Sardar Khan's Roza Explained

Building Name:Sardar Khan's Mosque and Tomb
Map Type:India Ahmedabad#India Gujarat
Map Size:300px
Location:Jamalpur, Ahmedabad
Coordinates:23.0156°N 72.5838°W
Religious Affiliation:Islam
State:Gujarat
Municipality:Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation
Functional Status:Active
Heritage Designation:Monument of National Importance
ASI Monument No. N-GJ-42 and 43
Architecture:yes
Architecture Type:Mosque and tomb
Architecture Style:Indo-Islamic architecture with Persian domes
Year Completed:1685
Dome Quantity:3+6
Minaret Quantity:2

Sardar Khan's Roza or Nawab Sardar Khan's Mosque and Tomb, is a mosque and tomb complex in Jamalpur area of Ahmedabad, India.

History and architecture

Sardar Khan was a minister of Ahmedabad during Mughal rule. After Dara Shikoh lost the battle of Deorai (near Ajmer) in 1659, he fled to Gujarat and attempted to enter its capital, Ahmedabad. Sardar Khan, however, deposed the governor Shaikh Ahmad Bukhari who had been appointed by Dara Shikoh, and declared allegiance to Aurangzeb. The next year Sardar Khan was appointed fauzdar of Bharuch by the emperor Aurangzeb. In 1662, Sardar Khan was transferred to Idar to stamp out local rebels. From 1664 to 1684, he served as fauzdar of Sorath (Saurashtra), taking residence at its capital of Junagadh. In 1684, he was sent to Thatta in Sindh where he soon died. His body was brought to Ahmedabad and installed in the tomb he had built for himself.[1] [2]

Sardar Khan's Roza was built in 1685. The tomb of Sardar Khan was built of stone and had a marble floor. The mosque was made of bricks situated on high platform, and the façade of the mosque had three pointed arches and two minarets on either side. The minarets were four storeys high, which were octagonal at the base and circular in the upper parts. This minaret had gilt balls on the top and had three large onion shaped domes, while the gateway had two domes too.[3] [4] [5] The tomb and mosque have been encroached since 1884 and are in bad shape now.[1] [6] [7] [8]

Notes and References

  1. Book: India Today. 17. 1992. Living Media India Pvt. Limited. 113.
  2. Book: Commissariat, M.S. . A History of Gujarat: With a Survey of its Monuments and Inscriptions . Orient Longmans . 1957 . II, The Mughal Period: From 1573 to 1758 . 157-158, 169, 170, 183.
  3. Book: Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Ahmedabad. 1879. dastur khan mosque.. Government Central Press. 319.
  4. Web site: Nawab Sardar Khan's Mosque, on the Jamalpur road, Ahmadabad. British Library . 21 December 2014.
  5. News: The story of how architecture in Gujarat got a Mughal touch…. DNA. 26 November 2010. 21 December 2014. Hemang. Desai.
  6. News: Mughal icons decaying in citye. The Times of India. 29 July 2012. 21 December 2014. Paul. John.
  7. News: PEARLS OF PAST: Need Some Elbow Room. The Times of India. 25 November 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20141213193323/http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Layout/Includes/pastissues2/ArtWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=pastissues2&BaseHref=TOIA/2011/11/25&ViewMode=HTML&PageLabel=2&EntityId=Ar00202&AppName=2. dead. 13 December 2014. 7 December 2014.
  8. News: Neglect buries two heritage tombs. Times of India. 22 November 2011. Mehul. Jani. 8 December 2014.