Sher Shah Suri Mosque, also recognized as Sher Shahi Mosque, is an illustration of the Afghan style of architecture.Sher Shah Suri constructed this mosque in 1540–1545 to commemorate his reign.Built in Afghan architectural style, it is one of the many historic mosques in India and a milestone. There is a tomb inside the complex of the mosque which is enclosed by an octagonal stone slab. But the star attraction of the Sher Shah Suri Masjid is its central dome which lies in the interior of the roof and is surrounded by Four small domes. The unique part of this design is that if you view from any angle there seems to be only three domes.
History of Sher Shah Suri Mosque
Hasan Khan and his father Ibrahim Khan Suri came to India and were awarded jagirs (land lordship) in Punjab. Their fortunes swiveled with that of their masters and later Hasan hurried to Jaunpur and finally to Sasaram. Sher Shah was born in Narnaul and spent his childhood at Sasaram. Early in the 16th century, Sasaram, under Hasan Khan Sur was a part of the Sharqi kingdom of Jaunpur.
In the field of education, Jaunpur district has held a significant position. Students from other countries have been coming here to learn Arabic and Persian. Sher Shah Suri too was educated Persian literature and Arabic in the madrasah here.
Sher Shah Suri is the unique emperor in medieval history. He introduced the ‘Rupee’ or ‘Rupee’ which is the official currency in India, Pakistan and some other states. He is also credited with organizing the postal system and building Grand Trunk Road- from Chittagong (Presently in west Bengal) to Kabul (Afghanistan).Sher Shah Suri, founder of the Sur Empire. The term is from rūpya-, a Sanskrit term for silver coin.In the Maldives, the unit of currency is known as the rufiyaa, which is a cognate word of Hindi rupiya. Both the Indian rupees and the Pakistani are subdivided into one hundred paise (singular paisa) or piece. The Mauritius and Sri Lankan rupees subdivide into 100 cents. The Nepalese rupee subdivides into one hundred paisas (both singular and plural) or four Sukas or two Mohors.Afghanistan’s currency was also denominated in Afghan rupees until 1925, with each Afghan rupee subdividing into 60 paisas. Prior to the introduction of the Afghan rupee in 1891, the legal currency was the Kabuli rupee. Until the middle of the twentieth century, Tibet’s official currency was also known as the Tibetan rupee. The Indian rupee was the official currency of Dubai and Qatar until 1959, when India created a new Gulf rupee (also known as the “External rupee”) to hinder the smuggling of gold. The Gulf rupee was legal tender until 1966, when India significantly devalued the Indian rupee and a new Qatar-Dubai Riyal was established to provide economic stability..
Details about Sher Shah Suri Mosque
Sher Shah was born in 1472 AD. The original name of Sher Shah was Farid. During childhood, he did not get along with his father who had several wives. He ran away and got service under Governor of Jaunpur (Uttar Pradesh) Jamal Khan . His father came to know this and he wrote a letter to Jamal Khan, the Governor of Jaunpur. He requested that if his son Farid (Sher Shah) did not return to him, he may be kept at Jaunpur and given religious training.
Later, Farid Khan joined service under Bahar Khan Lohani, Mughal Governor of Bihar. The title of ‘Sher Khan’ was given by the Mughal governor to Farid Khan in view of his fear of killing tiger single handed. After the death of Bahar Khan, Farid Khan became the regent ruler of the minor Sultan, Jalal Khan. Sher Shah defeated the independent sultan of Bengal in 1534 and got complete control of Bihar. In 1538, Sherkhan attacked Bengal and defeated the Sultan, Ghiyashuddin but could not capture the kingdom. In 1539, he faced emperor Humayun and forced him out of India. At this stage, Sher Khan assumed the title of ‘Sher Shah’ and occupied the throne of Delhi. One of the famous madrasa of Jaunpur . Raji Bibi also erected a madarsa (religious school) in the vicinity and the institution was open to all. Even today, a grand madarsa by the name of Jamia Hussainia functions in the Lal Darwaza complex. Not far from Lal Darwaza is the Sadar Imambara renovated with modern day tiles.
The takeaway
A great emperor who introduced the concept of “rupay” which we still use today built a mosque named after him Sher Shah Suri mosque. You must visit the mosque once you head to Jaunpur.