ATALA MASJID

1.BUILT BY SHAMS-UD-DIN IBRAHIM IN A.D. 1408

ON THE FOUNDATION BUILT BY FIRUZ SHAH
TUGHLAQ 30 YEARS BEFORE.
2.BUILT ON THE SITE OF THE ATALA DEVI TEMPLE
WHOSE MATERIALS ALONG WITH THOSE OF OTHER
TEMPLES WERE USED IN ITS CONSTRUCTION .

3.PROVIDED THE MODEL ON WHICH ALL FUTURE

MOSQUES OF THE STYLE WOULD BE BASED.
4.THE MOSQUE CONSISTS OF A SQUARE COURTYARD
OF 177' SIDE WITH CLOISTERS ON 3 SIDES AND
THE SANCTUARY ON THE FOURTH (WESTERN )
SIDE. ENTIRE MOSQUE IS A SQUARE OF 258'
SIDE.

CLOISTERS
1.CLOISTERS ARE SPACIOUS, BEING 42' ACROSS
AND DIVIDED INTO 5 AISLES.
2.THE CLOISTERS RISE UP TO 2 STOREYS.
3.TWO AISLES OF THE LOWER STOREY ARE FORMED
INTO A SERIES OF CELLS WITH A PILLARED
VERANDAH FACING THE STREET TO PROVIDE
ACCOMMODATION TO VISITORS AND MERCHANTS .

4.THERE ARE 3 ENTRANCE GATEWAYS, ONE IN THE

CENTRE OF EACH CLOISTER, WITH THE NORTHERN
AND SOUTHERN ONES SURMOUNTED BY DOMES.
SANCTUARY
1.IN THE CENTRE OF THE SANCTUARY FACADE, THE
ENTRANCE TO THE NAVE IS ARTICULATED BY A
LOFTY PYLON, 75' HIGH AND 55' WIDE AT THE
BASE.

2.THE PYLON HOUSES AN 11' DEEP ARCHED

RECESS WHICH CONTAINS THE ENTRANCE
DOORWAY TO THE SANCTUARY NAVE AND THE
WINDOWS WHICH LIGHT IT.

3.THIS ARCHED PYLON IS THE MAIN THEME OF THE

STRUCTURE (AND THE STYLE AS A WHOLE), BEING

REPEATED BY SMALLER PYLONS ON EITHER SIDE

OF THE CENTRAL ONE AND ALSO ON THE
GATEWAYS IN THE CLOISTERS .

4.THE INTERIOR OF THE SANCTUARY CONSISTS OF A

CENTRAL NAVE OF 35' X 30' WITH PILLARED
TRANSEPTS ON EITHER SIDE. THE NAVE IS
ROOFED HIGH UP BY A HEMISPHERICAL DOME.
5.THE INTERIOR NAVE IS VERTICALLY DIVIDED INTO
THREE PARTS. THE FIRST LEVEL CONSISTS OF
3 MIHRABS AND A HIGH PULPIT WITH ARCHED
OPENINGS TO THE TRANSEPTS FORMING THE
SIDES OF THE ROOM. THE SECOND LEVEL
CONSISTS OF 8 DECORATED ARCHES, OUT OF
WHICH 4 ARE SQUINCHES, TURNING THE ROOM
INTO AN OCTAGON . THE THIRD LEVEL HAS A
BRACKET IN EACH CORNER TURNING THE ROOM
INTO A 16 SIDED STRUCTURE. EACH SIDE
CONTAINS AN ARCH, THUS CREATING AN ARCADED
TRIFORIUM WHICH SUPPORTS THE DOME.

6.THE DOME IS 57' HIGH ON THE INSIDE AND

CONSTRUCTED BY MEANS OF CIRCULAR COURSES
OF STONE. THE EXTERIOR IS COVERED WITH A
LAYER OF CEMENT TO GIVE IT A SPHERICAL
CURVE.

7.EACH TRANSEPT IS A PILLARED HALL WITH AN

OCTAGONAL BAY IN THE CENTRE ROOFED BY A
SMALLER DOME. THE TRANSEPT AT BOTH ENDS
BECOMES TWO STORIED, THE UPPER

COMPARTMENT SURROUNDED BY PERFORATED

SCREENS FORMING A ZENANA CHAMBER FOR
WOMEN.

