Jamali Kamali

Jamali Kamali

This early Mughal complex consists of a mosque and a tomb built by the sixteenth century poet, traveler, and Sufi Sheikh Fazlullah who wrote under the pen name of Jamali. Jamali was a famous court poet of the Lodi and Mughal period. He was also known as Jalal Khan; Jamili was introduced to Sufism by Sheik Samauddin.

The mosque built in 1528, stands in an enclosed court and is surmounted by a single high dome with five recessed niches on the western wall. It is built in red sandstone and ...

Jamali Kamali Mosque And Tomb

This early Mughal complex consists of a mosque and a tomb built by the sixteenth century poet, traveler, and Sufi Sheikh Fazlullah who wrote under the pen name of Jamali. Jamali was a famous court poet of the Lodi and Mughal period. He was also known as Jalal Khan; Jamili was introduced to Sufism by Sheik Samauddin.

The mosque built in 1528, stands in an enclosed court and is surmounted by a single high dome with five recessed niches on the western wall. It is built in red sandstone and Delhi quartzite faced with intricate details in white marble. The main façade is sparse but delicate in its carved ornamentation. Some of the features of this mosque are fluted pilasters flanking the central arch, carved banks and medallions in the spandrels, and pendant lotus buds below the parapet which decorates the façade of the prayer hall, pierced by five arched openings. The walls are surmounted by squinches having decorative arches on eight sides. The arches of the squinch are created by adding a beam. Above the eight sided squinch a further sixteen sided squinch is added using beams. The construction of the squinch continues till about a near circle is reached over which the dome is constructed.

The west wall has octagonal towers in the corners, with a narrow gallery on the second story with three oriel windows. It also has five arches which are decorated with Quranic inscriptions. The interior of the ventral arch is exquisitely decorated too. The arches on either side of the central arch decrease in size towards the corners. The mosque also has a porch which provides access to the upper floor. Above the entrance doorway, some original blue tiles still survive. The projecting balcony above the entrance arch was designed to hold a lamp, as Mehrauli was located on one of the main highways that led to Delhi. The lamp would guide travelers to a sarai, a place to rest for the night.

Adjoining to the mosque, to the north, lies the tomb of Maulana Jamali, built in 1529, during the lifetime of the saint. The entire complex was the khanqah or hospice of the saint, where he lived and preached. When he died in 1536, Maulana Jamali was buried in this chamber. The tomb is inscribed with some of his own verses. The square chamber measures 7.6 m on each side. The tomb in the interior becomes eight sided to sixteen sided and finally thirty two sided but ends abruptly instead of forming into a dome. It has a flat roof with unique ornamentation using colored titles patterns in incised and painted plaster on its ceilings and walls. The ceiling is painted in red and blue along with Quranic inscriptions. The walls of the tomb are inlaid with colored tiles and inscribed with the poems of Jamali. Kangura details along with cornice bands have blue inlay works at the parapet level. The exterior face of the tomb consists of several niches shaded by a projecting chajja. The tomb chamber contains two graves. The central one is believed to be that of Maulana Jamali and the other is claimed to be that of Kamali, a companion of the saint about whom nothing is known. The enclosure within which the tomb stands alongside an adjoining enclosure that contains several graves.

Berbagi :