Baburi Masjid
Panipat, India
Named after the first Mughal ruler Babur, the Baburi Masjid is situated within the grounds of the Kabuli Bagh. It bears three inscriptions, two in Persian and one in Arabic, that ascribe the construction of the mosque, a well and a chahar-bagh located near it to Babur in 1527-8 and 1528-9. The inscription on the mihrab dates the Baburi Masjid to 1527-8.

Only a stone gateway in the north wall of the courtyard of the mosque survives. The construction is done in brick with very little stonework. The prayer hall is located to the west. It is a rectangular structure measuring (53.75 x 16.5m). The central aisle is a wide, domed area with three rows on either side. Each row is divided into three bays with a dome over each bay. The central aisle is prominent as it is reminiscent of the high pishtaqs found in Samarkand's mosques. It is quite likely that Babur wished to replicate the architecture of his roots but the architects were unable to capture the character of the Central Asian mosques.

The prayer hall opens into the courtyard through an arcade of ogival arches. At the northwest and southwest corners of the mosque there were octagonal towers topped with domed pavilions. Only one exists as the other has fallen to ruins.


Sources:

Alfieri, Bianca Maria. Islamic Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent. London: Laurence King Publishing, 2000. 186.

Nath, R. The Baburi Masjid of Ayodhya. Jaipur, India: The Historical Research Documentation Programme, 1991. 25, 26.
Location
Panipat, India
Images & Videos
Events
1527-1528/933-934 AH
Style Periods
1526-1858
Variant Names
Baburi Mosque
Variant
Kabuli Masjid
Variant
Building Usages
religious