Rani Rupamati's Mosque

Rani Rupamati's Mosque
Rani Rupamati's Mosque
Location in Gujarat, India
Basic information
Location	Mirzapur, Ahmedabad
Geographic coordinates	23°01′55″N 72°35′02″E / 23.0320233°N 72.5839783°E / 23.0320233; 72.5839783Coordinates: 23°01′55″N 72°35′02″E / 23.0320233°N 72.5839783°E / 23.0320233; 72.5839783
Affiliation	Islam
Municipality	Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation
State	Gujarat
Status	Active
Architectural description
Architectural type	Mosque and tomb
Architectural style	Indo-Islamic architecture
Funded by	Mahmud Begada
Completed	1430–1440
Length	105 feet
Width	46 feer
Height (max)	32feet
Dome(s)	13
Designated as NHL	Monument of National Importance ASI Monument No. N-GJ-27

Rani Rupamati's Mosque, also known as Rani Rupavati's Mosque or Mirzapur Queen's Mosque, is a medieval mosque and tomb complex in Mirzapur area of Ahmedabad, India.

History and architecture

Plan and elevation of mosque: Scale – 50 feet to 1 Inch

Northern side-arch and window of mosque

Base of the northern minaret

Niche in lower part of base of northern minaret

Niche in lower part of base of northern minaret

The mosque was built by Mahmud Begada probably in the latter years (1430-1440) of Ahmed Shah I's reign. It is named after Rani Rupamati whom Mahmud Begada married after death of Qutubuddin.^[1] This mosque measures, 105 feet long, forty-six broad, and thirty-two high. A high central arch, three imposing domes, slim minarets, carved galleries and an exquisite mihrab are there. Its three domes are linked together by a flat roof. The side entrances in the mosque open out in balcony windows on either side and end in a lattice window. The domes are supported with rows of twelve pillars each where as the smaller domes at the front and the rear of the bigger domes as well as the four corners of the mosque are there. The central section is an elevated level that rises above the small flanks and provides for a pierced clerestory, which carries the dome above. Though broken short in the 1819 Rann of Kutch earthquake, the bases of their minarets, from the fine tracery in their niches, are still the mosque's chief beauty. This is one of the buildings where the attempt to combine the arched Islamic and the flat Hindu styles was hardly a success; the plainness of the central arch clashes with the extreme richness of the upper cornice and the side minarets. Close by the mosque is a monument, with a large central and two side domes, raised over the tombs of Rani Rupamati and the other queen. The inside of the dome is richly fretted.^[2][3]

The adjacent tomb

References

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• This article includes public domain text from Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Ahmedabad. Government Central Press. pp. 278–279.