Prayers in the garden

While Ahmed says the name was changed “30 to 40 years ago”,another important source within the mosque tells us on condition of anonymity that the name was changed in the late 1980s-early 1990s. Like its namesake,Delhi’s Babri Masjid “was also built by the Mughals some 400 years ago”,says Ahmed. But,according to the other source,“the mosque was built by Babar and hence the name Babri”. In that case,the mosque would date back further.

Very little is known about Masjid Pandara Road. “Its history is unrecorded. Even the ASI hasn’t been able to get much evidence on it,” says Ahmed. Interestingly,it was once known by yet another name—Bagh Wali Masjid. “It was located in the midst of a garden before Pandara Road was built,hence the name,” says Ahmed.

Masjid Nursery,which houses the mosque,was founded by a Hindu,the late Muuni Lal Saini,in 1948,after his nine-acre nursery in Jor Bagh was “destroyed” in a communal riot. Today,Masjid Nursery,spanning less than an acre,is run by his son Kamal Kishore and grandson Vikram,and houses some 500 varieties of indoor and outdoor plants,seeds,fertilisers and gardening equipment,which it sells to over 200 clients including individuals and companies such as Bharat Petroleum,Sony India,American Express and The Park Hotel. The nursery stands on land owned by the Wakf Board,to which it pays rent.

Within the nursery,a path lined with pots of salvia,phlox,calendula,and pansy lead you towards the mosque. The masjid is sparkling clean,the courtyard has a marble floor and the walls look freshly painted. There’s a room attached to the courtyard,from where the imam leads the prayers. There’s a separate area for ablution and a staircase that leads to the terrace and the dome. On Fridays,says Ahmed,the masjid accommodates close to 1,000 devotees.

But how does the over-400-year-old Masjid Pandara Road look so new? The original mosque was just the room,the terrace and the dome. In 1965,the Wakf,with help from the Saudi Arabian king,laid red sandstone on the bare land surrounding the mosque to create a courtyard. Even ten years ago,we are told,the mosque did look its age. It was a dilapidated structure,with crumbling walls of sandstone and a fountain in the middle of the courtyard. The Wakf removed the fountain,laid white marble over the courtyard and got the walls repaired and painted green and white.