Masjid Moth

Situated in South Extension Part 2...This monument has been declared to be of National Importance under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological sites and remains,Act 1958(24 of 1958).
This monument is called Moth ki Masjid or Masjid Moth and area around is Masjid Moth village.
Overall this is a good monument to visit but there is NO maintenance at all...
Nearest metro station is green park.

Built in 1505 by Wazir Miya Bhoiya, Prime Minister during the reign of Sikander Lodi of the Lodi dynasty, Moth ki Mosque is a heritage building located in Delhi, and It was a new type of mosque developed by the Lodis in the fourth city of the medieval Delhi of the Delhi Sultanate.

This is very old Mosque.. due to Government ignorance...now dogs are moving inside.....feel very shame and disappointment...Mosque is totally closed .... but door is open...no proper care and security...

I request to local people and government authorities..plz maintain the honor of Mosque and allow people to pary.

A wonderful Architect and very peaceful place. Very few visitors visit here because the location is not prominent and located in between urban society.

Moth Ki Masjid is a mosque located in Delhi, and was built in 1505 by Wazir Miya Bhoiya, Prime Ministerduring the reign of Sikander Lodi (1517–26) of the Lodi dynasty
Very beautiful and peaceful historical place.

Moth Masjid made by Sikander lodi,
That is in between 1483 to 1501.
Second ruler of lodi dynasty of delhi sultanat.

Amazing piece of historical importance... But it is not well maintained now and also praying is not allowed... I'll be glad if praying 5 times a day will be possible there in near future and I'll try my best for the same... It will be worth to secure such a beautiful place and renovate a little so that it will be as beautiful as ever before...

A marvelous monument but least protected

This place is behind aiims campus...and it's an monumental place not maintained well. It has a beautiful infrastructure inside and is open on all week days. Its surrounded by residential area mostly comprising of aiims staff. Anyone searching for accommodation nearby aiims can visit this place....

A protected monument by Archaeological Survey of India ar South ex. The structure is very well intact and standing very firm and tall. Inside it looks like a huge open area for prayers or assembly of saints and people. Around the Masjid is a marker, colony, roads, parks and lush greenary. It is also a famous landmark in South Ex called as Masjid Moth and the colony and residential area built around is called as Masjid Moth village /gaon.

Amazing hidden gem of composite culture where ancient indian and islamic architectural influences are fused together. The entry gate seems to predate the main structure as it does not have an arch. I Need to research this monument a bit.

Moth ki Masjid @ South Extension II
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Moth ki Masjid was built by Miyan Bhoya, a minister of Sikandar Lodhi (1488-1517), who also served Ibrahim Lodhi (1517-26). According to legend Sikandar Lodhi once picked up a seed of moth (grain) from a mosque and handed it to Miyan Bhoya. The latter sowed it in his orchard and the grains it yielded were multiplied by sowing them year after year until their produce yielded a rich sum which was utilised for the construction of the mosque.
This mosque is the best specimen of the Lodhi style. 'It is the largest mosque of that age and its storeyed towers at the rear corners are more suitable adjuncts than the usual slender minarets available elsewhere. Its domes are better spaced, its arched openings are of finer proportions and the combination of white marble, coloured tiling and red sandstone used in its construction is particularly happy.'

[ITDC with Thomson Press (I) Ltd.]

As Afghani Muslim, came to india for treatment of my daughter, on the way to the hospital accidentally i have seen an old Masjid, I became happy and told to my wife lets see the Masjid and pray. I asked the people arroud about the entrance door of the Masjid and they guided me. After entering there, I found it really nice and historical Masjid which is showing the ancient islamic history in india.
Few things that hurted me are; 1)- As islamic principles when a muslim is entering to any masjid he/she should pray there for the respectnes of the masjid, but here we were not alowed ???
India is our freind country which is famouse for the freedom of cultural and relegious issues all over the world and we are proud of it, but this was strange for me that as a muslim i was prohibited from praying !!!

2)- The building of the Masjid is near to be destroyed and need for urgent construction.

3)- children are playing inside the Msjid, dogs are entering and resting there, garbages are accumulating arround the Masjid which is reflecting irrespectivenes to the Masjid.

Recommendations:

* All the Masjids should always be kept open for the prayers and do not prohibit someone who want to pray ! Dialy 5 times prayers must be done in each Masjid whether it is historical or non historical Masjid.

* The Masjid should be reconstructed and kept clean.

Finally, thanks from indian government for paying there attention in this regard.

Very old Masjid which was built during Lodi era. Architecture is awesome but there in no maintenance from ASI side. Day by day walls are demolishing and calligraphies are also vanishing from walls. We should save this! Inshallah

Extremely beautiful mosque
But it should be started for prayer 👍

It is peacefull place where the Muslim religion brothers and sisters pray to his or her God and beside or behind it their is a small market but on Every Thursday seems to have a Thursday morning market by which it become Crowded Place And near the moth ki masjid, India's largest and best government college is named AIIMS.

