Religious Harmony - Palayam Juma Masjid

Palayam Juma Masjid or Friday Mosque is the main mosque in the city of Trivandrum in Kerala. Located by a busy highway in the heart of the city the white marble clad rectangular structure has architectural details that are in the Indo-Saracenic style popular in north India. The building is dominated by two soaring minarets on either side of the entrance and a perfect dome in its mid section. Interestingly St. Joseph's Cathedral and Ganapathy temple are found in its vicinity making the area representative of the main religions in Kerala.

The mosque's history dates back to 1813 when a small facility with an open space for Id prayers was constructed to cater to the needs of the Muslims in the British Indian Second Regiment who were stationed in Palayam. It was linked to the military from then on as it was the Muslim officers and men serving in subsequent regiments stationed in the town who bought land, appointed a Qazi, improved the premises and made arrangements for the upkeep of the building. In fact Palayam means a military encampment as the city has been associated with the military for many years.

The present day majestic structure dates to the 1960s when a group of Muslim philanthropists and civic minded people joined together to renovate and update the building which was inaugurated in 1967 by the then President of India Zakir Hussain. The mosque features all the essential components of a congregational mosque and the interior and exterior decoration of this elegant yet simple structure has been kept to a minimum. The cool and serene ambience within is conducive to prayer and contemplation. Palayam Juma Masjid can now accommodate 2000 devotees for Friday prayers among who are a great number of women. Women have been permitted to pray at this mosque for several years. An illustrious scholar who served for two decades as the first Imam of the mosque after its renovation was instrumental in uplifting its status from a small mosque to its present position. Among those buried in the grounds of the mosque is Kamala Das a famous poet and author of India who converted to Islam.

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Maggie Tulliver has published 64 articles. Article submitted on November 15, 2013. Word count: 439

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