Regional mosque architecture
Topic: Bhakti and Sufi Traditions · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 2 "Bhakti-Sufi Traditions"
Meaning
Mosques in India kept the features that every mosque shares. They face towards Mecca, have a mihrab (a niche in the wall showing the direction of prayer) and a minbar (pulpit). But their roofs, building materials and decoration followed local styles. This shows how Islam fitted into the different regions of the subcontinent.
Example
- A 13th-century mosque in Kerala has a roof like a shikhara, the tower of a temple.
- The Atiya mosque in Mymensingh, Bengal (1609), is built of brick, the usual local material.
- The Shah Hamadan mosque in Srinagar, Kashmir (1395), is built of wood, in the local style.
Don't confuse with
- Indo-Islamic imperial architecture: big buildings put up by Sultans and Mughals, using domes and arches. Regional mosque architecture is about how local communities built mosques with local materials and forms.