KHIRKI MASJID AND

KALAN MASJID
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE
KHIRKI MASJID
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

• The settlement lies with in the walls of Jhapanah of

which the Satpula barrage, the Begumpuri mosque
and some structure of the Bijai Mandal survive.
ARIEL VIEW OR THE PLAN OF KHIRKI MASJID
 MOSQUE ENTRANCE

• The khirki masjid is barely visible form the

Press Enclave.The village edge is cluttered with
temporary structures of ill defined purpose.

ENTRANCE FROM PRESS ENCLAVE ROAD

• Existing Broken pavement
• Absent road surface
• Broken boundary wall
• Unorganized pedestrian movement and parking.

ENTRANCE FROM MALVIYA NAGAR

• The corner of the park is at present occupied by
a transformer with a protective fence around it.
• This forecourt with the mature banyan tree at
the corner marks the entrance to the leading to
Khirki Masjid.
• Lack of clear edge and control of vehicles
compromises effective use of this important
social space.
 INTRODUCTION

• Built in: 15th century AD

• Built by: Khan-I-Jahan Junan Shah
• Location : Delhi, khirki village
 KHIRKI MOSQUE
• Khirki masjid takes its name from perforated windows, khirki that decorates the upper
floors.
• It was built during the time of the Tughlaq dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate.
• The area of the mosque is covered completely by a roof, which is an extraordinary thing
as far as building of mosques is concerned.
• The mosque is double storeyed and has a series of basement cells in the lower storey.
• The Khirki Masjid not only reflects the architectural achievement of the Tughlaq dynasty,
but it is also a forerunner of later-day magnificent Islamic structures of India.
A UNIQUE MOSQUE
• The Khirki Masjid is very unlike a lot of
other mosques. Firstly, it looks more like
a fortress than a mosque (a feature it
shares with the Moth ki Masjid). There’s a
solid wall all around it, with formidable
rounded bastions at the corners.
• It doesn’t have a large sehan in front of it.
 Architecture Of Khirki Masjid

• Khirki Masjid belongs to the Indo-Islamic

style of architecture.
• The Indo-Islamic style of architecture is a
distinctive blend of Islamic as well as
traditional Hindu style of architecture. this
type of amalgamation gave an exotic
structures.
• Muslim rulers most of the time used Indian
artisans to built their monuments as they
were educated in their own art traditions.
• Khirki Masjid was also built on the same
principle, which is a fusion and adaptation
of Hindu and Islamic architecture. Open
court covered with chambers or
colonnades were the unique in Hindu style
whereas ornamentation was typical to
Islamic style.
• The presence of a number of
domes on the roof covering the
mosque and the latticework (jali)
on the windows are suggestive of
the Islamic style of architecture.
• The pillars and brackets within
this structure show local Hindu
influence.
• It is said that since Khan-I-Jahan
used the mosque for his private
worship, it was designed like this
to beat the intense heat of the
region.
• Khirki Masjid is highly enriched with architectural
designs of both Mughal and Lodi periods.
• Its is built with rubble masonry enclosed on the
exterior with plaster has an imposing steps leading
up to it.
• The main feature of the mosque is its
distinctive window opening with jalis or
tracery known as khirki or latticed
windows.

