The Thazhathangady Juma Masjid is a

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

situated in Thazhathangady, in the district of

Kottayam Kottayam () is a city in the Kottayam district of Kerala, India. It is the district headquarters of the district and is located about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, Kottayam has a population of ...

, in one of the heritage zones of the state of

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, The mosque is located adjacent to the Meenachil River. Completed in CE, the mosque is one of the oldest mosques in India.

Overview

Built in CE by Habib Dinarm, a son of

Malik Dinar Malik Dinar (, Malayalam: മാലിക് ദീനാര്‍) (died 748 CE)Al-Hujwiri, "Kashf al-Mahjoob", 89 was a Muslim scholar and traveller. He was one of the first known Muslims to have come to India in order to teach Islam in the I ...

, the mosque is renowned for its beautiful '' thachu shastra'' style architecture, as well as its craftsmanship, including intricate

teak Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panic ...

wooden carvings, a secret passageway, and a water tank carved out of a single block of stone, used for ''

wudu ''Wuduʾ'' ( ) is the Islamic procedure for cleansing parts of the body, a type of ritual purification, or ablution. The steps of wudu are washing the hands, rinsing the mouth and nose, washing the face, then the forearms, then wiping the head, ...

''. The two-storeyed mansion is high with an internal area of . Inscriptions from

Quranic verse The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

s have been carved in timber, and there are carvings on the teak ''

minbar A minbar (; sometimes romanized as ''mimber'') is a pulpit in a mosque where the imam (leader of prayers) stands to deliver sermons (, ''khutbah''). It is also used in other similar contexts, such as in a Hussainiya where the speaker sits and le ...

''. In 2012, the southern half of the mosque was demolished and extended with iron pillars, aluminium sheets and minars. A

sundial A sundial is a horology, horological device that tells the time of day (referred to as civil time in modern usage) when direct sunlight shines by the position of the Sun, apparent position of the Sun in the sky. In the narrowest sense of the ...

(''nizhal khadikaram''), located in the mosque courtyard, is used to determine the time for worship. The ancestors of this congregation settled in Kottayam from different parts of Kerala. The Muslims who lived here played an active role in the Freedom Struggle and other national movements. The mosque opened its doors for women devotees in 2019. "Muslim women in the right attire can enter the mosque only on the two days, April 24 and May 8, as decided by the committee," said Moulavi Sirajjuddeen Hasni, the chief imam.

Thazhathangady Muslim Cultural Forum (TMCF)

Established on 20 June 2017, Thazhathangady Muslim Cultural Forum (TMCF) is a social organization located in the Thazhathangady region. TMCF aims to bring holistic development for the Muslim community located at Thazhathangady. TMCF strides ahead by upholding its motto: ‘Material Progress ingrained in Spirituality’. TMCF focusses on areas like education, culture, charity and the like.

Gallery

Thazhathangady Juma Masjid - south 02.jpg, View from the south with the added

minaret A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...

s Thazhathangady Juma Masjid - interior.jpg, Interior prayer hall in 2023 Thazhathangady Juma Masjid - wood carving of ceiling.jpg, Wooden carving in the ceiling Thazhathangady Juma Masjid - writings.jpg, Inscription and wooden carving in panels Sundial at Thazhathangady Juma Masjid.jpg, The

in the courtyard

Notes

References

External links