About the Book
There is so much more to the Jama Masjid than the edifice itself.
It is not just a place of worship or an architectural marvel or a historic monument.
Its arches and domes, minars and minarets, gates and cloisters, all narrate stories of days gone by.
Let the pages of this book take you on a journey through the Jama Masjid, where time and tradition come together to weave a historic tale.
About the Author
NL. Batra has been closely associated with historical monuments in India for well over four decades.
A civil engineer with an A.M.LE degree, NL. Batra is a faculty member with a number of institutions connected with monuments, their conservation and preservation.
Retired as Superintending Engineer with the Archaeological Survey of India, NL. Batra's deep and penetrative research has been of immense value in understanding the architecture and construction of heritage monuments, particularly those of the Mughal period. He has studied these jewels of Indian architecture from close quarters.
Delhi's Jama Masjid has for long been his favourite. He finds it unique and the one that could easily be compared to the Taj Mahal in Agra for its sheer architectural marvel. However, what amazes him is that not many writers or critics have documented the mosque's magnificence and unique splendour.
A prolific writer, who has regularly contributed to periodicals in India and abroad, NL. Batra took up the challenge to highlight facts and attributes of the Jama Masjid, which had so far remained unknown. Call of the Soul is a realisation of his dream.
Foreword
Who so buildeth for God a place of worship Be it like the nest of a Qata-bird God buildeth for him a house in paradise
About five hundred metres west of the Red Fort stands an enduring monument to Shah Jahan's passion-the Jama Masjid, an extraordinary specimen of architectural extravaganza built during the years 1650-1656. On its completion, it symbolised the high point in Mughal architecture. The following description is useful:
The Jumma Masjid stands upon a rocky eminence at the back of the Chandni Chouk.....
"The little hill upon which it stands was originally a high conical point of rock; but no undertaking being too great for the architects of the days in which it was built, the upper part of the rock was cut away, and made serviceable in filling in below, and thus a large table surface was obtained, upon which the foundation of the present building was laid. This was executed in the year 1632 (sic), by order of Shah Jahan, then reigning, and the mosque itself, so deservedly admired by all, for its exquisite symmetry, is said to have been the emperor's own design..."
(Thomas Bacon, cited in HK Kaul, ed. Historic Delhi: An Anthology, OUP, 1998, p. 281)
Take one of the three pyramidal flights of steps on the east, north or south leading up to the main courtyard that has a large marble tank. Here the devout wash before offering their prayer. Once you mingle with them you realise why the great mosque has become a spiritual oasis.
The grandfather of Maulvi Zakaullah, the historian at the Delhi College, died in sijda performing the namaz. His family believed that Allah had blessed him and ensured his place in paradise. "Mir Mahdi," wrote Mirza Ghalib in solemnity, "have you forgotten my accustomed ways? Have I ever once missed listening to the recitation of the Quran at the Jama Masjid during the blessed month of Ramzan? How could I stay in Rampur during Ramzan?"
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