Placed on the upper level of the mosque's

exterior wall, these jalis were
preponderantly carved stone shields.
• As seen in kalan masjid every fourth
step here also has a bigger tread for
the ladies to rest while climbing the
stairs
• Total no of steps – 28
• Height of riser – 10”
• Tread - 1’
• 4th tread – 2’
• A cluster of nine small low domes made in the Tughlaq pattern covers the following
larger squares - the center square of the courtyard with two on the corners, three on
each side and one in the middle.
• The four diagonal squares are left uncovered, through which sunlight found its way
to the inner sanctum of the mosque.
• The remaining squares are covered with flat roofs, thus making the mosque partly
covered and partly uncovered.
• The mosque has four open courtyards that
provide light and ventilation to the internal
prayer spaces.
• Occupying an area of 87 square meters, the
mosque is built on a raised platform with
arched recessed openings (taikhana) that is 3
meters in height.
• Unlike an open courtyard (hypostyle)
congregational mosque, the Khirki Masjid is
square in plan, subdivided into quarters; each
quarter has its own inner courtyard.
• Internally, arcades running north-south divide
the mosque space into aisles.
• These arcades are formed by 180 square
structural columns.
• The main entrance to the prayer hall is
through the southern entrance.
• This gateway fronts a small vestibule, square
in plan, which extends out from the main
southern exterior wall.
• There are projecting entrances on the
north, east and south sides, each framed
by narrow minarets.
• The corners of the mosque are reinforced
by large round towers.
• The mosque is arranged as a regular grid
of 15 bays each way.
• The bays in front of the prayer wall are
the darkest since they receive no light
from the grid-patterned windows that
pierce the exterior walls on the other
three sides.
• From the east gate steps go up to the
roof.
• The roofs are supported by massive monolithic
columns which are the feature of mosque
architecture of the period, but they are
differently disposed.
• At each corner of the four open courts, four
columns are grouped together
• The interior consists of cloisters formed by a
series of square bays.
• the corner of each supported on a heavy pier
with “ tudor” arches between , and each bay
rooted by a cup shaped dome.
• The piers are short and thickest, composed of
groups of two , and sometimes four plain
square monolithic pillars,an arrangement
implying strength but without elegance.
• The small sections thus formed are covered by
low vaults.
 TYPES OF PILLAR

quadruple pillars
4’ x 4’
Total - 20

double pillars.
2’ x 4’
Single pillars 2’ x 2’ Total - 98
Total-138
Boundary of the courtyard
All over except the courtyard
boundary
Where 4 arch meet and at the corners
• At each intersection of the arcades ,there are groups of nine domes rising from the flat roof.
• There being nine such intersections, there are eighty-one domes and the total is made up,
to eighty-five by the addition of four domes, one over each of the three entrance-gateways
and the fourth over the prayer-niche to the west.
• The gateways and prayer-niche are flanked by sloping towers, similar to those at the Kalan
Mosque.
• The windows in the outer walls are closed by heavy sandstone grilles.
• Hindu architecture is represented by heavy door lintels and by the drip-stones around the
courts supported by lintels on brackets.
• The southern entrance doorway shows a mixture of
arch and trabeated construction: within a decorative
rectilinear frame, a blind ogee arch contains the door
opening (itself a lintel frame with a corbel infill).
• In the interior, bays of arcades signify non-
hierarchical space, and an outwardly projecting
mihrab is found on the western qibla wall.
• The square courtyards, which are enclosed by these
arcades, measure 9.14 meters on each side.
 PRESENT CONDITION OF THE MOSQUE
• The mosque, no longer in use, seems to have been pretty much taken over by bats.
Even in the afternoon, one can hear them squeaking, deep in the shadows of the domes
above.
• Despite the bats and the darkness, this is an interesting (and surprisingly intact)
monument. The solid, plain sandstone grills that pierce the walls on all sides and give
the mosque its name.
• The domes here have fallen in, There were originally eighty-one domes here.
• Though now in a dilapidated condition due to age and neglect, this unique structure still
reflects the architectural proficiency and extraordinary craftsmanship of the ancient days.
AROUND KHIRKI MASJID

• The poorly finished wall and

unattractive fence

• Unorganized electric cables

• No street lighting

• Repair and conservation work is

underway

• The retaining wall and fence present

an unattractive edge.

• Moat area floods during rainy

seasons with water standing for
several days leading to severe
mosquito problem.
 View of courtyard from the terrace

Inner courtyard has a dimension of 25’ x 25’.

And the dimension of courtyard boundary on roof is approx 28’ x 28’
keystone
IMPOSING BASTIONS
GROUP OF 9 DOMES…
LIGHTENING HAD STUCK THIS PART..
PHOTOS OF REMAIN …
KALAN OR KALI MASJID
• Location: East of Nizamuddin Village, near the main enclosure of Nizamuddin’s
tomb
Built by:Khan-i-Jahan Junan Shah

• A typical example of a Tughlaq mosque, Kalan Masjid is known for its good
proportions and simple ornamentation.
• The Masjid is also known by the name of Kali Masjid.
 ARCHITECTECTURE OF KALAN MASJID