EXTERIOR
1.THE REAR WALL OF THE SANCTUARY IS WORTH
STUDYING FOR ITS TREATMENT.
2.SINCE THE QIBLA RESOLVES ITSELF INTO AN
EXPANSIVE WALL WITH NO OPENINGS,
ARCHITECTS FACE A PROBLEM REGARDING THE
DESIGN OF THE EXTERIOR.

3.THE GREAT PLANE OF THIS WALL IS RELIEVED BY

3 PROJECTIONS, EACH CORRESPONDING TO ONE
OF THE PRINCIPAL COMPARTMENTS OF THE
INTERIOR AND COINCIDING WITH THE DOMES.

4.EACH PROJECTION HAS A TAPERING TURRET ON

ITS CORNER, WITH A LARGER REPLICA IN EACH
CORNER OF THE BUILDING ITSELF.

ATALA M
15TH CENTURY MOSQUE IN JAUNPUR, UTTAR
PRADESH, INDIA. IT IS ONE OF THE MAJOR TOURIST
ATTRACTIONS IN JAUNPUR. THE MOSQUE DELIVERS
THE EVIDENCES OF THE TIMES IN WHICH IT WAS
BUILT. THE ATALA MASJID IS A HELPFUL SPECIMEN OF
MOSQUES, NOT ONLY IN UTTAR PRADESH BUT ALSO
IN INDIA.

THE MAIN FEATURE OF ATALA MASJID IS THAT IN

SPITE OF BEING A MOSQUE AND BUILT BY THE
MUSLIMS RULERS, THE MASJID SHOWS A LOT OF
DETERMINANTS OF HINDU ARCHITECTURE . IN FACT,
THERE IS A CLEAR LIKENESS OF HINDU STYLE OF
ARCHITECTURE , IN THE ENTIRE MASJID. THE REASON

FOR SUCH SIMILARITY IS DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE

ATALA MASJID IS LOCATED ON THE SITE OF A TEMPLE
OF ATALA DEVI. HENCE THE ATALA MASJID, JAUNPUR
ALSO GETS ITS NAME FROM THIS HINDU TEMPLE. ON
THE OTHER HAND, THE BEGAMPUR MASJID IN DELHI
IS ALSO BELIEVED TO HAVE INFLUENCED THE
CONSTRUCTION A GREAT DEAL. THE PRESENCE OF
INCLINED WALLS, NICHES, THE FORM AND STRUCTURE
OF BEAMS AND PILLARS, MATCHES THE MOSQUES ,
TOMBS AND OTHER BUILDINGS THAT WERE BUILT BY
FIROZ SHAH TUGHLAQ AND SULTAN MUHAMMAD
SHAH TUGHLAQ OF THE TUGHLAQ DYNASTY OF THE
DELHI SULTANATE.

THE CENTRAL PORTICO OF ATALA MASJID IN

JAUNPUR, INDIA HAS A IMPRESSIVE ARCH.
INSIDE, THERE IS A MASSIVE HALL, WHICH IS THE
MAIN PRAYER ROOM. THE THREE DOMES OF THE
ATALA MASJID DIFFER IN SIZE.
THE 'MIHRAB' WHICH IS THE NICHE IN THE WALL OF
THE MOSQUE INDICATES THE DIRECTION OF MECCA,
THE DECORATIONS OF THE PRAYER ROOM AS WELL AS
THE TWO-TIERED CORRIDORS ARE THE OTHER
FEATURES OF JAUNPUR ATALA MASJID, WHICH ARE
NOTEWORTHY.

SOME DISTINCT FEATURES OF THE MOSQUE ARE

SQUARE-SHAPED MOSQUE WITH ROBUST APPEARANC
WHICH IS THE INFLUENCE OF CIRCULAR TAPERING
TURRETS OF TUGHLAQS RESOLVED INTO
RECTANGULAR SHAPE.

ON THE EITHER SIDE OF MAQSURA PYLON ARE TWO

IDENTICAL MINI-PYLONS AND 3 SEPARATE GATEWAYS
ARE ALSO INSTALLED IN NORTHERN, EASTERN AND
SOUTHERN LIWAN.