Kuttichira Mosques

The Kuttichira area of Kozhikode is what created the present culture of this beautiful city. Calicut which was the place inhabited by the Koyas or Mappilas who are traders have stayed here for centuries. The prosperity of Calicut today is in many ways credited to the people of Kuttichira who traded with the Middle East from the times of the Zamorins. The place was called Thekkepuram during the earlier centuries & the place was named after the widest pond in Calicut - Kuttichira (it actually means little pond). Within the area of palatial houses and pandikasalas are three heritage mosques which have stories of its own and still stand in the Thekkepuram area around the pond welcoming devotees and tourists alike.

Mishkal Mosque
The name of the mosque Mishkal comes from the person who commissioned to build it - Nakhuda Mishkal. The Nakhudas were ship owners who were effluent merchants in Calicut. The mosque was built around the 14th century & has a unique architecture without a single element of Islamic architecture like minarets or domes. The rituals, daily prayers & Quranic Calligraphy is what represents the building as a mosque. The reason for this uniqueness is that when it was time to build the mosque, the local architecture plan available was that of temples, so the same was adopted & the mosque resembles the old temple structures. The mosque was never as we see now as it has undergone many renovations over the centuries. Today the mosque is a 4-tier structure but the earliest record shows this to be a 5-tiered mosque. The mosque has 24 pillars made of teakwood; actually there is a lot of timber used in the construction of the building. In 1510 the Portuguese burnt down the 5th tier & the renovation was completed by Zamorin Raja with the current 4-tier structure. On the third tier one can see the burn marks over the wooden beam and it is quite interesting to know that the Zamorin had to acquire a lot of timber to reconstruct the mosque. It would be quite a sight 700 years ago to see this structure where a 2-storeyed building was a rarity. The thatched terracotta tiles always kept flying off due to the heavy breeze from the sea.

The mosque is a beautiful structure which is set on a stone plinth with four steps. It is said that the granite foundation is equal to the height of the pillars inside the mosque. All around the building one can find semi circular arches which are doors - 50 doors in all & smaller window shaped arches give the structure a beautiful continuous flow or artistic design. These arch doors are what gives the mosque an external look of a mosque. The ground level has the prayer hall which can hold around 400 people & an antechamber with stone walls. The upper tier also is a large hall where more people can be accommodated and in its hay days could easily accommodate over 1000 people together for the prayers. The usage of timber and wood was so much that the upper tier floors are all made of wooden planks which still stand strong. There is a beautifully carved pulpit inside the mosque which has beautiful artistic design with floral designs. On the days of Friday prayers, the kazi preaches from this pulpit while on other days the ceremony is conducted on the floor in front of the mimbrah. The upper tiers of the mosque are unused today but each floor is a grand hall with timber pillars reducing in size as it creates a conical structure. Each tier is double roofed so the actual floors if made today would be around 7 floors. The second floor veranda helps you steal a view to the exterior, as the roof reaches as far as possible beyond the exterior masonry walls, further compressing the already narrow balcony space. Both the third and fourth levels of the building use horizontal latticed screen walls that provide access to views while reducing glare from both the direct and indirect sunlight. The mosque has in its possession some unique items like the sword of Tipu Sultan considered to be granted by him on his visit here, this sword is occasionally used by the Kazi while preaching. The other unseen item is the manchal or palanquin which was said to be used by the Kazi to arrive at the mosque for the prayers in the old days, made completely in timber the interior and exterior is a beautiful work of art. The mosque also houses a drum which was used to make people realise the start of the ramzan month in the old days, the drum even today is used for the same purpose or important occassions and it's sound still is as loud as it did some 400 years ago. The roof framing on the fourth level at the hip roof is perhaps the most unique feature of the building’s timber framing. The three lightening conductors one sees atop the mosque is one the oldest in Malabar as it was needed to place on top of the structure to avoid the mosque getting struck by lightening. It has been recorded that prior to these conductors, lightenings often struck the mosque causing fires as the old structure had thatched roof. Another unique fact about the mosque is that it became the venue for the community to conduct nikahs. 

