Khirki Mosque
The Khirki Mosque is a former mosque, now in partial ruins, located in Khirki Village, near Satpula, in South Delhi, India. The mosque was built by Khan-i-Jahan Junan Shah, the prime minister of Feroz Shah Tughlaq of the Tughlaq Dynasty. The former mosque can be approached from Satpula or the seven-arched bridge on the edge of southern wall of Jahanpanah.
The former mosque is a Monument of National Importance, administered by the Archaeological Survey of India.
Etymology
The word 'Khirki' prefixed to mosque is an Urdu word that means "window" and hence, the mosque is also called "The Mosque of Windows".History
and Feroz Shah Tughlaq were intensely committed towards building architectural monuments. Together, they planned and built several tombs, forts and mosques. Telangani in particular, was credited with building seven monuments of unique designs.Constructed in the Jahapanah city, the Khirki Mosque is a novel cross-axial mosque in Tughluqid architectural style. There are no specific inscriptions on the mosque on its construction date, though the name of the builder is inscribed on the eastern gate of the mosque as 'Khan-e-Jahan Junaan Shah'. Therefore, in the absence of "epigraphic and literary" evidence for its provenance, a research study conjectured the year of building by comparing with many other large monuments of this period. It is dated between 1351 and 1354 when Feroz Shah Tughlaq, during his stay in Jahapanah, ordered this mosque to be built as "his pious inaugural contribution to the Capital".
Architecture
The former mosque has a square plan in an area of. It is raised on a plinth of. There are four open courtyards encircled by arcades built with 180 square structural columns and 60 pilasters, which run in north-south direction and divides into aisles. The open courtyards are the source of light and ventilation to the internal prayer spaces.The roof is partitioned into 25 squares of equal size with nine small domes in each square and alternated by 12 flat roofs to cover the roof. The four courtyards provide light and ventilation. The four corners of the mosque are adorned with minarets with three protruding gateways, one in the middle of each face, with tapering turrets flanking each gate. The southern gate, with imposing steps at the main entrance, exhibits a combination of arch and trabeated construction. It has an ornamental rectilinear frame. The turrets flanking the southern and northern gates are circular in shape; the articulation on these gives them a three storied appearance.
The main gate, which leads to the qibla on the western wall, has a projecting mihrab. Above the vaulted first floor cells, ubiquitous arch windows with perforated screens or jalis or tracery, known as "Khirkis", are seen on the second floor. However, the foyer in front of the mihrab is not well lighted since light from the latticed windows on the second floor do not penetrate this space. The approach to the roof of the former mosque is from the east gate, and the view from the roof leaves a lasting impression of the geometrical design of the mosque.
The former mosque's walls are of rubble masonry construction with plastered surface on the outside. The interior walls are bland but provided with traditional carved stone screens. The symmetrically designed admirable mosque is considered one of “the finest architectural compositions of the Sultanate history.” It was considered Firuz Shah's architectural benefaction.
The importance of the Khirki Mosque's architectural elegance was considered a precursor to the intensely metaphorical Mughal architecture, with the Lodhi period's architecture - the Delhi Sultanate's last dynasty - marking the transition.
Restoration
Over the years, a few domes on the north-east side of the mosque collapsed and a few walls were in a dilapidated condition. The roof was on the verge of collapse in many places. The Delhi chapter of Indian [National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage] categorized the monument as "Grade A" in terms of archeological value. It is one of the 43 monuments identified by the Archaeological Survey of India for restoration before the 2010 Commonwealth Games., some conservation works were initiated by ASI inside the former mosque.Delhi heritage experts were concerned by the status of the restoration works of the Khirki Mosque done by the ASI, which converted it into a pink monument as distinct from the lime mortar of ancient times. They pressed the ASI to re-examine the restoration procedures adopted by them for conservation works of Mughal-era monuments. ASI suspended the restoration works of the mosque and held a workshop on the "Use of lime mortar in ancient times" to educate their staff on proper restoration of Mughal monuments.
In 2018, during archaeological works, the ASI uncovered a large number of copper coins on the site of the mosque. Further restoration works were announced in June 2023, and completed in December 2024.