 |
| 1400 year old Cheraman Juma Masjid. beautifulmosque.com |
Islam arrived in India particularly on the Malabar coast
long ago before the Delhi Muslim rulers, owing to frequent visits of Arab
traders who had a monopoly in spice trades with the local rulers.
Prior to that, the local people and the Muslims had been living in perfect communal harmony for centuries respecting each other's customs and religious practices.Considered to be India's oldest mosque, the 1,400-year-old Cheraman Juma Masjid at Methala in Kodungalloor taluk, near Thrissur, Kerala was renovated on June 29,2011 at an estimated cost of Rs 10 crores. It is world's second oldest mosque.
The
Cheraman Juma Masjid in Kodungallur, believed to be the country's
first and oldest mosque ever in recorded history, had to be restored to its original form.
Its management committee was giving final touches to a renovation
project according to Masjid president
P. A. Mohammed Sayed.
The 1400-year-old historical mosque was reconstructed many times to accommodate the increasing number of believers. “The Cheraman Juma Masjid is a cultural monument and it should be preserved it in its original form,” said Mr. Sayed.
The
mosque is believed to have been constructed in 629 AD by Malik Bin
Dinar, a contemporary of Cheraman Perumal.
Legend has it that Cheraman Perumal, the Hindu ruler went to Mecca, met Prophet Mohammed, and at last embraced Islam. Perumal fell ill on the way back from Mecca. Malik Bin Dinar and a few others reached Kodungallur and showed the rulers, the letters written by Perumal about his new religious experience. Dinar and his associates were allowed to construct a mosque. When Dinar, who was the chief priest (Ghazi) of the mosque, left for Arabia, his nephew Habib Bin Malik took over the management of the historical mosque.
 |
| Cheraman Juma masjid. theislamshow webly.com |
Many non-Muslims conduct initiation ceremonies here before sending their children to school. The mosque has an ancient oil lamp that always burns continuously and is believed to be more than a thousand years old. People of all religions bring oil for the lamp as offering. Like most mosques in Kerala, this mosque allows Non-Muslims for prayer.
.jpg)
.jpg)
 in Kodungallur, Kerala){kind=link}