Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra

Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra in Ajmer is one of the oldest mosques in India. The site was first a Sanskrit college and was turned into a mosque in 1198 to a design by Abu Bakr of Herat, using material taken from Hindu and Jain temples. It is a protected monument, a short walk from the Ajmer Dargah and not far from Ajmer Junction station.

The name translates as a hut built in two and a half days. One story says it was built in that time, though the work clearly took longer; some Sufi writers read it as a reminder of how short life is, and the Archaeological Survey of India links it to a fair that lasted two and a half days. A screen of seven arches carrying Quranic verses fronts the prayer hall, the central arch flanked by six smaller ones in yellow limestone. Inside, rows of carved columns like those of Hindu and Jain temples support ten domes, and Kufic inscriptions cover walls and ceilings around the courtyard.