Located in the heart of Indian capital, Jama Masjid is considered one of the largest mosques of India located in Old Delhi. Made of marble and red sandstone, the charm of this structure can only be felt and not put into words. According to historians, this building was Shah Jahan’s last architectural glory. Shah Jahan had also built another mosque of the same in the city of Agra as well. The mosque was built between 1644 and 1658. And quite often, it is also referred to as the Friday Mosque. Apparently, the word Jama in Jama Masjid means Friday.
One can use Gate number 1, 2 and 3 for entry access. The gate on the eastern side was initially used for imperial use mainly. The entry to the mosque is free, however, if you want to take a camera inside then, you will have to pay INR 300. There is a separate ticket to climb the 121 steps for which you will need to shell out INR 100. The grandeur of the mosque is such that close to 25,000 people can pray at a time.
If you want to offer Namaz, you can visit the place at specific timings such as 7 am-12 am and 1:30 pm-6:30 pm. The best months to visit Delhi would be from October to March. During this time the temperature remains more or less pleasant and cool. The summer in Delhi is very hot, thus it is best to avoid travelling here during those times.
History of Jama Masjid
It was the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan who built Jama Masjid. It is believed that more than 5000 workers had put their efforts to build the mosque. The construction of the mosque was done under the wazir, Saadullah Khan. As for the cost, it is believed that at that time, the expenses incurred were close to one million rupees.
It is said that after the British victory in the Revolt of 1857, the Britishers had confiscated the mosque and also had stationed the soldiers there. And it is also said that the Britishers also wanted to destroy the mosque as an act of punishment to the city. However, due to the opposition faced by them, the destruction couldn’t be done.
Major Attractions in and Around Jama Masjid
1. Beautiful Paintings
There are many paintings out of which a visitor can have a fairly good idea of the long-gone history of Delhi and its various nuances.
2. Carved Tiles
The carved tiles upon which text is written in Persian, Urdu and other Islamic languages will certainly leave you smitten in more ways than one.
4. Qutub Minar
This is another prominent historical structure to explore. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the astounding architecture of the monument is a subject of contemplation for many.
5. Chandni Chowk
How a person can forget visiting the Old Delhi Bazaars when in the capital? Here you will find a lot of items to shop around - right from scrumptious food and daily life essentials to attire and jewellery.
How to Reach Jama Masjid
To reach here, you will need to cover a total distance of about 1,417, 1,534, 1,879 km from other Indian cities like Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bengaluru respectively. Check out the following details on how you can reach Jama Masjid.
By Air
Deboard at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) and from there take a cab, metro, auto-rickshaw or some other means of public transport to reach your respective destination. To visit the masjid, you will need to cover a total distance of about 18-20 km from the airport. The Indira Gandhi International Airport is well-connected with other Indian airports via direct and connecting flights from other cities.
- From Gwalior - Book Spicejet, IndiGo flights from Gwalior Airport. The airfares start from INR 6,000-7,000
- From Bhubaneswar - Book Vistara, IndiGo, Air India flights from Bhubaneswar Airport. The airfares start from INR 4,000-5,000
- From Guwahati - Board Vistara, Air India, GoAir flights from Guwahati Airport. The airfares start from INR 4,000-5,000
Popular Domestic Flights to Delhi
By Train
Getting a train to the capital city of our country is not hard at all. You can easily catch a train other Indian cities. Tourists can consider deboarding the train at Old Delhi Train station. From there, the masjid is located at a distance of 2-3 km only.
By Road
Travelling via road to Delhi will only add to the list of your fun experiences. It has good road connectivity via roads from nearby cities like Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Amritsar and other cities and districts as well. Depending upon your convenience and budget, you can easily travel to Delhi by your own vehicle, private cab or government/private buses.
- From Amritsar - 449 km via NH44
- From Agra - 664 km via NH44
- From Jaipur - 712 km via NH48
You can plan your trip and create your own route to the city with Adotrip’s technically driven circuit planner. Click here
