Early Indian Modern History – Rana Safvi

Aligarh’s Jama Masjid

Rana Safvi — Tue, 06 May 2025 16:53:40 +0000

The Jama Masjid in Upper Kot (Oopar Kot), Aligarh, is a significant historical and architectural monument.
It is located at the highest point of the city, making it a prominent landmark. It is often referred to as Asia’s “highest gold mosque” due to its gold-plated domes and minarets, a feature claimed to be unique among mosques in Asia.
Construction began in 1724 during the reign of Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah, started by Sabit Khan, the governor of Kol. The mosque was completed in 1728, taking four years to build. Its unique feature is that the three main dome and minarets adorned with gold.
Known as “Ganj-e-Shaheedan” (Martyrs’ Colony), it is the first mosque in India to house tombs of martyrs, with 73 graves of ulema (scholars) preserved inside.

Darbar of Guru Ram Rai in Dehradun

Rana Safvi — Sat, 29 Mar 2025 18:41:00 +0000

Ram Rai (1646–1687), the elder son of Guru Har Rai, was born on 11 March 1646 in Kiratpur. Well-versed in sacred teachings and skilled in arms, he was sent by his father to represent him before Emperor Aurangzeb in 1661.
To please the Emperor, Răm Rãi altered a verse from the Guru Granth Sahib, which angered the Sikh community.
Guru Har Rãi excommunicated him, leading Răm Rãi to settle in the Dun Valley, where he established a dera with imperial support.
This led to the name Dehradun.
Despite preaching Guru Nanak’s teachings, most Sikhs shunned him. He met Guru Gobind Singh in Pãonta and died on 4 September 1687.
( information from CONCISE ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF SIKHISM ed by HARBANS SINGH)
His durbar and samadhi were profusely decorated with wall murals and have become a treasure trove of visual history of that period as well as a couple of centuries after that since the mahant’s building was made & painted in mid 19th century.
The wall paintings of Shri Guru Ram Rai Darbar Sahib in Dehradun are a remarkable blend of artistic styles and cultural influences, reflecting the historical and spiritual significance of the site.
On his birthday an annual fair called Jhanda mela is held where a A 27-meter-long sal tree is prepared and wrapped in muslin cloth for the ceremonial flag hoisting at Jhanda Sahib. Devotees tie scarves to the flagpole as offerings for fulfilled wishes.
I was fortunate to be there.
It is also represented in a mural near the entrance of the durbar.

The wall paintings of Shri Guru Ram Rai Darbar Sahib in Dehradun are a remarkable blend of artistic styles and cultural influences, reflecting the historical and spiritual significance of the site. Located in the heart of Dehradun, this Sikh gurudwara, established in the 17th century by Guru Ram Rai, features murals that adorn its walls, domes, and ceilings, offering a visual narrative of the guru’s life, times, and the rich traditions of the region.
These murals are a fusion of Mughal, Kangra, and Rajasthani painting styles, infused with a distinct Garhwali flavor. They were primarily created by Tulsi Ram Mistri, the chief artisan of the Darbar, whose self-portrait can still be seen near the entrance gate.
#dehradun #ramrai #jhandabazar
#dehradun #jhandamela #gururamraidarbar #gururamrai #jhandabazar

Makabbar in the Jama Masjid, Delhi

Rana Safvi — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 15:45:33 +0000

one of the oft overlooked gem of the Jama Masjid, Delhi is the makabbar.
This is the station for the Mukabbir, he who asists the Imam by giving the time by which the various motions in the prayer are regulated., repeating the formula, Allahu Akbar (اللہ اکبر) in prayers.
It is under the central arch & is made of golden sandstone ( sang-e bassi) and marble.
it was in the year 1829 by Mirza Salim, son of Akbar II.
What fascinated me was the marble jali around it which is very similar to the jali around the cenotaph in Taj Mahal.

