16th Century Mosque, A City On Fire: Sambhal Violence Explained
NDTV
Sambhal Violence: A court-ordered survey of the 16th-century Jama Masjid, a Mughal-era mosque, in Moradabad's Sambhal, led to multiple deaths, arrests and a riot.
Over 30 years since the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, another mosque in Uttar Pradesh finds itself at the epicentre of a contentious debate. A court-ordered survey of the 16th-century Jama Masjid, a Mughal-era mosque, in Moradabad's Sambhal, led to multiple deaths, arrests and a riot that brought the city to a grinding halt.
The Jama Masjid in Sambhal was built during the reign of the first Mughal emperor, Babur, between 1526 and 1530, and was one of the three major mosques constructed during his brief but impactful rule. The other two are the mosque at Panipat and the now-demolished Babri Masjid in Ayodhya.
According to historical reports, the mosque's construction was supervised by Hindu Beg Qucin, one of Babur's trusted lieutenants, in December 1526. Its architectural style mirrors the era's evolving Mughal design, featuring a large square hall with a central dome. Persian inscriptions within the mosque confirm its Mughal origins, though some historians claim remnants of pre-existing Hindu temples were integrated into its construction.
