Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra

News: An Ajmer court’s recent decision to admit a petition for a survey of the Ajmer Sharif Dargah has sparked calls for a similar investigation into the historic Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra.

Ajmer’s deputy mayor has claimed that the site was originally a Sanskrit college and Jain temple before being converted into a mosque in the 12th century. Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra.

About Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra

• It is one of the oldest mosques in the country, located in Ajmer, Rajasthan. It is also the second oldest completed mosque in North India, after the Quwwat ul Islam mosque in Delhi.
• It was commissioned by Qutabuddin Aibak after the Muhammad of Ghor defeated Prithviraj III (popularly known as Prithviraj Chauhan) in the Second Battle of Tarain.
• The structure was completed in 1199 CE and was further enhanced by Iltutmish of Delhi in 1213 CE.
• It is an example of early Indo-Islamic architecture.

Historical Claims

• The site of the mosque originally had another structure.
• According to Jain tradition, this structure was constructed by Seth Viramdeva Kala in 660 CE as a Jain shrine to celebrate Panch Kalyanaka ( a five-day celebration to mark the five auspicious events in the life of a Jain tirthankara).
• ASI excavations from 1874-75 at the site uncovered a number of inscriptions which referred to a Sanskrit college which was built in 1153 by the Chauhan emperor Visaladeva.
• The original building was partially destroyed and converted into a mosque by Qutb-ud-Din-Aibak of Delhi in the late 12th century.