Survey of India.
History
The mosque was constructed between 1747 and 1751 by the order of Qudsia Begum for Nawab Bahadur Javed Khan, a nobleman during the reign of the Emperor Ahmad Shah Bahadur. Qudsia Begum was the mother of Emperor Ahmad Shah Bahadur. Javed Khan was the supervisor of the harem and was in great favour with the begum and therefore was very influential. He was later assassinated.
Nawab Ahmad Bakhsh Khan, father of the Nawab of Firozpur, repaired the mosque to benefit the neighbourhood. Not long after its renovation, Nawab Ahmad Bakhsh Khan was attacked by an infuriated elephant while out with his son. His horse was killed in the attack, and his vehicle was destroyed. The Nawab and his son were only saved from death by taking refuge inside this mosque.
Architecture
The Sunehri Masjid is made of bassee jung, a light salmon-coloured stone not usually used for building mosques, which gives the building a singular and picturesque appearance.
The mosque is surmounted by three domes, which were originally gilt with copper from which it derives its name. The mosque has a main prayer hall and two minarets. The central arch of the mosque bears an inscription about the builder of the mosque and date of its construction. In 1852, Bahadur Shah II had the mosque repaired and replaced the copper plates of the domes with sandstone facing.
Gallery
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Painting of the mosque, published in Reminiscences of Imperial Delhi, 1843
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Worshippers offering namaz during Idu’l Fitr, AH 1434 (2012/2013)
See also
References
- ^ "List of Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains of Delhi". Archaeological Survey of India. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
- ^ "Photo and background of the Sunehri Masjid". British Library. Archived from the original on 17 November 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
- ^ Metcalfe, Sir Thomas Theophilus; Khan, Mahar Ali (illus.) (1843). Reminiscences of Imperial Delhi. Old Delhi, India: Sir Thomas Metcalfe, 4th Baronet.
External links
Media related to Sunehri Masjid (Red Fort) at Wikimedia Commons
- Ayer, Aishwarya S. (30 September 2024). "In a single Delhi house, several hundred years of Indian history". CNN Travel. Retrieved 10 January 2025.