Allahabad Fort

Rana Safvi — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 15:39:29 +0000

The Allahabad Fort is now an army Ordinance Depot so photography is not allowed, so you have to rely on my descriptions from my various visits to it.
Name:
llahabad or Prayagraj, as it has been recently renamed, has a long and glorious history. It is one of the holiest cities of India and the site of the confluence of the
two sacred rivers, Ganga and Yamuna. The annual Kumbh Mela on the banks of the Ganges sees lakhs of devotees, who visit for taking a holy dip in the river.
It was also the site of Akbar’s largest fort and the capital of his 16 subahs. Akbar’s administrative reforms are very famous and glimpses of many of his revenue and administrative reforms can still be seen in our structures today. One of them was to create 16 subahs of Ilahbas, with Ilahbas as its capital. In 1583, he laid the foundation stone and the Ilahbas fort came up. According to contemporary chroniclers like Badauni, when Akbar was informed about the devotion of the Hindus for the sacred site of Sangam (the confluence of the two holy rivers) and their wish to die there (as death there would mingle their soul with the spirit of God), he instantly decided to rename the place as Ilahbas-the abode of God!
“For a long time [Akbar’s] desire was to found a great city in the town of Piyag [Prayag], where the rivers Ganges and Jamna join, and which is regarded by the people of India with much reverence, and which is a place of pilgrimage for the ascetics of that country, and to build a choice fort there.”
— Abu’l Fazl, Akbarnama
Another reason given for the name Ilahbas is that Ila is actually the mother of Pururavas, the progenitor of the Aila tribe. The Mahabharata mentions the name also as a river (variously identified) or as a king. Vas means abode, so the new city was named Abode of Ila.
Prayag was the name of the area where yagna or pooja was done at the Sangam. Prayag was not renamed, instead, a new city was created.
During the reign of Shahjahan, it became popular as Ilahabad. The British started referring to it as Allahabad, the city of Allah. It became an administrative capital of the British and prospered under them.
Most of the original buildings of the fort have been destroyed as in the case of Red Fort because of its association with the Uprising of 1857, the British disregard for Mughal buildings and desire to make military HQ in the Mughal Forts.
Entrance Gateway:
The gateway was painted by Sitaram in 1815 and has been repainted or restored. it’s still grand but the paint is a bit garish.
There were a few other Gates, the Delhi Gate opening on to the River Yamuna was probably so called because it would have been the river route to Delhi.
According to William Finch, it took 5,000 to 20,000 workers of different denomination over a period of forty years to build the fort.
image 1 : The West Gate of Allahabad Fort by Sitaram 1814, British library.

Image 2: A view of the Allahabad Fort by William Hodges 1787 , British library.

Image 3: A view of the fort of Allahabad, from the Illustrated London News, 1857

Miyan Mir and Mullah Shah with two mystics

Rana Safvi — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 09:10:11 +0000

This remarkable painting from c 1750 shows Miyan Mir and Mullah Shah with two mystics.

The most famous Sufi saints of the Qadriya order in the Indian subcontinent are Miyan Mir (1531/32–1653 CE), Sultan Bahu (1630–1691) and Bulleh Shah (1680–1757).
Miyan Mir preached that there were two paths to finding God. The first was when a devotee was drawn to God himself; the other was through meditation and contemplation under a Sufi saint’s guidance. Dara Shukoh records that one of his disciples claimed that Miyan Mir never slept at night and for several years used only one breath lasting the entire night till sunrise. Even at 80 he was inhaling and exhaling only four times nightly.
You can read about the Qadri ya silsilah and the two saints in my book
In Search of the Divine: Living Histories of Sufism in India

This painting is in @pergamonmuseumberlin

https://bit.ly/3Lzjxnl
@hachette_india
#insearchofthedivine #sufism #sufi #dargah #spirituality #tasawwuf #ishq #silsilah #islam #khanqah #chillahgah #langar #langarkhana #dua #fana #baqa #wahdat #wujood #sufipoetry #qawwali #sufikalam #Quran #marifat #tariqa #haqeeqat