Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra Home > Rajasthan > Attractions > Monuments > Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra

Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra

  • Location

Ajmer, Rajasthan, India

  • Build By

Mohammed of Ghori

  • Build In

1198

  • Best Time to Visit

November to March

  • Timing

Sunrise to sunset


In Ajmer you will find the Adhai Din ka Jhonpra. Adhai din means two and a half days and the reason why this place is famous because the Jhonpra here was built in duration of 2.5 days. It is ancient relic of a very old mosque. It stands on a quadrangle base and has pointed arches on the front screen walls. It is dripping with ancient Muslim architecture because of its ruined yet beautiful minarets, perfectly arched screens and exquisitely carved pillars.

It used to be a Sanskrit college in 12th century, a great learning place for young minds. When Mohammed of Ghori conquered this place and became its ruler, he destroyed the college and decided to build a mosque over it. The construction was to be completed very quickly so constructers used the remains and the ruins of the nearby temples that were destroyed during the battle. This led to the construction of this elegant and breathtakingly beautiful mosque.

There are inscriptions carved on the mosque’s arched walls in Islamic calligraphy. But time has ruined almost all of these inscriptions now. Inscriptions from Koran, the holy books of Muslims, like Jughra and Kufi inscriptions were mainly carved on the walls. The whole construction of the mosque is supported by 124 Hindu and Jain architecture pillars. There are a total of 10 splendid domes in the mosque.

It is a major tourist attraction in Ajmer. It reminds you of the time when the Muslims rulers conquered and ruled over Rajasthan.

History

The mosque was constructed in 1198 by Mohammed of Ghori over a destroyed Sanskrit College. Ghori requested that seven arched walls be build each having inscriptions from the holy book of Koran.

The conceptualization of the mosque Adhai Din ka Jhonpra was done by Abu Bakr of Heart. Majority of the mosque was built from ruins of Jain and Hindu temples destroyed by Ghori during his ruthless battles. Especially the pillars supporting the structure of the mosque belong to Jain and Hindu architecture. In 1230, Sultan Altamush decided to intensify the beauty of the mosque by adding interconnected lattice works under the raised archways. The Arabic inscriptions describe the façade of this age old mosque.

Architecture

Small yellow limestone arches dominate a good part of this beautiful mosque. It is based on the architecture of Arabian mosques. Small arches, six in number, based on Arab origin with small panels rectangular in shape to provide lighting is a very unique feature that you can see in this mosque. The core of this mosque looks similar to a Hindu temple and is supported by beautifully decorated columns. Three pillars are used to elevate the shrine a little bit from the normal ground level. The beautiful columns and intricately carved ceilings makes it worthwhile of every tourist’s time.

Interiors of the Mosque

The core of this mosque looks similar to a Hindu temple and is supported by beautifully decorated columns. Three pillars are used to elevate the shrine a little bit from the normal ground level. The columns look a little out of place because of their Hindu and Jain origin. They were picked up from the ruins of Jain and Hindu temples. The Hindu and Jain temple columns are also dissimilar in respect to each other. The base of these columns is bulky and large and they taper on gaining height. They also have niches which have carvings of Hindu and Jain goddesses and gods. The ceiling is also beautifully carved and is situated just above the sermon area. The sermon area was used to read out scripts and discuss teachings of the Koran.

Best Time to Visit

The best time to visit the mosque of Adhai Din ka Jhonpra is between the months of October and March. Eid is the most appropriate time to visit because Eid leads to marvelous decorations and celebrations in and around this place.

As for the monument it is open for public at all times of the day.

How to Reach


By Air

If you come by air then the nearest available airport is at Jaipur which is also the capital of Rajasthan. From Jaipur a number of cabs, taxis and buses are available to take you to Ajmer.

By Train

Ajmer is well connected by train to all major parts of India. The best available option is to take a train from Delhi. The Shatabdi Express, The Chetak Express and the Pink City Express are a few trains that take you to Ajmer.

By Road

Ajmer is also well connected by roads to all major parts inside and outside the state of Rajasthan. Road networks from Agra, Delhi, etc are available. Availability of roads also makes it easy to find public transportation for your journey.

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