https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Masjid_AkhonjiMasjid Akhonji - Revision history2026-10-29T03:25:37ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.6https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Masjid_Akhonji&diff=516679&oldid=prevNamVanwagenen: created new info.2025-01-24T16:18:18Z<p>created new info.</p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Mosque in Mehrauli, Delhi, India}}<br />
{{use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}<br />
{{Infobox religious building<br />
| name = Masjid Akhonji<br />
| native_name = مسجد اخونجی<br />
| native_name_lang = ur<br />
| location = Mehrauli, [[Delhi]], [[India]]<br />
| coordinates = {{coord|28.5266810|77.1764680|display=inline|format=dms}}<br />
| religious_affiliation = [[Islam]]<br />
| functional_status = [[Demolished]]<br />
| architecture_type = [[Mosque]]<br />
| architecture_style = [[Indo-Islamic architecture|Islamic]]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
'''Masjid Akhonji''' was a historic mosque located in the [[Mehrauli]] area of Delhi, India. It was estimated to be approximately 600-700 years old.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bakhsh |first=Zenaira |date=2024-02-01 |title=‘How can 800-yr-old masjid be an encroachment?’ Mehrauli mosque demolition confounds historians |url=https://theprint.in/india/how-can-800-yr-old-masjid-be-an-encroachment-mehrauli-mosque-demolition-confounds-historians/1948768/ |access-date=2024-12-17 |website=ThePrint |language=en-US}}</ref> The mosque was a vital religious and cultural site in the area until its demolition in January 2024.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-02-09 |title=Mehrauli: A mosque demolished, and orphans displaced in India |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-68137664.amp |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=BBC News |language=en-gb}}</ref><ref name=":1" /><br />
<br />
== History ==<br />
The exact date of the mosque's construction is uncertain, though it is widely believed to have been built during the [[Delhi Sultanate|Sultanate]] period, possibly under the reign of [[Razia Sultana]] or later rulers. The [[Archaeological Survey of India]] (ASI) listed the mosque in a 1920 catalog of historical monuments. Known for its modest design, the mosque had a three-arched entrance, carved stone pillars, and rubble masonry walls plastered for protection.<ref name=":2">{{cite web |title=Masjid Akhonji: 700-Year-Old Mosque Razed by DDA, Court Asked to Intervene |url=https://m.thewire.in/article/law/masjid-akhonji-700-years-mosque-dda-court/amp |publisher=The Wire |access-date=2024-12-16}}</ref><br />
<br />
== Demolition ==<br />
On January 30, 2024, the [[Delhi Development Authority]] (DDA) demolished Masjid Akhonji. The demolition also included a [[madrasa]] and a [[Cemetery|graveyard]] adjacent to the mosque. The DDA claimed that the structures were encroachments on public land.<ref>{{cite web |title=600-Year-Old Mosque Demolished in Delhi |url=https://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/600-year-old-mosque-demolished-by-authorities-in-delhi/ |publisher=The Kashmiriyat |access-date=2024-12-16}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=700-Year-Old Mosque Razed by DDA |url=https://m.thewire.in/article/law/masjid-akhonji-700-years-mosque-dda-court/amp |publisher=The Wire |access-date=2024-12-16}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mogul |first=Rhea |date=2024-02-15 |title=‘Erasing a part of history’ – What a double mosque demolition tells us about India ahead of crucial election |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/15/india/india-mosque-demolitions-religious-divide-intl-hnk/index.html |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref><br />
<br />
On February 5, 2024, the Delhi High Court intervened after the January 30 demolition of Masjid Akhonji. The court directed the [[Delhi Development Authority]] (DDA) to maintain the status quo on the land where the mosque stood. The mosque's demolition was criticized by the [[Delhi Waqf Board]], which claimed that the action was conducted irreverently, with records and religious texts destroyed, and the mosque's imam left homeless. The court's ruling applies only to the specific land where the mosque existed, not the surrounding areas<ref name=":1">{{cite web |title=Delhi High Court Asks DDA to Explain Mosque Demolition |url=https://scroll.in/article/1058312 |publisher=Scroll.in |access-date=2024-12-16}}</ref><ref name=":2" /><br />
<br />
== Architecture ==<br />
The mosque was modest in size but featured traditional Indo-Islamic architectural elements. Its three-arched facade, intricately carved stone pillars, and plastered rubble masonry reflected the architectural style of Delhi's Sultanate period.<ref>{{cite web |title=Masjid Akhonji: 700-Year-Old Mosque Razed by DDA, Court Asked to Intervene |url=https://m.thewire.in/article/law/masjid-akhonji-700-years-mosque-dda-court/amp |publisher=The Wire |access-date=2024-12-16}}</ref><br />
<br />
== References ==<br />
<references /><br />
<br />
{{Mosques in India}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Mehrauli]]<br />
[[Category:Destroyed mosques]]<br />
[[Category:Buildings and structures demolished in 2024]]<br />
[[Category:Former mosques in India]]<br />
[[Category:Demolished buildings and structures in India]]</div>NamVanwagenen