Sambhal: In a significant development, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has officially renamed the historic Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal as “Juma Masjid”. The move comes as part of the ASI’s initiative to clarify the historical identity of protected monuments under its supervision.
A newly prepared blue board bearing the monument’s updated name has been kept at a police post near the mosque and is expected to be installed soon. The board reads: “Archaeological Survey of India Protected Monument, Juma Masjid, Sambhal.”
According to ASI officials, the renaming is aimed at streamlining records and reinforcing the monument’s status as a protected heritage site. “The blue signage makes ASI’s jurisdiction evident while informing the public of its protected status,” said an official on condition of anonymity.
The blue-coloured ASI signboard, which is currently lying at the Satyavrat police outpost, is expected to be installed soon. It will replace an earlier board that bore the name “Shahi Jama Masjid.”
According to ASI counsel Vishnu Sharma, the new signage reflects the mosque’s official name as recorded in ASI’s historical documentation.
“An ASI board was earlier installed outside the mosque but was allegedly removed by unidentified individuals. They had replaced it with a board naming the site ‘Shahi Jama Masjid’,” Sharma said. “The new board has been issued in accordance with the official records, which list the monument as ‘Juma Masjid’.”
The renaming of the mosque, which has long been referred to as Shahi Jama Masjid, is likely to stir further debate over the site’s origins. The mosque, constructed in 1526 by Mir Beg on the orders of Mughal emperor Babar, is a 498-year-old structure mentioned in both the Baburnama and Ain-e-Akbari. ASI records show it has been under the department’s protection and monitoring for the last 104 years.
However, the mosque has also been a point of contention. A Hindu petitioner has filed a suit claiming that the mosque was built over a demolished Hindu temple on the instructions of Babar. Historical documents like the 1913 Mandal Gazetteer mention a prominent Lord Vishnu temple once located near Mohalla Kotpurvi, which no longer exists. These references have also been cited in the ongoing case.
Adding another layer of religious and cultural sensitivity, the Skanda Purana—the largest of the eighteen major Puranas in Hinduism—states that Lord Kalki, the prophesied final avatar of Vishnu, will take birth in Sambhal during the Kali Yuga.