Controversy over gold-studded Jama Masjid in Aligarh and it's Historical Perspective

 

"Which Indian religious site has the most gold?" When superstar Amitabh Bachchan asked this question to a contestant on the popular television quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati, those watching immediately thought of the Golden Temple of Amritsar, the largest of the Sikh shrines.

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Uttar Pradesh: Jama Masjid in Aligarh made on ‘public property’ reveals RTI, BJP leader demands demolition

According to an RTI application, the Jama Masjid in the Upperkot region of Aligarh district in Uttar Pradesh is built on 'public property.' A Bharatiya Janata Party politician has requested that the mosque be bulldozed, citing the RTI response.

The issue arose after RTI activist Keshav Dev Sharma requested information about Jama Masjid from the Municipal Corporation of Aligarh. The Municipal Corporation responded by stating that the 300-year-old Jama Masjid in Upperkot was built on public property.

Previously, in June 2021, the activist asked the Municipal Corporation for information under the Right to Information Act on a variety of topics, including who owns the Jama Masjid and how much tax it pays.

According to the Municipal Corporation's response to the RTI, the Jama Masjid is not owned by anyone and is constructed on public property. In response, it was emphasised that the Jama Masjid is not owned by anyone. It is built on public property and does not belong to anyone.

Historical perspective of Aligarh Jama Masjid

The Aligarh Jama Masjid is famous not only in India but also throughout Asia for housing the most gold. The Jama Masjid in Aligarh's Upperkot area and the Taj Mahal share many similarities. The Jama Masjid is said to have been built by the grandson of Abu Isa Anfadi, the chief engineer who built the Taj Mahal. The Jama Masjid's 17 domes are solid gold, whereas the Taj Mahal and the Golden Temple are only gold plated. This mosque is said to contains 6 quintals of gold. In addition, approximately 5000 people can sit together and offer prayers in this mosque, and there is a separate area for women to offer prayers.

The Jama Masjid was built during the reign of Kol's governor, Sabit Khan Jange Bahadur, in 1724. It took four years to build and was finished in 1728. The craftsmanship of the Jama Masjid and the Taj Mahal is strikingly similar. There are 17 domes in this mosque. This Aligarh Jama Masjid is the country's first mosque and contains the graves of 73 martyrs of the 1857 revolution. As a result, it is also known as Ganj-e-Shaheedan, or the town of martyrs.