ATALA MASJID1. Built by Shams-ud-Din Ibrahim in A.D. 1408 on the foundation built by Firuz Shah Tughlaq 30 years before.2. Built on the site of the Atala Devi temple whose materials along with those of other temples were used in its construction.3. Provided the model on which all future mosques of the style would be based.4. The mosque consists of a square courtyard of 177' side with cloisters on 3 sides and the sanctuary on the fourth (western) side. Entire mosque is a square of 258' side.

Cloisters

1. Cloisters are spacious, being 42' across and divided into 5 aisles.2. The cloisters rise up to 2 storeys.3. Two aisles of the lower storey are formed into a series of cells with a pillared verandah facing the street to provide accommodation to visitors and merchants.4. There are 3 entrance gateways, one in the centre of each cloister, with the northern and southern ones surmounted by domes.

Sanctuary

1. In the centre of the sanctuary facade, the entrance to the nave is articulated by a lofty pylon, 75' high and 55' wide at the base.2. The pylon houses an 11' deep arched recess which contains the entrance doorway to the sanctuary nave and the windows which light it.3. This arched pylon is the main theme of the structure (and the style as a whole), being repeated by smaller pylons on either side of the central one and also on the gateways in the cloisters.4. The interior of the sanctuary consists of a central nave of 35' X 30' with pillared transepts on either side. The nave is roofed high up by a hemispherical dome.5. The interior nave is vertically divided into three parts. The first level consists of 3mihrabsand a high pulpit with arched openings to the transepts forming the sides of the room. The second level consists of 8 decorated arches, out of which 4 are squinches, turning the room into an octagon. The third level has a bracket in each corner turning the room into a 16 sided structure. Each side contains an arch, thus creating an arcaded triforium which supports the dome.6. The dome is 57' high on the inside and constructed by means of circular courses of stone. The exterior is covered with a layer of cement to give it a spherical curve.7. Each transept is a pillared hall with an octagonal bay in the centre roofed by a smaller dome. The transept at both ends becomes two storied, the upper compartment surrounded by perforated screens forming azenanachamber for women.

Exterior

1. The rear wall of the sanctuary is worth studying for its treatment.2. Since theqiblaresolves itself into an expansive wall with no openings, architects face a problem regarding the design of the exterior.3. The great plane of this wall is relieved by 3 projections, each corresponding to one of the principal compartments of the interior and coinciding with the domes.4. Each projection has a tapering turret on its corner, with a larger replica in each corner of the building itself.

Atala Masjid is a 15thcentury mosque in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is one of the major tourist attractions in Jaunpur. The mosque delivers the evidences of the times in which it was built. The Atala Masjid is a helpful specimen of mosques, not only in Uttar Pradesh but also in India.The main feature of Atala Masjid is that in spite of being a mosque and built by the Muslims rulers, the Masjid shows a lot of determinants of Hindu architecture. In fact, there is a clear likeness of Hindu style of architecture, in the entire Masjid. The reason for such similarity is due to the fact that the Atala Masjid is located on the site of a temple of Atala Devi. Hence the Atala Masjid, Jaunpur also gets its name from this Hindu Temple. On the other hand, the Begampur Masjid in Delhi is also believed to have influenced the construction a great deal. The presence of inclined walls, niches, the form and structure of beams and pillars, matches the mosques, tombs and other buildings that were built by Firoz Shah Tughlaq and Sultan Muhammad Shah Tughlaq of the Tughlaq Dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate.

The central portico of Atala Masjid in Jaunpur, India has a impressive arch.

Inside, there is a massive hall, which is the main prayer room. The three domes of the Atala Masjid differ in size.

The 'mihrab' which is the niche in the wall of the mosque indicates the direction of Mecca,

the decorations of the prayer room as well as the two-tiered corridors are the other features of Jaunpur Atala Masjid, which are noteworthy.

Some distinct features of the mosque are square-shaped mosque with robust appearanc which is the influence of circular tapering turrets of Tughlaqs resolved into rectangular shape.

On the either side of Maqsura pylon are two identical mini-pylons and 3 separate gateways are also installed in northern, eastern and southern liwan.