Lila Gumbaj Masjid and Kamani Masjid : Because stories matter…
We all love stories. From little kids to golden agers … We are all about stories around us. What are the movies? …What are the fictions? What are our Ramayana and Mahabharata?… What are the past incidents that we proudly say to our kids… Our childhood mistakes to our collage pranks… Our past becomes our stories for our future.
We humans have learned to make and tell stories even before reading and writing skills. Father tells stories to his son about his childhood in his native country, and mother tells her daughter stories about her while doing oil Champi in her hair. These stories run from generation to generation, forming the culture and passing family values. These stories form us. They define us. They shape us and make us. Bedtime stories and stories during long drives. Stories we made for our parents, so they don’t worry to the stories we tell our friends who live far away. Stories of siblings to stories of cousins. Stories with Maggi at night out to stories with chai on a rainy day. Stories keep us grounded and close to our roots and give us wings to fly… They let our imagination go to places we never dream of visiting.
And suddenly, why am I telling all about stories? Because this Sunday, we visited places with so many stories to tell and made stories about these places along the way. We thought, what must it be like living here in that era? Were these places open to the public, or were they only for royal people? Were they built by different dynasties, or by the same king? We all made other stories. Stories of the past, present, and future too. They were two archeological sites which turned out to be a 2.5 km walk and lots and lots of stories!
We are talking about beautiful monuments in Champaner. Kamani Masjid and Lila Gumbaj Masjid.
Both have beautifully carved pillars with fantastic symmetry. Lila Gumbaj masjid has a spectacular dome with a fluted design. In contrast, the Kamani masjid doesn’t have a roof. Both have well-spaced pillars with decorated niches. Both have carvings of Kalash with floral motives, which tell us about the Hindu and Muslim harmony of Champaner culture in that era. While Lila Gumbaj looks like a mini version of the more famous , more visited and more immense Jami Masjid, Kamani masjid has my heart. It is a paradise for photography lovers. The play of light and shadow caused by pillars is terrific. You can visit it any time of the day, and it will give you a different picture.
Both Masjids are isolated from the Main Champaner fort, and that’s why you won’t find many visitors there, and you will get your calm and peace. What more can we ask for? And the remaining solemn we will get from the symmetry of these monuments. Among the chaos and disorder of our lives, the symmetry of these structures soothes our minds. It gives us a sense of solidity. We crave this symmetry in the universe, and that’s why though simple but the symmetric architecture of these masjids will provide you with much-needed contentment.
It took us many years to visit these gems near our city. Now you don’t take this long. Go and visit soon.