Today the mosque is part of the Kuttichira Heritage project & it is constantly renovated for better upkeep. It is also important to know that people from all religions are allowed to enter the mosque, but women are not allowed to enter the mosque at all times. Step inside the mosque or walk around the compound to understand the grandeur of this beautiful mosque.

Munchundi Mosque

The mosque considered to be one of the oldest in Calicut built around the 10th century is a beautiful building of two tiers. The name Munchundi has many legends attached to it in respect to its name which in actual dialect means a junction or the place where three small lanes meet. The name has another legend which credits the person who built the mosque. The name of the person was found in the tablet which dates to the 13th century as Shadab Al-din Raihan but the locals called him Muchiyan. He was a wealthy trader & there is a house close to the mosque by the name of Muchintakam. One can also find his tomb called Muchiyante Jaram near the mosque. It is also said that the Zamorins took upon themselves to pay for the upkeep of the mosque.

A tablet which is considered to be from the 13th century was deciphered to a certain extent in the 19th century. The damaged, worn out tablet was engraved on a granite slab in both Arabic & the old Malayalam script of Vattezhuthu. The dialect is worn out as it was not carved into the slab but engraved in the stone which was standard practice in Islamic Inscriptions. The tablet deciphered describes the assignment of revenues accruing from certain lands for the expenditure of Muchundi Mosque which is written in Vattezhuthu & the Islamic part talks about arrangement with the ruler & the mosque builder to take care of provisions for the mosque upkeep. This tablet can still be found inside the compound of the church.

The mosque does not conduct the special noon service on Friday that all Muslims are obliged to attend which is unique to a mosque but it does follow other Islamic rituals. The entire structure stands on a 1.5-metre-high plinth. The double-tiered roof with a decorated gable, the ceiling with floral wood works, the pillars with intricate engravings, and the wooden carvings of animals are all reminiscent of temple architecture, and speak volumes about the Hindu influence in mosque architecture. Inscriptions from the Holy Quran can be seen in the mosque. There are also beautiful elaborate wood craftsmanship in the front courtyard. The prayers are conducted only on the ground floor though there is a second floor.

Jumayit Palli (Jama Mosque)

This mosque, the first Juma mosque in the area is actually the largest mosque in Calicut. The mosque is said to have been built around the 11th century but it was never the way it looks now. The size of the mosque increased due to countless renovations. It's actually the only mosque with a single floor which can accommodate over 1200 people for the daily prayers. Another achievement of the construction is to have the capacity to cover a single floor roof with the largest number of terracotta tiles. Like most of the other mosques around the Kuttichira or Thekkepuram area the use of timber is quite well seen. There is no historic data as to who built the mosque.

Inside the mosque you would find two central courtyards built in the traditional architecture style of Nalukettu which allows rain water to collect in the natural flow manner. The architecture is very similar to traditional temples which were the case during the Zamorins rule. There are doors on all sides on the ground floor & windows on the first floor. There are 3 staircases inside which are made with timber. The main front door has a granite threshold with polished steps & wooden pillars. The mosque is adorned with some beautiful carvings on the roof & sides engraved with verses from the Quran. The beautiful flower patterns on the ceiling are a rarity among mosques built during the old centuries. The oldest Arabic inscription dates back to the 15th century before the Portuguese came to the Calicut shores & is carved on a wooden lintel set in the ante chamber above the doors of the prayer hall. The letters & patterns are in the nakshi script carved with bold letters. At either side of the inscription is a rosette set in a square frame. There is also a text which credits Kwaja Badr al-din who was the son of Al Kanafi to have restored & renovated the mosque in the year 1480. There is also a mention on another inscription dated 1840 that the Mimbrah was painted in gold. There is also an inscription in the building written as Kalikut in Arabic which would make us believe how the people called this place during the Zamorins time. The tomb of Quasi Muhammed is situated in the masjid yard.

-------

All the three mosques in the area takes you back centuries and then bring you back to the present creating an easy connection to people around. Nothing much has changed in the way people are and that may be the reason why this place is a heritage in its true sense.

 

You can now watch the video on YouTube ..