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| Jami Masjid |
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History
The Jami Masjid is located in Junagadh which is about 361 km from Gandhinagar, the capital city of Gujarat. The mosque earlier used to be the residence of Ranakdevi who was the Queen of the ruler Rakhengar. The residence was then converted into the Jami Mosque by Muhammad Begada after his conquest of Junagadh in 1470.
Jami Masjid itself is located inside the Uparkot Fort which is situated at the foot of the Girnar Hills. It was built during the Nawabi period. Chandragupta Maurya is said to have constructed the fort in 319 BC. The fort since then has been rebuilt by many kings each one adding his own style of architecture to the fort, resulting in a cauldron of different styles.
The fort, due to its strategic location, is said to have survived about 16 sieges over a period of 1000 years. Even though the monument is close to being in ruins one can still see the presence of the Gujarati style of architecture in the palace turned mosque. The mosque has a very high roof supported by intricately carved pillars which are supposed to be brought from the Chudasama palace. The mosque like all mosques has four minarets placed at the corners of the monument with a large courtyard lying in the mosque complex. The interesting fact about Jami Masjid is that the courtyard used for praying is covered, which is very unusual in Indian mosques.
Jami Masjid is the largest building in the Uparkot Fort. It looks like a shadow of its past when seen from the outside with its walls covered by moss and other creepers, But once on the inside one can see why this is one of the main tourist attractions of Junagadh.
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Best time to visit
The city of Junagadh experiences moderate climatic conditions. The summer months March-June are hot with temperatures hovering around 35 degrees. The winters are mild and the conditions are ideal for visiting the city of Junagadh with temperatures lying around 10 degrees.
The best time to visit Jami Masjid therefore lies between the months of October to March.
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Trivia
The beautiful mosque has 140 pillars that support the ceiling.
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Timing
The mosque can be visited anytime during the day.
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Travel Tools
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