Located in the village of Kharera, now Hauz Khas, Nili Masjid is still a functioning mosque. Out of respect for those who were inside, I decided not to photograph the interior.
An inscription over the central arch informs us it was built during the reign of Sultan Sikander Shah in 1505-06 CE, under the governorship of Khan-i-Azam Masnadi Ali Khwawas Khan. In this instance we get all the detail as to who exactly funded its construction :
“The weak, the infirm and the expectant of compassion from the beneficient God, Kasumbhil, the nurse of the generous and great Khanzada Miyan Fath Khan, son of Khawas Khan.”
Kasumbhil was one of a number of women who commissioned some beautiful structures in Delhi. Others include Hamida Banu Begum (Humayun’s Tomb), Maham Anga (Khairul Manazil in Purana Qila), Roshanara Begum (Tomb of Roshanara Begum) and Qudsia Begum (Sunehri Masjid near the Red Fort).
The mosque, built of stone rubble and then plastered, has three bays with a central dome on an octagonal drum. Small decorative minarets are placed at key corners, with conical towers supporting the back of the mosque.
The east-facing facade has some remnants of blue tiles in a band above the central arched entrance, which originally would have extended right cross the structure, so much has been lost. This must have once been quite a striking feature of the mosque, as it is actually named after these tiles – ‘Nili Masjid’ means ‘Blue Mosque’. The courtyard of the mosque forms a small enclosure in front, with two low bastions on either side.
The mosque is one of a few that are under control of the ASI and still used to offer prayers. The resulting pressures exerted on the 500-year old structure are obvious for all to see; air conditioning units fixed into the side arched openings, loudspeakers along the roof, and tube lights nailed to the front facade.
Despite the obvious contravention of rules regarding monuments and heritage sites and the affixing of modern fixtures to the its vintage walls, the mosque still retains a certain grandeur, at least when viewed from the lush, tree-lined square that surrounds it.
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