Proposed mosque in Ayodhya gets a new name and design

Proposed mosque in Ayodhya gets a new name and design

Subject : History

Section: Art and Culture

Context: Ayodhya Mosque to be built on five acres of land (as a replacement for the demolished Babri masjid in 1992), as per the 2019 Supreme Court verdict.

• The mosque gets a new name and design after objections from the community on its previous ‘contemporary’ style.
• The new design is prepared by a Pune-based architect, Imran Sheikh.
• The new design of the mosque, unlike the previous blueprint which had no stereotypical domes and arches, has everything that makes it easily recognisable as a religious structure of the Muslim community. It also has minarets, a crescent moon, considered auspicious in Islam, as well as the name of the Prophet.
• The name of the mosque, to be spread across over 4,500 square metres, will be Mohammad Bin Abdullah.
• Earlier, the name of the mosque was ‘Masjid-e-Ayodhya’ with a zero-carbon-footprint design.
• The previous blueprint of the mosque had a hospital, community kitchen, library, and a research center dedicated to Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah, a freedom fighter, who took part in the 1857 war of independence against the British.
• In the new design, the giant mosque sits in the middle of a complex full of greenery around.

The SC Verdict of 2019 and its aftermath:

• In November 2019, the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court permitted the construction of a temple in Ayodhya, at the site where the 16th century Babri Masjid once stood, after being brought down by Hindu fundamentalist groups.
• The top court had asked the government — either the Centre or Uttar Pradesh — to allot a “prominent and suitable” five-acre plot in Ayodhya to the Sunni Central Waqf Board, to construct a mosque. “This should be done simultaneously with the transfer of the property to the proposed trust [for the temple],” the order had said.
• The Sunni Central Waqf Board later formed the Indo Islamic Culture Foundation to execute the construction of the mosque.
• The Uttar Pradesh government allotted five acres of land to IICF in Dhannipur, 25 kms from Ayodhya city.

Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah:

• Ahmadullah Shah, born in 1787, more famously known as Maulavi of Faizabad, was one of the leading figures of the great Indian revolt of 1857.
• In the Awadh region, Maulavi Ahmadullah Shah was known as the ‘Lighthouse of Rebellion’. 
• Hailing from a noble warrior family of Awadh in Faizabad, he grew up to be a political leader committed to armed revolutionary insurrection against British rule in India.
• During the freedom struggle, Maulavi made Faizabad the center and launched revolts in all of the Awadh region.
• He made the local mosque Masjid Sarai located in Chowk area of Faizabad his headquarters.
• Maulavi Ahmadullah Shah kept Faizabad free from British rule for almost one year, until his death at the hands of British agents on June 5, 1858.
• According to researcher and historian Ram Shankar Tripathi, “With being a practicing Muslim, he was also the epitome of religious unity and Ganga-Jamuna culture of Faizabad.”
• In the revolt of 1857, royalties like Nana Sahib of Kanpur, Kunwar Singh of Arrah fought alongside Maulavi Ahmadullah Shah.
• During the revolt, the revolutionaries appointed him as chief of 22nd Infantry Regiment that fought in the famous Battle of Chinhat, in Ismailganj of Lucknow on June 30, 1857.
• According to another historian Roshan Taqui, “Maulavi used to bring out revolutionary pamphlets mobilizing the masses to do ‘Jihad’ against the British.”
• British officers like George Bruce Malleson and Thomas Seaton have made mentions about the courage, valour, personal and organisational capabilities of Maulavi Ahmadullah Shah.
• Malleson has repeatedly mentioned Ahmadullah in the History of Indian Mutiny, a book written in six volumes covering the revolt of 1857.

Characteristic features of Indo-Islamic form of architecture:

• Buildings in Islamic countries were made of brick, lime and mortar.
• Their style was arcuate; meaning architecture based on arches, domes and vaults.
• Muslims under religious injunction avoided the use of human figurines rather they opted for geometrical patterns (arabesque), floral patterns, inscriptions in various styles, inlay on marble (Pietra dura).

• Ornamental, perforated lattice screens with arabesques, star motifs and other geometric designs such as pentagons, hexagons, octagons and circles.
• Gardens were an integral part of Islamic architecture.

Styles of Islamic architecture in the Indian subcontinent:

Imperial style:

• The style of this period is also called the early Indo-Islamic style.
• The existing buildings were converted into mosques with the elements of ruins from Hindu temples.
• The palaces were elaborately decorated and embellished with arches and domes. Floral patterns and other Hindu motifs were used widely.

Provincial style:

• In this style of architecture which lasted for a period of two-hundred-and-fifty years, they created buildings with the locally available materials, combining the regional styles with the typical Muslim features such as domes, arches, the minarets and the mihrabs. 
• Initially they constructed on the ruins of Hindu, and Jain temples, and later they derived their own style in building art.

Mughal style:

• The Mughal style is the style of architecture that flourished in India under the patronage of the Mughal Empire from the mid-16th to the 17th century.
• It is a unique blend of Indo-Islamic and Persian style with Turkish influences.
• The buildings were excellent and remarkably symmetrical in form and uniform in pattern with intricate ornamentation.

Types of Buildings having Islamic Architecture in Indian Subcontinent:

Mosques

• Mosques are the places of congregation where men gather to offer prayers. They are also called “masjids’ and known as a place for prostration (sajdah/sujood).
• They are basically large columned halls known as hypostyle halls and in some of the mosques, Madrasahs are also a part of the same building
• An important element used in the mosque was the “mihrab”. It is the niche in the wall that indicates the direction of Mecca towards which all the Muslims pray.
• The most visible element of the mosque is the “minaret”, the tower which is either adjacent or attached to the mosque from which the call to prayer is announced.
• The most important (but inessential) element of Islamic architecture and a part of the mosque is the “dome” which is also known as “qubba” in Muslim architecture
• Calligraphy is also the most visible decorative element in mosques.

Forts

• They were palaces; a place of accommodation on a larger and more comprehensive scale, thus forming a city within a city
• They were built for the purpose of defence to protect the monarchs and their people from their enemies.
• We can also see the influences of different regional architecture of Gujarat and Punjab in the construction of the forts

 Tombs

• Among the architectural marvels that were built during the Islamic reign in India, the most wonderful, and beautiful structure was the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal, the Taj Mahal, which is an integrated complex of many structures.
• White domed marble, large gardens, pools with fountains reflecting the light, landscape, and four tall standing minarets surrounding the structure imply a symmetrical and a balanced form. This proves the elegance of the Indo-Islamic style of architecture. It is a perfect example of an architectural accomplishment of the Mughal building art.