Lal Darwaza Mosque
Jaunpur, India
This small mosque is located on the outskirts of modern Jaunpur. It was commissioned by Bibi Raja, queen of Sharqi Sultan Mahmud Shah (1436-1450). It appears to have been a private chapel attached to a palace, which has since disappeared.

The mosque complex, similar to the Atala Masjid, consists of a rectangular prayer hall preceded by a colonnaded courtyard to the east. The courtyard is entered from three gates facing north, east and south. Its eastern portal was named Lal Darwaza (The Red Portal) following its red sandstone construction.

The single-story colonnade of the courtyard is two bays deep. The mosque prayer hall is built on a plinth. A set of steps leads up to its main portal, it is close to fifteen meters in height. The prayer hall is four bays deep, with an adjoining women's section (zenana). Most of the construction material, including pillars, lintels, brackets and flat ceilings, was appropriated from Hindu monuments.

Sources:

Nath, R. 1978. History of Sultanate Architecture. New Delhi, Abhinav Publications, 101-102.

Williams, John A. and Caroline. 1980. Architecture of Muslim India. Set 4: The Sultanate of Jaunpur, about 1360-1480. Santa Barbara, California: Visual Education, Inc.
Location
Jaunpur, India
Images & Videos
Events
1450
Style Periods
Variant Names
Red Portal mosque
Variant
Building Usages
religious