Moth ki Masjid

My favourite Delhi story

Moth Ki Masjid is a mosque located in Delhi, and was built in 1505 by Wazir Miya Bhoiya,Prime Minister during the reign of SultanSikander Lodi (1517–26).

It is famously narrated that when SultanSikandar Lodi was on a visit to a mosque in the vicinity of the present location of the Moth Ki Masjid for prayer, he knelt over a grain of moth (a kind of lentil), which had been dropped by a bird. His loyal Prime Minister Wazir Miya Bhoiya, who had accompanied the King, saw the lentil seed and observed that

“A seed so honoured by His majesty must not be thrown away. It must be used in the service of God.”

So he took the moth seed and planted it in his garden for further growth. Over the years, the process of repeated planting and replanting of the moth seeds was carried out. In this process, the seeds multiplied several times.

The Wazir finally sold the rich harvest and earned good money. With the proceeds of the sale he built the mosque after seeking permission from the Sultan to construct the Mosque.

Impressed by the ingenuity of his minister, Sikandar Lodi laid the foundation for building the mosque.