11th century Jain basadi in Vijayapura, ASI sites in Bidar shown as waqf properties

VIJAYAPURA, BIDAR: Amidst the controversy over waqf properties, 43 tourist spots which include historical sites in Vijayapura are listed as belonging to the state waqf board. Among them is the Karimuddin masjid in Vijayapura.

Interestingly, the place was a Jain basadi in the 11th century during the time of Allauddin Khilji. How it became a waqf property remains unanswered. During Allauddin Khilji’s reign, the Mallinatha basadi was ordered to be demolished by his general Mallik Kafur and one Karimuddin was appointed to oversee the site. Upon his death, the place came to be called as Karimuddin masjid.

However, a look at the site makes it amply clear that the building were constructed in Hindu tradition. Now, citizens are questioning how the land came to be recorded as waqf property.

The Solah Khamba mosque in Bidar is also listed as waqf property.

In Bidar too, a group of monuments, protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) at Ashtur, including the Bidar fort of the Bahamani Sultans and the Solah Khamb mosque are shown as waqf properties. Of the 15 tombs in the group of monuments, 14 tombs, the tomb of Amir Barid and Khan Jihan Barid in the Shahi Gardens are also shown as waqf properties.

The Solah Khamb mosque, Bidar’s oldest Islamic building and one of India’s largest mosque built in 1423-24 CE. it was originally Bidar’s principal mosque known as Masjid-I-Jami. The name Solah Kambha derives from the 16 pillars in the middle portion of the prayer hall, according to the ASI.