SSC
The Shah-e-Hamdan Mosque (Khanqah-e-Moula) in Srinagar stands on the banks of the:
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option A — Jhelum river
Detailed Solution
The Shah-e-Hamdan Mosque, also called the Khanqah-e-Moula, stands on the right bank of the Jhelum river in the old city of Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir.
About the Shah-e-Hamdan Mosque:
- It is named after Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani, a Persian Sufi saint from Hamadan (in present-day Iran), who is known as "Shah-e-Hamdan" ("King of Hamadan").
- He visited Kashmir in the 14th century (around 1372-1384) with hundreds of followers and played a major role in spreading Islam in the valley.
- He is also credited with introducing many Persian crafts to Kashmir, such as shawl weaving, carpet weaving, papier-mache and wood carving.
- The khanqah (Sufi hospice) was first built in 1395 by Sultan Sikandar, at the place where Shah-e-Hamdan used to pray.
- It was damaged by fires and rebuilt several times; the present structure dates mainly from the 18th century.
- It is one of the oldest mosques in Kashmir.
- Its architecture is unique: it is built almost entirely of wood (deodar), without nails, in the traditional Kashmiri style, with a pyramid-shaped roof topped by a spire.
- Its interior is richly decorated with papier-mache, painted wooden panels, carved woodwork (khatamband ceilings) and chandeliers.
- Traditionally, women are not allowed inside the main prayer hall.
Other religious places of Srinagar:
- Hazratbal Shrine: on the banks of Dal Lake; it houses a relic believed to be a hair of the Prophet Muhammad.
- Jama Masjid: built by Sultan Sikandar in 1394.
- Shankaracharya Temple: on a hill above Srinagar; dedicated to Shiva.
- Charar-e-Sharif: the shrine of Sheikh Nooruddin Noorani (Nund Rishi), near Srinagar.
About the Jhelum river:
- It rises at Verinag in the Kashmir valley and flows through Srinagar and the Wular Lake into Pakistan.
- It is one of the five rivers of Punjab and a tributary of the Chenab.
- Under the Indus Waters Treaty (1960), its waters were allocated mainly to Pakistan.
Why not the other options?
- ✗The Chenab flows through the Jammu region.
- ✗The Indus flows through Ladakh.
- ✗The Tawi flows through the city of Jammu.
Quick tip
Remember: Shah-e-Hamdan Mosque (Khanqah-e-Moula) = Srinagar, on the Jhelum (wooden, built for Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani; first built 1395); Hazratbal = Dal Lake; Jhelum rises at Verinag.
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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.