• The Kalan Masjid is smaller. The

corridors and the side cloisters are one-
aisled, formed of pointed arches
supported on double stone pillars.
• The square bays are roofed
independently by a cupola.
• The east, north and south sides are
similar except that each one is broken in
the middle to accommodate the
gateway.
• Series of sober pointed arches springing
from stone pillars provide a quiet and
somewhat mysterious atmosphere in the
interior.
• Conical bastions at the corners. tapering
turrets at the quoins of the gateway and
batter on external walls.
• The construction is in rubble and plaster
which seems to have been originally
painted or partly glazed-tiled.
 INTRODUCTION
• Few characteristics like low domes, sloping
minarets and chhajjas of the mosque reflect the
typical Tughlaq style of architecture.
• The courtyard of the mosque is too surrounded by
domed cloisters.
• The entrance of the mosque is from the eastern
side and has a high flight of steps that takes
directly into the courtyard.
• Every fourth step is a bit wider than the other steps
so that devotees especially women can rest and
then move forward.
• The mosque soon got a new name, Kali meaning
black colored by the local population, as initially the
outer walls of the mosque were black in color.
• Built of rubble stone, it is an extensive structure.
• The style is the same as that of the Khirki Mosque,
built at about the same time, in 1380, but has a
single open court;
• the sloping exterior of the walls,
• the tapering towers
• the massive columns of quartzite
• the rough nature of the arches,
• the stones of which are not dressed to fit, but
depend for their stability on the strength of the
mortar—all these points are characteristic of the
period.
• Hindu architecture also had its influence, for
stone lintels are common and the drip-stones are
supported by lintels on brackets.
• There are fifteen low domes over the mosque
proper, arranged in three rows and the same
number cover the arcades—all are true horseshoe
arches, which were prevalent before the bulbous
dome came into fashion in the time of Shah Jahan.
In all there are
22 double pillars.
2’ x 4’
4 quadruple pillars
4’ x 4’
6 single pillars
2’ x 2’

Every single pillar is one slab of

stone placed horizontally and
vertically, to support the
structure
A well kind of a water tank inside the square courtyard of the mosque. It has
a dimension of 22’ x 22’
 SIMILARITIES BETWEEN KHIRKI AND KALAN
MASJID

KALAN MASJID
KHIRKI MASJID

• Khirki mosque and the kalan masjid, both buildings being made more impressive by the
plan of raising the platform the whole structure on a tahkhana, or a substructure of arches.
• These two mosques bear some resemblance with their boldly projected entrances
approached by fine flights of steps, and particularly with their rounded bastions thrown out
of each corner .
• The entire composition having a fortress – like aspect not usually associated with a place of
prayer.
• Both mosque shares the rough, though efficient nature of the masonry throughout.
• The khirki masjid , as also the kali masjid is designed on a cruciform plan, produced by two
main aisles crossing at right angles. The entire area of the mosque is covered except for
four open quadrangle, one in the centre of each of the four quarters.
 WHY A COVERED MOSQUE???
• The tropical sun shone scorchingly on the open quadruple of the Ekangana mosque of
this region and particularly in summer season, rendered the cloisters uncomfortable.
• The believers were requested to take off their shoes and in summer the hot stone
pavement on the courtyard troubled them.
• In the rainy season an altogether open courtyard afforded no protection to the
people who assembled in the mosque for prayer.
• By providing four small courts in the interior with chhajja protecting the arcades on
all sides, he brought the climatic factors under control.
• Now a hot wind (Ion), the most scorching sun or torrential rain would not trouble the
gathering.
• The interior. moreover. would remain extremely cool and comfortable as the cupolas
over square bays ensured. without the loss of light or air .
• There would be no direct glare and dazzle of a tropical sun. The inner courts thus
provided immense comfort in Indian environment.
 THE FAILURE OF PLAN

• The fact that though this plan offered a number of advantages over and above the
conventional plan, it was not repeated after Firoz.
• Tughluq and the builders fell back on the Ekangana plan. May be its spirit did not run
parallel with the spirit of the faith as it amounted to destroying that concept of
mosque which aspires to make it primarily a social forum.
• The innovation also failed in another respect. The whole exterior gives an impression
of strength. which is awesome. somewhat violent.
• Plainly, it looks unaesthetic and does not impart that feeling of beauty which is an
essential quality or an architecture.
 Sources of information

• Islamic architecture by percy brown

• Delhi, lucy peck
• Studies in indian medievial architecture
• internet
THANKYOU