Mosques of Ahmedabad - Pir Kamal urf Malik Alim ki Masjid

'Are you from USA?', he asked and I was suddenly pulled out of my Saturday early morning semi-nap under the neem tree. I smiled and said no, I live just across the bridge. He was not satisfied and I gave him some more fodder and told him that I am from NID and currently researching the mosques in the area for a series of articles, and suddenly his face lit up. He told me lots about many other similar places around and called the caretaker of this mosque and asked him to help me in all possible ways and show me around. This was great because I got access to places which I would have otherwise not.

The front fascia of the Pir Kamal Mosque

The broken Minarets

A Kite with raw material for build its nest on one
of the minarets

I visited the Pir Kamal mosque with the objective to start the long planned series on the Mosques of Ahmedabad. For me, if there is one thing that I connect with Ahmedabad, its the numerous heritage mosques spread all over the city, and perhaps this could be my tribute to the city which has given me the life as I know it today. So here I start the series with the mosque of Pir Kamal, for the simple reason that its located very close to home and hence easily accessible.

The Minaret again

The old, calm mosque and the busy city just behind it

Needless to say its an old mosque and was out of use for years, till a moulvi decided to restart the services here about 50 years back. There is a small madrassa within the compound, and a school just outside.

There were small girls studying Koran just outside the mosque in the warm sun, some feeling drowsy, some chatting, while most deeply engrossed in the book. My presence made them all either silent or extremely chatty, I took a few of their pictures after asking for permission. None objected, including their teacher close by.

A small boy rushing for his class

Two more girls on their way to the class, more composed

Girls learning Koran in Arabic in the courtyard

The two minarets which once adorned the mosque have long fallen down, much like most other mosques in Ahmedabad. Still four storeys survive, and I got to climb it up. This wont be offered to everyone, but is quite an experience. The city looks beautiful and unusual from top, on one side the calm courtyard of the mosque and on the other side the hustle and bustle of the hectic morning life.

On the way up on one of the Minarets

Prayer area from top

The domes on top

He was the only one offering prayers with me at that time

The divine light...

The intricate carvings on the Minarets, the whole
mosque is covered with such detailed work

This is the only mosque where I used the urinal as well, something which is always present in most mosques, unlike the temples. Needless to say, it was quite a relief! I wish such amenities exist in other parts of the town as well.

Apart from the mosque there are two more places around worth a visit. The first is the Roza of Pir Kamal, right next to the mosque. This is humble structure and lies within the school compound, something similar to NID, I might just add. The other is the mazaar of Pri Kamal, accessible through the narrow lanes of the poor neighbourhood. Once a kabristan (burial ground), its now a small basti with the mazaar in the center. I intend to visit the mazaar again during the annual urs, when musical programmes also happen here.

The Roza of Pir Kamal

On the way to the Mazaar

The care-taker of the Mazaar

The Mazaar inside

An old man selling charpoy inside a bottle :)

The caretaker took me everywhere and introduced me to all. One thing that surprised me was that everyone greeted everyone else, and soon I also started with As-Salāmu `Alaykum (السلام عليكم) for everyone who looked at me and smiled. But it was the women who would come out of their houses and giggle the most. I asked one of them if it was because of my hair, which made her go into another set of uncontrollable giggles. I photographed only a few women, but none objected to the camera. I guess they all believed I was an NRI and hence harmless.

The sun was getting hotter by the time I left, deeply satisfied with the morning and already thinking about the next mosque to visit. Too many thoughts in mind, I needed a chai and newspaper to think further...

Here is a map if someone wants to visit.

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