Aamir, a college student from Lucknow, visits Srinagar for the first time. On the banks of the Jhelum he sees an old mosque built of wood, with a tall spire and carved eaves. It looks very different from the domed stone mosques of his own city, though its prayer niche faces Mecca like theirs. A local teacher tells him that the place is linked with a revered sufi, and that the early sufis followed a path of devotion that differed from the way theologians of their time read the faith. Aamir decides to read more about the building and about those early sufis.
The mosque Aamir saw is often regarded as the jewel in the crown of the existing mosques of Kashmir. Which of the following is correct about it?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → It is decorated with papier mache.
Option (1) It is decorated with papier mache. — Correct. This is the Shah Hamadan mosque in Srinagar. It was built in 1395 and is decorated with papier mache, one of the best examples of Kashmiri wooden architecture.
Option (2) It is decorated with glazed tiles. — Incorrect. Papier mache is right, but the year is wrong. 1609 is the year of the brick Atiya mosque in Mymensingh district, Bangladesh.
Option (3) It is decorated with pietra dura inlay. — Incorrect. The year 1395 is right, but the decoration is wrong. The Shah Hamadan mosque is decorated with papier mache.
Option (4) It is decorated with terracotta plaques. — Incorrect. Both parts are wrong. 1609 belongs to the Atiya mosque, and the Shah Hamadan mosque is decorated with papier mache.
NCERT (2026-27): “5.3 Names for communities … “Built in 1395, it is one of the best examples of Kashmiri wooden architecture. Notice the spire and the beautifully carved eaves. It is decorated with papier mache.” |