Udupi: Newly-built Jamia Masjid to be Inaugurated on Aug 10
Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (RD)
With Inputs from Media Release
Udupi, Aug 7: Two-century-old Jamia Masjid (mosque), which has been newly-built with spacious prayers halls spanning 18,000 square feet, with a capacity to accommodate 3,000 worshipers at a time, is all set to be inaugurated on August 10.
The inaugural ceremony of the mosque will be held on Friday August 10 at 12.15 pm. An Iftar gathering will be hosted on Friday evening. Hidayatulla Abbas of Uchila will inaugurate, while Moulana Mohiyuddin Jeelani, khateeb of Jamia Masjid will lead the prayer and deliver the Friday sermon. Abdul Riyaz Khan, chairman, Karnataka Wakf Board, Bangalore, K S Mohammed Masood, former MLA, Mangalore, Imran Hidayatulla, CEO, Hidayath Group of Industries, Dubai will be the guests of honour.
Jamia Masjid is the largest mosque in the district, housed in a three-storey building. The basement spans 5,200 square feet, ground floor 6,000 square feet and first floor 4,500 square feet. Bangalore-based Sajjad Associates are the architects, and construction has been carried out by Udupi-based S N Construction.
Plans to reconstruct Jamia Masjid was first mooted 12 years ago. Budan Basha had taken earnest interest in this regard, and a committee of fifteen members was formed to raise funds. The plan was postponed owing to lack of funds.
It was then that NRI entrepreneur Hidayatulla Abbas Ucchila, who has his business in Abu Dhabi, came forward with a proposal to bear a major chunk of the cost. The foundation stone was laid in 2010 and an exquisite structure was constructed. Hidayatulla Abbas put in 90 percent of the project cost, while the rest was pooled in by the mosque committee. Retired tahsildar K Mohammed Saliam rendered praiseworthy service in executing the works, informed committee member Mohammed Moula while speaking to Daijiworld.
Prayer hall for women
A separate prayer hall with a capacity to accommodate nearly 400 women at a time has also been included in the project. A separate access road has been laid in this regard.
'Mayyat Gusul Khana'
Two rooms have been constructed in the mosque complex to prepare mortal remains for burial. One room, known as 'Mayyat Gusul Khana' will serve to bathe the body, while the other, called 'Kafan Khana' will serve to clothe and dress the body for burial.