Masjid Ek Moth Ki Delhi Me ~ All About India Travel

Masjid Ek Moth Ki Delhi Me

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The Moth ki Masjid (Mosque) was built in the Lodhi era by Wazir Miya Bhoiya, prime minister to Sikander Lodhi (1489–1517). The Lodhi dynasty was an Afgan dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1451 to 1526 and finally gave way to the Mughal rulers with the defeat of Ibhrahim Lodhi by Babur in 1526 at the Battle of Panipat. The Masjid was therefore constructed within the fourth ancient medieval city of Delhi under the reign of the Delhi Sultanate. (See Background note at the end of the article)

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Introduction

Most South Delhi residents completely take it for granted sharing their ‘colony’ space with pieces of history in their backyard. So a casual walk through any South Delhi locality is bound to lead you to an unnamed stand alone monument . The monuments more often than not are completely swallowed by the urban chaos around them . Sometimes, a lucky few, are set amidst green patch and a small enclosure. More often than not they jostle to share their old tired boundaries with the brash new cement and glass all around.

A walk through Delhi’s famous South Extension Part II market, away from the Ring Road leads to the urban village of Masjid Moth. The streets get narrower, the houses too get narrower and smaller, little alleys lead to dead ends, the prices of the local vendors drop, as do the mesh of overhanging electric cables and one know that one has arrived. This walk is particularly interesting to undertake on a Thursday evening when all the streets lead to a local weekly market. The ‘Thursday Bazaar’ as it is popularly known is a market teeming and bustling with people and the colour of fresh vegetables and plastic chappals alike. What adds to the appeal is the stunning backdrop of the 500 year old Moth ki Masjid that sits squat and stoic, watchful to the jalebis frying, the local henna tattoo artists and the swathes of Chinese junk being sold in its vicinity. On any other day the municipal garbage dump right in front of the mosque is no longer hidden by the colorful stalls and is in sharp contrast to the beauty of the monument.

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ALL ABOUT INDIA

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Fast Fact

Location:

Moth-ki-Masjid in Delhi is located in Masjid Moth village behind South Extension Part II.

Built By: Miyan Bhuwa, a minister of Sikandar Lodi

When was it was built: 16th century

Special Feature-

Learn about the history of Moth-ki-Masjid in Delhi which was formed from the revenue earned through the production of Moth-a kind of lentil.

How to Reach:

Tourists can either take local buses from various points within the city to reach the mosque, or they can hire auto-rickshaws and taxis or take the metro rail.

Nearest International Airport: Indira Gandhi International Airport

Nearest Metro Station: Central Secretariat

Nearest Railway Station: Nizamuddin Railway Station

Open: On all seven days of the week

Nearby Attractions:

As you visit Moth-ki-Masjid in Delhi, you will be taken away by the legend of lentil, a gift from Sikandar Lodi to his minister, which when sown reaped huge yield. You may also visit nearby attractions of Moth-ki-Masjid.

Hauz Khas means royal tank. Sultan Ala-ud-din Khilji , the founder of Siri, the second city of Delhi, dug a tank called Hauz-i-Alai in 1300. Along with the mosque and a tomb near by, the area came to be known as Hauz Khas.

Siri Fort has rubble-built walls, bastions and flame-shaped battlements. The city- Sir meaning head, was built by Sultan Ala-ud-din Khilji

Kalkaji Temple popular as Kalkaji Mandir and dedicated to Kalka Devi or Kali, draws large number of tourists during Navratri.

Lotus Temple or the Bahai House of Worship, is famous for its architecture. The temple is surrounded by lakes and gardens

Nizamuddin's Shrine located in Nizamuddin village, is the shrine of Muslim saint, Sheikh Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Chishti.

Chirag Dehlvi's Dargah- this dargah was built to venerate Nasuriddin Mohammed popular as Roshan Chiraf Dehlvi.

You can also visit Ansal Plaza on Khel Gaon Marg, South Extension Part I & II modern markets, Panchsheel Market, Nehru Place, Kalkaji Market, C R Park Market and Greater Kailash-1 Market.

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STRUCTURE

A flight of steepish six steps lead you through a double arched gateway to the main courtyard of the mosque. At the entrance gate you maybe forgiven if you get a feeling of entering a Hindu fort or temple somewhere in Rajasthan or Gujarat. The ornate stepped arch is reminiscent of the ‘Toranas’ used in Jain temples, the large studded door leads through a small arched alcove into a wide courtyard. The other end of the courtyard on the western side is set with five arched bays leading to the prayer hall. A low sculpted wall runs along the boundary of the courtyard broken only at the corners by raised domed ‘Chattris’ or Cenotaphs built on a hexagonal platform. Blue tiles that once adorned these ‘Chattris’ are still visible in places. The wide open space of the courtyard (126.6 feet wide) is in sharp contrast to the surrounding chaos.

