The Jama Masjid is a Sunni Friday mosque, located in Burhanpur, in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. The mosque is a Monument of National Importance.
According to the Sanskrit and Arabic inscriptions within the mosque, the mosque can be dated from the 16th century. It was commissioned by Adil Shah IV, a son of Mubarakh Shah of the Faruqi dynasty. The mosque was built as the royal congregational mosque of Burhanpur, located within the centre of the city. Construction of the mosque began in 1588 CE. Repairs to the mosque were made by the Mughal emperors Akbar and Aurangzeb during their reigns.
The mosque has an open courtyard, with the prayer hall towards the west. The prayer hall is flat-roofed, and has fifteen arched openings on the façade. The main attraction of the mosque are its symmetrical pillars made of special black stone, which was brought from a very far place. The stones were so bulky and heavy that its transportation was costed the king in rate of gold. The pillars were designed in such a fashion that four pillars combined and, when locked at the centre of the meeting point at top, they covered the complete top area and form roof by themselves. The pillars do not obstruct the visibility of the imam standing at the Qibla from the extreme outer façade. A parapet, composed of battlements, runs along the roof. The façade is flanked by two five-storied minarets.
The prayer hall is five bays deep. The mosque has fifteen mihrabs. Over the central mihrab is an Arabic inscription. Over the southern mihrab is a bilingual inscription, with Arabic text on top and Sanskrit text at the bottom. The inscription mentions the inauguration date as 10th of âÂÂpaushaâ [day], âÂÂsamvatâ [month], 1646 âÂÂsakaâ [year], hence, on 5 January 1590 CE. In 1601 an additional inscription was added, in Persian.