Which is traditionally regarded as the first mosque in India?

The Cheraman Juma Masjid at Methala, near Kodungallur in Thrissur district, Kerala, is traditionally believed to be the first mosque in India and one of the oldest mosques in the world. According to tradition, it was built in 629 CE, during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad, by Malik ibn Dinar, an Arab follower of the Prophet who came to the Malabar coast.

The legend behind the mosque:

It is named after Cheraman Perumal, a king of the Chera dynasty.

According to local tradition, the king saw the moon split into two in a dream, and later learned from Arab traders that this matched a miracle linked to the Prophet. He is said to have travelled to Arabia, embraced Islam, and sent letters asking his chiefs to allow Malik ibn Dinar to build mosques in Kerala.

Historians debate the exact date, but the mosque reflects the very early contact between Kerala and the Arab world through the spice trade.

Architecture:

• Unlike most mosques, it was originally built in the traditional Kerala style, like a Hindu temple, with a sloping tiled roof, wooden pillars and carvings, and no domes or minarets.
• It has a traditional brass oil lamp (nilavilakku) that is believed to have been burning for over a thousand years, and people of all religions bring oil for it.
• The mosque was renovated in the 2010s-2020s, and the original Kerala-style structure was restored.
• In 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted a gold-plated replica of the Cheraman Juma Masjid to the King of Saudi Arabia.

Kodungallur (ancient Muziris) was a major port for the spice trade and is also linked to the arrival of Christianity (St. Thomas, 52 CE) and Judaism in India.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque (Delhi) was built by Qutb-ud-din Aibak in the 1190s, the first mosque of the Delhi Sultanate.
• ✗Jama Masjid (Delhi) was built by Shah Jahan in the 1650s.
• ✗Makkah Masjid (Hyderabad) was built by the Qutb Shahi rulers in the 17th century.