Once inside the courtyard, the roof of the rectangular entrance can be accessed by two L shaped staircases one on either side of the entrance gate. Flouting all norms of construction around protected monuments local village houses are almost upon the monument and from the staircase one can access not only the roof of the entrance but that of the neighboring houses as well!

In the middle of the courtyard is a large rectangular tank like structure shaded by a leafy tree. The tank in all probability was used for ritual ablutions before entering the Masjid. Besides the tank are two unknown unmarked graves.

The day I visited the Masjid, I was the only visitor. It was strangely unnerving to find oneself in complete solitude and quiet amidst the surrounding chaos. Also to find solitude in a place that was meant for many to gather in prayers gave the place a ghostly, lost aura. A while later I was joined by an attendant from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and a private security guard who emerged from one of the small arched niches located on either side of the entrance. The attendant told me about many other such monuments tucked away in the various colonies nearby. He expressed his helplessness and the helplessness of the department in doing more to protect or upkeep these monuments. He said that encroachment was rampant and apart from the ‘big earning monuments’ there was little or no restoration carried on elsewhere. The Masjid definitely showed signs of government apathy with dust, pigeon droppings and dead leaves everywhere.

I walked across the courtyard to the prayer hall which is marked by five bays, giving the mosque the epithet of ‘Panchmukhi Mosque’. Each bay has identical arched openings with three recessed arches. The central arch stands out in relief with a taller projecting portal in red sandstone. Niche windows and beautifully carved plaster medallions decorate the walls between the arches. Two narrow staircases on each end leads to the upper floors but are gated and locked by the ASI.

Inside the prayer hall, the plan is rectangular but is broken by the continuous arches corresponding to the bays. This gives an illusion of length and space and has a strangely uplifting effect on ones spirits. The domed ceiling and the surrounding walls are decorated by plastered medallions and niches adding depth to the structure. The prayer hall has three imposing ‘Gumbads’ or domes atop and the central one is flanked by two delicate minarets or towers. The central dome houses the main ‘Mihrab’ (a semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the ‘qibla’, ie the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca and hence the direction that Muslims should face when praying.). The wall in which a mihrab appears is thus the ‘qibla wall’ and in this particular mosque is marked by the minarets that flank the central dome and can be seen from the outside. The Mihrab has inscriptions from the Koran engraved in floral Nakashi work an art form brought to India by the Mughals. The prayer hall now is home to many roosting

piegons and their droppings are all over the floor.

Double storied octagonal towers stand sentinel to the prayer hall on both ends. A circular base at the ground level gives way to eight arched openings at the upper level that overlook the busy street and the ‘Thursday Bazaar’.

Standing on the circular platform and looking through the arches at the street below I’m beset with a feeling of straddling two different worlds at the same time. The older world a lot more graceful, quiet if somewhat tired now and the new in contrast chaotic, loud and struggling to map its way ahead.

As I refuse the gracious offer of the ASI attendant for a cup of tea and walk away I carry with me a strong nostalgia for a time gone by…..

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History:

Moth-ki-Masjid in Delhi built by Miyan Bhuwa, one of the ministers of Sikandar Lodi in the 16th century, has a wonderful history that draws large number of tourists from across the country. History says that Moth-ki-Masjid was built by investing the revenue which was gained by from huge amount of crop that grew just from a single grain of moth (a kind of lentil).

Let us give you a feel of that time when Mughals were ruling a not-so-developed empire. As the political tension ebbed off and the administration was smoothly handled, the Mughals focused on honing their cultural, aesthetic and artistic potentials.

According to the history of Moth-ki-Masjid in Delhi, as Miyan Bhuwa was walking along Sikandar Lodi one day, Lodi suddenly presented him a lentil called Moth ka Dal after picking it up from the field. This gift triggered off a tumultuous though process in the minister’s mind who wanted to utilize the greatest potential that he could procure from the gift. The minister wanted to do the best justice possible to the King’s gesture. After a tussle in his mind, he finally decided at the dawn that he would sow the seed in the garden. He had hardly this idea that the sapling from the seed would grow up so fast and produce 200 grains in a year.

It so happened that with the passage of time, the country witnessed a green revolution. The yield from the grains was so high that the minister finally decided to invest part of the revenue in building a mosque. The mosque today stands as a note of celebrating the gift that Lodi had given the minister. Lodi himself was so contended with the minister that he named the mosque- Moth ki Masjid.