The second-oldest mosque in the world and the oldest in India is situated in Kerala’s Kodungallur. According to a report in Mathrubumi, it is the first mosque in India and the second in the world where Juma prayers were started. This mosque was designed and constructed in accordance with the Hindu art and architecture. Another special feature of the mosque is that it may be the only one that faces east, while all other mosques face west towards Mecca.
This article is based on a writ petition filed by Rafeeque NA and others in the Kerala High Court and the various documents he has presented to obtain a stay order.
Before I lay down the riddle of this dispute, let us understand why this mosque is important. Legend has it that Cheraman Perumal, the king of Kerala who had his capital at Kodungallur, abdicated his throne and accepted Islam. Different stories tell us that the king dreamt of a new moon being split into two. His court astrologers could not give him a satisfactory interpretation. Later he met a group of Arab traders on their way to Sri Lanka. They explained to him the miracle that Prophet had performed (Quran 54:1-5) of splitting the moon into two. He was convinced and decided to embrace Islam.
He divided his kingdom within his various chieftains, so that the kingdom and his subjects remained in safe hands. Then he secretly went to Mecca, met the Prophet and embraced Islam. He stayed there for some time. While returning home, he fell sick and died in Dhufar in Oman. But before dying, he handed over two letters to his friends to be given to his chieftains in Malabar.
The Arabic friends brought home the letter to Kodungallur. Based on this, they were allowed to build mosques in the kingdom wherever they chose. Thus, Malik Bin Dinar from Arabia built the first mosque in India in Kodungallur in 629 CE and was its first Qazi. He later left for Arabia, where he died, as per documents produced by the petitioners. Other legends claim he died somewhere in Kasaragod and his relics are kept in a Malik Dinar Mosque in Thalangara there. It is said the old tombs in the Kabristan, part of this property are that of Habib Bin Malik, the other Arab who came with Malik, and his wife Khumarriah.
It is the saga of this historic mosque. The mosque is not in Arabic style, probably because it was built before mosques had begun coming up. It was constructed in 629 CE. Mecca was captured in December of 629 CE or January 630 AD. So we may say this structure was built even before or around the same time the Mecca was taken over by the Prophet and the famous Mecca mosque was built.
Here is a brief look at the chronology of the current dispute: the Mahal Committee of the mosque applied for renovation of the Cheraman mosque in 2011. The permission was given in 2018 by various authorities. However on October 9 last year, the Kerala Waqf Board restrained the Mahal Committee from going ahead with renovation as it seemed to more rebuilding than renovation. Due to some unknown reasons, the restraint was removed by another order two weeks later.
This is when a general member of the Mahal Committee, Rafeeque NA, filed a petition in the Kerala High Court on December 16 last year, making the government of India the respondent as its archaeological department seemed to have erred, if not deliberately, in trying to remove the heritage tag from the mosque. He had studied the details of the so-called renovation that would mean the destruction of the ancient heritage structure. He claimed that the effect of the proposed construction would result in destruction of the heritage mosque in the name of renovation.
Rafeeque and other petitioners alleged that the earlier orders of the Waqf board and revoked later were contrary to each other. Nor was he informed of the second decision by the Waqf board. The earlier orders said that the work should be confined to repairs and maintenance. “But the proposed plan envisages an underground mosque that will have the effect of de-strengthening of the existing structure. The proposed massive construction is an attempt to demolish the structure and for swindling the public money.”
The petitioners submitted that the mosque is a centuries-old monument and is considered the first mosque in the country. They also noted that it has been renovated thrice — in 11 century CE, then 300 years back and, recently in 1974.
The petitioners contended with enough evidence that the Archaeological Department of Kerala was wrong in stating that the mosque is not a protected monument. According to him, the mosque is part of a larger area declared a protected monument by the erstwhile state of Cochin and under the present law, such monuments are deemed to be protected. The petition said that the ASI had conducted excavations in different areas at the same site and unearthed a number of Shiv-lingas, which are now exhibited in a corner of the site, reflecting the historical and cultural importance of the said land.
The petitioner also contended that certain historical studies reveal that an old Buddha Temple was gifted to the Muslims to establish this mosque. “Hence, any kind of construction on this site requires by that very nature of the land and the secular and diverse cultural blend that the said monumental site holds is to be reckoned. These aspects were never considered by the district administration at any point,” he said. He contended that mere testimony of the locals is not a prudent inquiry to provide approval for such construction in a site with old heritage.
Rafeeque submitted the proposed plan that is altogether a different structure and a different construction, which shows that “it is an attempt by vested interests for a complete rebuilding and eventual destruction of the present historical mosque”. He also goes on to explain that in an area of 11,710 sq. mt., the proposed construction is 1,393.50 sq. mt. Clearly it is a massive construction that required many more statutory clearances that have been overlooked. The exemption sought as per Kerala laws works only for constructions of up to 300 sq. mt. The massive underground structure being planned would definitely require huge mining of soil that would be detrimental to the ancient mosque.
The petition also contends this is an attempt to demolish the ancient structure to construct a new building that would also destroy the ancient Kabristan in the ancient “monumental” site. This would eventually result in destroying the age-old religious practices and rituals of Cheraman Juma Mosque. The petitioners have produced photographs of an ancient Hindu style oil lamp inside the mosque. Locals contend that the custom was to never douse the wick and it was left burning for centuries. The custom was stopped in the 1980s. The Mathrubhumi article of 2008 says Muslims, Hindus and Christians alike would bring oil for the lamp on auspicious occasions in the family.
The puzzling part is why a certain group is interested in the destruction of an important ancient heritage structure? While Muslims all over India wish to maintain every square foot of ancient structures, here is a group of Muslims keen to see the destruction of India’s first mosque, and the first mosque outside Arab lands that represents important Islamic history. It is a tribute of a Hindu king who voluntarily embraced Islam, going all the way to meet the Prophet. Significantly, it is a mosque that doesn’t represent forcible invasion and destruction of native culture and temples, unlike thousands of others. This mosque is, no doubt, an internal matter of Muslims. But considering their stance on other old structures and a different approach in case of a truly historic monument for Islam, the dispute is puzzling and is significant for all Indians.
Disclaimer: The author is a freelance writer and columnist. He authored the book ‘Secrets of the RSS’. Views expressed are personal.
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