Jamali Kamali mosque and tomb

Saanjha Chulha: The Jamali Kamali Mosque and Tomb

According to a recent survey (by Anthropological Survey of India in 1992) there are 4634 communities in India, which constitute the fabric of its social structure and culture. India is also a ‘civilization society’. The interaction between institutional, cultural, and social-structural elements through the evolution of a civilization society in India has given birth to a cultural phenomena, popularly known as ‘composite culture’, which is probably unique in history.” This is known locally as ‘ganga jamuni tahzeeb’, something which I hold very dear.

According to Singh, composite culture refers to the “continual presence and process of reciprocity; mutual sharing and overlap of cultural practices; styles of life; a technological and economic world view of the relationship between nature and culture; shared practices of economy and technology; values and belief systems cutting across the divides of space; and religious belief systems and specificities of community differentiations.” He adds that our national leaders, particularly Mahatma Gandhi and Nehru, were deeply aware of  this reality.

Through the years, this dynamic exchange and interaction between various cultures led to many changes and innovations in architecture and gave rise to a style known as Indo-Islamic architecture in the medieval period.

When Qutubuddin Aibak established the Delhi Sultanate, he had come only with an army and some counsellors. He envisioned building mosques and mausoleums as found in Afghanistan, but did not have the artisans of that region. The vision of Aibak and his successors were carried out by local artisans, which gave rise to this new style.

The Jamali Kamali Mosque is situated in Mehrauli village district outside the Qutb complex in south Delhi and was built between 1528 and 1536.  It is one of the most beautiful mosques from the early Mughal period and is built of red sandstone with white details. It is definitely one of the most serene mosques that I have visited.

In this shot taken by Nadeem Ahmad, Metcalfe’s Folly (the canopy)  can be seen outside the mosque and tomb complex.

The construction of the Jamali Kamali mosque and tombs was completed in 1536. The monuments imbibed many features from Persian and local architecture.

In this mosque, one can see the Rajasthani architectural embellishment of jharoka (a decorative window or projecting balcony made with a jali), which later became a staple feature of Mughal architecture.

Percy Brown, in his defining book, Indian Architecture in the Islamic period, refers to this mosque as Jamala mosque. He makes no mention of the tombs in the compound attached to it. For him, the main characteristic of the mosque is that though it was built during the reign of the Mughals after the battle of Panipat, the Mughals used Lodi architectural elements since they were busy consolidating their rule in a new country and consequently, had not yet imprinted their own stamp on Indian architecture.

Brown writes, “Although confused circumstances prevailed then, it shows that the building art remained unaffected by the political conditions and continued its normal course.”

Regarding the architecture of that era, he writes, “A definite attempt was being made towards refinement of style and designers were aiming at a form of architecture in which better material and workmanship were the main objects.”

This mosque, according to Percy Brown, was a preparation for Sher Shah’s Qila-e-Kuhna mosque in Purana Qila. It bridges the style of the Delhi Sultanate to that of the Mughals.

Masjid to bana di shab bhar mein, iman ki hararat walon ne
Mann apna purana papi hai, barson se namazi ban na saka

(Though the mosque was built overnight by the believers
Our heart, being an old sinner, could not ever become devout)

Though the ASI has recently renovated and restored many of the monuments in the Mehrauli Archaeological Park, much more needs to be done .

Wo sajda, ru-e-zamin jis se kanp jati thi
Usi ko taraste hain aaj Mimbar-o-Mehrab

(That one prostration, made with such piety, as to shake the face of the earth
Today, the niche and the pulpit yearn for it)

The mehrab  is a semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the qibla or direction of the Kaaba in Mecca and hence, the direction that Muslims should face when praying.

Recent references to this complex only mention Shaikh Fazlullah, also known as Shaikh Jamali Kamboh or Jalal Khan, a renowned Sufi saint who lived during the reign of the Sikander Lodi,  Babur and Humayun.

Gordon Hearn, in his book Seven Cities of Delhi, writes, “This mosque is said to have been built on the platform of the dwelling of the saint Qutbuddin, and the whole village is said to be as old as the fort of Rai Pithora. The mosque was attached to the tomb of Shaikh Fazlulla, or Jalal Khan, a celebrated poet, who wrote under the nom-de-plume of Jamali, and died in AD 1535. His mausoleum, once his dwelling place, is well built, with tile ornamentation, and has two verses of the poet inscribed within.”

Saint Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki came from Ush to Delhi soon after the conquest of Delhi by his namesake, Qutubuddin Aibak. He  lived in Delhi near the Jamali mosque for over half a century, and died in AD 1256, during the reign of Iltutmish, who is said himself to have performed the saint’s funeral ceremonies.

The tomb contains two graves, one is of Jamali and the other is of an unknown person referred to as Kamali.

Qabr mein aa ke neend aayi hai
Na uthaaye khuda kare koi

(A blissful sleep I get in the grave
For God’s sake, I hope no one wakes me up from this)

The tomb, though very simple from the outside, is an explosion of colours inside. The roof looks like a an upside down Persian flying carpet. The walls also have some beautiful designs.

Rang hi rang, khushbu hi khushbu
Gardish-e-sagar-e-khayal hain hum

(Colour everywhere, scent all pervasive
A movement of thought, an idea,  I am)

A beautiful medallion

But what would enamour any person who holds the Ganga jamuni tahzeeb dear is the mehrab in the tomb.

Allah is inscribed in the centre of a kalash with a coconut on top as an offering.

Kalash, also spelled as Kalasha and kalasa (Sanskrit: कलश; literally “pitcher, pot”), is a metal (brass, copper, silver or gold) pot with a large base and small mouth, large enough to hold a coconut . The Purna-Kalash is considered a symbol of abundance and the ‘source of life’ in the Vedas.”(Source: Wikipedia)

Another feature adopted by the local artisans of this period is the use of medallions to decorate mosques and buildings. In Iran, medallions are used only in carpet designs, not mosques! Since figures of living beings were not permitted in Islam, the local artisans came up with innovate ideas to decorate the mosques, including the use of calligraphy.

There is even a design – that seems like a rangoli – outside the tomb.

Now damaged, we can only guess how beautiful it must have once looked when it welcomed the visitors to the tomb.

The image above is of graves of unknown nobles.

Sab thaath para reh javega
Jab laad chalega banjara

(Your entire splendor will lie useless
When the nomad packs up and leaves)

***

The Jamali Kamali mosque and tomb are a notable example of the fusion of Indian and Islamic architecture. According to Percy Brown, nowhere in the world did Islamic architecture produce as many notable buildings as in India. He attributes this to the ‘remarkable brilliance of the indigenous craftsmen’.