A Lodi era construction worth a visit. Though it has been declared a protected monument by ASI, but it's negligence is clearly visible. Most of the indians lack sense of history.

Loved to visit this masterpiece of architecture but heart wrenched to see the deteriorated condition of the masjid(mosque) and not holding of prayers despite being a religious place and despite being adopted by the Archaeological Survey of India(ASI).I saw the local people gambling in the main building,some were playing cricket and dogs were roaming inside and the main gate was open despite being declared as protected monument by the ASI.The monument should be conserved and protected at an earliest to its original glory and prayers should he held here just like the Jama Masjid in Old Delhi,so that this rare shouldn't become extinct.

Moth Ki Masjid is a mosque located in Delhi, and was built in 1505 by Wazir Miya Bhoiya, Prime Ministerduring the reign of Sikander Lodi (1517–26) of the Lodi dynasty. It was a new type of mosque developed by the Lodis in the fourth city of the medieval Delhi of the Delhi Sultanate.[1][2][3]The name of the mosque literally translated into English language means ‘Lentil Mosque’ and this name tag ‘Lentil’ has an interesting legend. This mosque was considered a beautiful Dome (Gumbad) structure of the period.
The mosque is now completely enclosed within the modern locality of South ExtensionPart II, Uday Park and Masjid Moth comprising residential and commercial establishments in the urban setting of South Delhi.
It is famously narrated that when SultanSikandar Lodi was on a visit to a mosque in the vicinity of the present location of the Moth Ki Masjid for prayer, he knelt over a grain of moth (a kind of lentil), which had been dropped by a bird. His loyal Prime Minister Wazir Miya Bhoiya, who had accompanied the King, saw the lentil seed and observed that

A seed so honoured by His majesty must not be thrown away. It must be used in the service of God.

So he took the moth seed and planted it in his garden for further growth. Over the years, the process of repeated planting and replanting of the moth seeds was carried out. In this process, the seeds multiplied several times. The Wazir finally sold the rich harvest and earned good money. With the proceeds of the sale he built the mosque after seeking permission from the Sultan to construct the Mosque.[1] Impressed by the ingenuity of his minister, Sikandar Lodi laid the foundation for building the mosque.[5]

Another version of the legend is that Sikandar Lodhi on one of his visits to the area played a prank on his Prime Minister by giving him a gift of a grain of moth (lentil). The Wazir accepted the gift in good grace and instead of throwing it away planted it in his garden. Over the years repeated plantation resulted in a rich harvest that provided a surplus income to the Wazir. Thereafter, the wazir, with the revenue earned from the lentil grains, decided to build a mosque. On completion, he invited the Sultan to visit the mosque and narrated the sequence of events which led to the building of the mosque. Impressed by this unique achievement, the Lodi named the mosque as "Moth Ki Masjid" or the Mosque from the Moth Lentil.
Raised on a high plinth, the mosque has a square layout. It is approached from the eastern side street of village Moti Masjid, through an exquisitely designed gate made of red, blue, black and white coloured sandstones arranged in a neat design (see picture). In particular, the arch of the gateway has a Hindu arch within a Muslim arch.[1][7]

Up the gateway steps, the entry is into a large courtyard of 38.6 m (126.6 ft) width surrounded by walls. Within the courtyard, on the western side is the main shrine or the mosque with the rectangular prayer hall porch, which has a façade of five arched openings. The corners of the rectangular prayer hall are adorned with double storied towers. The towers have arched openings at the rear end of the roof with domed octagonal chhatris(the Cenotophs) on the related walls. The west side wall is provided with tapering turrets that depict a sophisticated outline (pictured).

The Cenotophs were the first of its kind to be built in India and since then these have been replicated in several other monuments, even in the Deccan. There are three impressive domes inside the prayer hall with the Mihrablocated on the west qibla wall of the central dome, which is the largest of the three domes. The Mihrab depicts Quranic inscriptions in flora Nakashi in Iranian design. Turrets project out of the qibla. The central dome is supported on squinches. The domes on both flanks are borne on muqarnas pendentives. Carved panels of red sandstone and white marble and plaster, as well as glazed tiles embellish the walls of the mosque. The overall effect of the Mosque has been best described as:

Moth-ki-Masjid in Delhi was built by Miyan Bhuwa, who served as a minister during the rule of Sikandar Lodi in the 16th century. You will be able to spot Moth-ki-Masjid just behind South Extension Part II, an urban locale in the capital of India in Masjid Moth village.

This mosque will take you aback with the huge red sandstone gateway on the eastern side of the premise. The mosque itself is place on a raised platform. It has three domes, which unravels an important development in the evolution of of Mughal architecture because a dome added a new dimension to the aesthetic and architectural designs of building a mosque.