Jamma Masjid

The Jami Mosque (Lat. 250 04‘ 29’’ N., Long. - 870 46’ 46’’ E.) is located about 32 km from the district headquarter Sahebganj and about 480 km from Ranchi, the capital city of Jharkhand. Jami Mosque was built in the last quarter of the 16th century AD by Raja Mansingh, the Governor of Emperor Akbar. It is situated on a high land known as “Hadaf" which is an Arabic term that means the target of Archery butts. Hadaf was part of Rajmahal township where the capital was shifted in 1592 AD from Gaur due to the change of course of the river Ganga and further the population being decimated by some epidemic in 1575 AD.

The Mosque, locally called as Jami Masjid is consisted of a large prayer hall to the west, a spacious courtyard enclosed by a high compound wall with arched recesses on its inner-side, and it has three gateways on the north, south and east, the last being the main entrance with a porch in its front. Originally, the entire buildings measured 76.20 mt x 64.00 mt but over the years its southern portion, its northern portion had collapsed. At present the Ranchi circle of ASI has taken up its conservation, required restoration work is in progress. The prayer chamber of the mosque consisted of a large central hall that looks two storied from outside because of the effect produced by large windows and the continuous parapet below it. The western wall of the prayer chamber consists of several niches with some floral designs picked out in stucco. The architectural features of the mosque are so impressive that a scholar describes it to be a building of “vastly more taste and far surpasses any of the buildings in Gaur...” i.e. present day Bengal.