<p>While Purana Qila figures on top of tourists’ itinerary of ‘monuments to visit in Delhi, the quaint mosque opposite the fort, Khairul Manzil, often evades notice. The visitors, probably, are not to blame.<br /><br /></p>.<p> Khairul Manzil Masjid, a 16th century mosque, has seen the ravages of time, invaders and more recently, obsessive-compulsive scribblers. <br /><br />Not that the Archaeological Survey of India hasn’t taken good care of it. It periodically receives fresh coats of paint, but it is probably the lack of attention from history enthusiasts that makes it dull. <br /><br />The Khairul Manzil Masjid was built in 1561 by Maham Anga, the famous and powerful wet nurse of Emperor Akbar. Anga was the foster mother of Akbar and briefly ruled the Mughal empire when Akbar was a young boy. Some accounts say this was Delhi’s first Mughal mosque, and definitely, the first such mosque to be commissioned by a woman.<br /><br />Maham Anga employed her trusted Shihabuddin Ahmad Khan, also an influential minister and relative, to build this mosque. A central arch of the prayer chamber contains the inscription that proclaims that the mosque was built by Maham Anga, but little is known of how the mosque was utilised, if Maham Anga visited it for prayers or preferred the palace mosque instead. <br /><br />Literally meaning ‘the most auspicious of houses’, this mosque is made of rubble covered with plaster and has five high arched openings in its prayer hall. The most impressive features of the structure are an imposing gateway of red sandstone on the east and double-storeyed cloisters, which were used as a madrasa (Islamic School). <br /><br />There is a dome at the central bay of the prayer hall while the other bays have been roofed with vaults. It is believed that originally the facade of the prayer chamber was profusely decorated with enamelled tiles. Predictably, the tiles have faded or broken over time.<br /><br />Khairul Manzil was also a theatre of conflict during the Independence movement. It is said that once British officers got wind that some revolutionaries were hiding here; promptly, cannons were set up and the structure was bombed. Traces of it can still be seen today. <br /><br />Another major attraction of this mosque is ‘Sher Shah Gate’ also known as Lal Darwaza which was built by Sher Shah, lying west of the Purana Qila. <br /></p>
<p>While Purana Qila figures on top of tourists’ itinerary of ‘monuments to visit in Delhi, the quaint mosque opposite the fort, Khairul Manzil, often evades notice. The visitors, probably, are not to blame.<br /><br /></p>.<p> Khairul Manzil Masjid, a 16th century mosque, has seen the ravages of time, invaders and more recently, obsessive-compulsive scribblers. <br /><br />Not that the Archaeological Survey of India hasn’t taken good care of it. It periodically receives fresh coats of paint, but it is probably the lack of attention from history enthusiasts that makes it dull. <br /><br />The Khairul Manzil Masjid was built in 1561 by Maham Anga, the famous and powerful wet nurse of Emperor Akbar. Anga was the foster mother of Akbar and briefly ruled the Mughal empire when Akbar was a young boy. Some accounts say this was Delhi’s first Mughal mosque, and definitely, the first such mosque to be commissioned by a woman.<br /><br />Maham Anga employed her trusted Shihabuddin Ahmad Khan, also an influential minister and relative, to build this mosque. A central arch of the prayer chamber contains the inscription that proclaims that the mosque was built by Maham Anga, but little is known of how the mosque was utilised, if Maham Anga visited it for prayers or preferred the palace mosque instead. <br /><br />Literally meaning ‘the most auspicious of houses’, this mosque is made of rubble covered with plaster and has five high arched openings in its prayer hall. The most impressive features of the structure are an imposing gateway of red sandstone on the east and double-storeyed cloisters, which were used as a madrasa (Islamic School). <br /><br />There is a dome at the central bay of the prayer hall while the other bays have been roofed with vaults. It is believed that originally the facade of the prayer chamber was profusely decorated with enamelled tiles. Predictably, the tiles have faded or broken over time.<br /><br />Khairul Manzil was also a theatre of conflict during the Independence movement. It is said that once British officers got wind that some revolutionaries were hiding here; promptly, cannons were set up and the structure was bombed. Traces of it can still be seen today. <br /><br />Another major attraction of this mosque is ‘Sher Shah Gate’ also known as Lal Darwaza which was built by Sher Shah, lying west of the Purana Qila. <br /></p>
