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| Kamal Mosque/ Bhojshala Mandir Dhar,MP en.wikipedia.org |
The Kamāl Maula Mosque, popularly known as the Bhoj Shala, stands in the heart of the medieval town of Dhar in Madhya Pradesh. The monument occupies a site long associated with the Paramara dynasty, especially with King Bhoja (r. c. 1010–1055 CE), under whom Dhar flourished as a celebrated centre of learning, manuscript production and temple architecture. After Malwa was annexed to the Delhi Sultanate in the early 14th century under Ayn al-Mulk Multani, a mosque was erected at the site, likely between 1304–05 and 1331 CE. An inscription dated 1392–93 records repairs by Dilawar Khan, later founder of the Malwa Sultanate at Mandu. Following the death of the Chishti saint Kamal-al-Din (c. 1331), whose tomb lies adjacent, the structure came to be known as the Kamāl Maula Mosque.
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| Kamal Mosque / Bhojshala,Dhar en.rattibha.com |
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| Kamal Mosque / Bhojshala commons.wikimedia.org |
Architecturally, the building is notable for its extensive use of earlier temple materials. The prayer hall contains numerous sandstone pillars of 12th–13th century origin, stacked one upon another to increase ceiling height—a technique also seen at the Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra and the Qutb Minar Complex. The domes are largely trabeate in construction, adorned with lotus motifs and intricate cusping typical of late Paramara workmanship. The mihrab and minbar were later additions, probably installed in the late 14th century during Dilawar Khan’s governorship. A distinctive feature of the complex is the collection of Sanskrit and Prakrit inscriptional panels embedded in its walls and floors, including diagrams illustrating the Sanskrit phonetic system and grammatical rules, some attributed to the reign of Naravarman. A square tank lies in the courtyard, though its antiquity has been debated.
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| inscription on Minbar of Bhojshala |
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| Masjid-Mandir dispute,MP .instagram.com |
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| .instagram.com |
Above image: The 11th-century Bhojshala, an ASI-protected monument is in the center of much debate. Hindus believe it is a temple dedicated to Goddess Vagdevi (Saraswati) but the Muslim side disputes it claiming that it is Kamal Maula Mosque.Kamal Maula Mosque (Bhoj Shala)............
The monument has been the centre of communal claims since the early 20th century, when epigraphic discoveries led to its popular identification as the “Bhoj Shala,” or school of Bhoja, associated with the goddess Sarasvati. While historical records indicate that a Sarasvati temple once existed in Dhar, no definitive idol has been found at the mosque site. The building is officially protected as a Monument of National Importance under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Worship arrangements permit Hindus to offer prayers on Tuesdays and Vasant Panchami, while Muslims pray on Fridays for limited hours, under regulations framed by the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act and the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991.
In 2024, the Indore Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court called for a comprehensive study to clarify the monument’s historical character. The ASI subsequently completed a detailed multi-volume survey, concluding that the mosque incorporates substantial remains of pre-existing temples. Today, the Kamāl Maula Mosque remains both an architecturally significant Indo-Islamic monument and a sensitive site requiring careful administrative balance.
Ref:
Archaeological Survey of India reports (2024); Madhya Pradesh High Court proceedings (2024)Gazetteer of Central India C. E. Luard, 1908);
scholarly studies on Paramara and Malwa Sultanate architecture; .
http://justrippingg.blogspot.com/2019/01/lat-masjid-search-of-pillar.html
https://www.instagram.com/p/DVJh8gTk6Zf/
https://en.rattibha.com/thread/1706344055792394711
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamal_Maula_Mosque
K. N. Jayaraman
 Of Dhar, MP: Mired In Controversy){kind=link}