Miscellaneous

Shahi Jama Masjid issue – Uttar Pradesh

December 4 , 2024 16 hrs 0 min 108 0

The petition alleged that the 16th Century Jama Masjid in Sambhal was built at the site of an ancient Hari Har Mandir.
The claim was similar to those made in the case of Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi and Eidgah Masjid Mathura in Uttar Pradesh and Kamal-Maula Masjid in Dhar in Madhya Pradesh.
The Sambhal mosque is a protected national monument.
The Jama Masjid in Sambhal is one of the three mosques built by Mughal Emperor Babur during his reign between 1526 and 1530.
The other two being the mosque in Panipat and the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya which was demolished in 1992.
The Sambhal mosque was built by Babur’s general Mir Hindu Beg around 1528.
The Hindu tradition believes that, the tenth avatar of Vishnu, Kalki, will descend here in Sambhal.
As per the Places of Worship Act 1991, the religious character of all places of worship as it existed on August 15, 1947, has to be maintained.
The petition filed in Sambhal seeks to change the basic character of the place of worship, in contravention of the 1991 Act.