ASI report on sambhal mosque presented in High Court!
The Archaeological survey of india (ASI) presented its status report in the allahabad High court today (Friday, 28 February) regarding the painting of the Shahi Jama Masjid of Sambhal. In this report, the ASI said that three of its officials had inspected the mosque premises, including madan Singh Chauhan (Joint director General, ASI), Zulfikar Ali (Director, Monuments, ASI) and Vinod Singh Rawat (Supervisory Archaeologist, ASI, meerut Circle).
These officials inspected the mosque on 27 february 2025 along with the Mutawallis (managers) of the mosque. The purpose of the inspection was to see whether whitewashing was needed for the maintenance of the mosque or not. The ASI team said in the report that the original form of the mosque has been changed to a great extent. The floor of the mosque was completely removed and new tiles and stones were installed. The walls of the mosque are covered with a thick layer of enamel paint, which includes gold, red, green and yellow colours. This paint is so dark that the original historical surface is completely hidden.
According to this report, the paint inside the mosque is still in good condition. Therefore, there is no need for whitewashing at present. A light layer of paint on the outer walls is peeling off, but it is not necessary to repaint it at the moment. The main door and rooms are in bad condition, the main structure of the mosque is fine. But the condition of its entrance and back rooms is bad.
ASI said that the main door of the mosque is made of wood, the upper strip (lintel) of which has completely rotted. It should be replaced immediately, otherwise the door may fall. There are many small rooms on the west and north side of the mosque, which are used as warehouses by the mosque committee. The roofs of these rooms have become very weak and the wooden strips are in a state of falling.
Jama Masjid of sambhal is a protected monument
ASI said in the report that Jama Masjid of sambhal is a protected monument. It was declared protected on 22 december 1920 under the Ancient Monuments Protection Act 1904. After this, it was also included in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites Act of 1958.
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