The Atala Masjid is an ancient 14th-century mosque in Jaunpur. It is located 300 meters from the Shahi Qila and 1 km from the Jama Masjid. William Hodge made sketches of the famous mosque and also wrote about it in his books on the city.
The height of the mosque is about 100 feet, and its perimeter is 248 feet. The central dome is 17 meters high but cannot be seen from the front, as it is covered by a tall central tower about 23 meters high.
Atala Masjid and Eating Batti Chokha
The mosque was built in 1408 by Ibrahim Shah Sharki and is the premier mosque of the city. The dome on the inside is made of circular course stone. It was built on the site of the Atala Devi temple, and much of the material from the temple was used in the construction of the mosque. The mosque has a central courtyard about 177 feet in length, and the entire mosque is square in structure. The two aisles of the tower lead into cells where travelers could stay and rest for a while as they passed through Jaunpur.
The Atala Masjid is a symbol of Indo-Islamic Sharqi architecture. It was the first mosque built after the independence of Jaunpur state from the Sharqi Dynasty, which had been established in Delhi. It was Feroz Shah from the Tughlaq Dynasty who laid the foundation for the mosque.
I had a good look at this ancient structure and felt a bit sad that it was built on top of a Hindu temple. However, this is not uncommon in this part of the world, where Mughal dynasties and powerful Hindu kings and monarchs have long jostled for power. The destruction of temples has been quite frequent here. It is only now that Hindus are rising and reclaiming their ancient sites and temples as part of the rise of the saffron brigade led by the BJP.
Jaunpur is not a very well-planned city, and there is traffic everywhere. It is advisable to use a scooter to get around in this city. After the visit to the mosque, we ventured out for a tasty lunch of Batti Chokha. The local cuisine was tasty and light, and I thoroughly enjoyed the green chutney and dal with ghee, along with paneer batti, tangy onions, and thick, rich kheer that tasted almost like rabdi.
The traditional food was the highlight of my day, and I was thrilled and quite satisfied with my adventures in this ancient city with deep Islamic and Hindu traditions.
