Andu Masjid

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Andu Masjid
Andu Masjid, Bijapur.jpg
The mosque, in 1866, by William Henry Pigou
Religion
Affiliation Islam
Ecclesiastical or organizational status Mosque
StatusActive[ clarification needed ]
Location
Location Bijapur, Karnataka
Country India
India Karnataka relief map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of the mosque in Karnataka
Administration Archaeological Survey of India
Geographic coordinates 16°49′20″N75°43′06″E / 16.8223°N 75.7183°E / 16.8223; 75.7183
Architecture
Type Mosque architecture
Style Indo-Islamic
FounderI‘tibar Khan
Completed AH  1017 (1608/1609  CE)
Specifications
Dome(s)One
Minaret(s)Four
Materials Dressed stone
Official nameAndu Masjid
Reference no.N-KA-D130

The Andu Masjid, also known as Anda Masjid, is a mosque located in Bijapur, in the state of Karnataka, India. [1] The mosque is a Monument of National Importance, administered by the Archaeological Survey of India. [2]

Contents

Architecture

An inscription carved at the entrance of the mosque notes that it was commissioned by I‘tibar Khan in AH  1017 (1608/1609  CE ). Khan was a nobleman who lived during the reign of Ibrahim Adil Shah II. [3]

Henry Cousens posits that it was built as a women's mosque. [3] The absence of a pulpit within the prayer-hall points to this conclusion, since no man would be allowed to enter the mosque and deliver a sermon, due to purdah restrictions. Other elements supporting this theory include a parapet around the terrace of the building, which allows its occupants a view of the city without being seen themselves. [3] However, as of 2016, the mosque has banned the entry of women. [4] Its ground floor serves as a madrasa , while the upper floor serves as a prayer-hall for men. [4]

The building has two stories, with the mosque on the first floor and a hall on the ground floor, which might have served as a caravanserai. It is built out of dressed stone masonry. The first floor is ornately decorated, while the ground floor is plain. [3]

The mosque is situated on the western side of the first floor, and its façade has three arched entrances of equal size, opening out into a terrace. Two staircases provide access to the outer corners of the terrace, and a low parapet runs around it. The prayer-hall measures about 6 metres (20 ft) square. Its western wall contains a large mihrab (prayer-niche), flanked by two smaller niches. There is no minbar (pulpit) within the mosque. [1] [5] [3]

A ribbed dome surmounts the roof, resting upon an arcaded drum with sixteen sides. Four minarets rise above a projecting buttress at the rear of the dome, which aligns with the prayer-niche of the mosque below. Four more minarets are provided, one at each corner of the building. The main dome is melon-shaped, as are small domes crowning each of the minarets. [1] [3] [6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Desai, Ziyaud-din. Mosques of India. New Delhi: The Director General, Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. ISBN   978-81-230-2618-3.
  2. ↑ "The Andu Masjid". Archaeological Survey of India, Dharwad Circle.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cousens, Henry (1976). Bijapur and its architectural remains with an historical outline of the 'Adil Shahi dynasty. Varanasi: Bharatiya Publishing House. pp. 77–79.
  4. 1 2 Sharma, Ruchika (6 February 2016). "What history proves: Indian mosques barring women is only a recent trend". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 22 July 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
  5. ↑ Cousens, Henry (1905). Bijapur, the Capital of the Adil Shahi Kings: A Guide to Its Ruins. Scottish Mission Industries Company.
  6. ↑ Desai, Ziyaud-din. Indo-Islamic architecture. Publications Division Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. ISBN   978-81-230-2406-6.
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