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The 'Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra', one of the oldest mosques in India, is located in:
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Answer: Option C — Ajmer
Detailed Solution
The "Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra" ("Hut of Two and a Half Days") is one of the oldest mosques in India, located in Ajmer, Rajasthan.
About the mosque:
- It was built in the last years of the 12th century, soon after the Turkish conquest of Ajmer, on the orders of the early Turkish rulers.
- It was built on the site of an earlier building, believed by many historians to have been a Sanskrit college (and temple) built by the Chauhan king Vigraharaja IV (Visaladeva).
- Materials, including carved pillars, from the earlier buildings were reused in its construction.
- Iltutmish added a magnificent screen (facade) of seven arches in front of the prayer hall in about 1229.
- The arches are decorated with carved Arabic inscriptions (in Kufic and Naskh calligraphy) and floral designs.
- It is an example of early Indo-Islamic architecture.
The name:
- According to one legend, it was built in just two and a half days, which gave it its name.
- According to another explanation, the name comes from a fair (urs) of two and a half days that was held there in later times.
About the earlier Sanskrit college:
- Some inscribed slabs found at the site contain parts of Sanskrit plays, including the "Harakeli Nataka", a play written by Vigraharaja IV himself.
- These slabs are now kept in the Ajmer Museum.
About Ajmer:
- It was the capital of the Chauhan (Chahamana) rulers, including Prithviraj Chauhan.
- It is famous for the dargah of the Sufi saint Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti.
- It is also famous for the Ana Sagar lake, built by the Chauhan king Arnoraja.
- Nearby is Pushkar, famous for its Brahma temple and camel fair.
Other early mosques:
The Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque in Delhi was also built by reusing materials from earlier buildings.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Delhi has the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque.
- ✗Jaipur and Lahore are not the location of this mosque.
Quick tip
Remember: Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra = Ajmer (built on the site of Vigraharaja IV's Sanskrit college; screen added by Iltutmish; "hut of two and a half days").
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Monuments & Religious Places — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Monuments & Religious Places, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's important monuments, temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras and pilgrimage sites, who built them and when, their architectural styles, and India's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Questions ask who built a monument, where it is located, or which dynasty or style it belongs to. For example, the Qutub Minar was begun by Qutbuddin Aibak, and the Sun Temple at Konark was built by the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I. Revise the UNESCO World Heritage Sites as a list, noting the most recent additions. Practise the monuments and religious places questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.