Ayodhya mosque may be named Masjid Dhannipur

LUCKNOW: The mosque that will be constructed on the five-acre land allotted to the UP Sunni Central Waqf Board in compliance with the Supreme Court verdict in the Ayodhya title dispute case is likely to be known as ‘Masjid Dhannipur, according to board officials.

The land is located in Ayodhya district’s Dhannipur village.

Masjid Dhannipur tops the board’s list of names suggested for the proposed mosque, said an official of a trust set up by the board.

“We are getting suggestions regarding the name of the mosque. But, of the many, the name Masjid Dhannipur tops our priority list. Most probably, the mosque would be named Masjid Dhannipur,” said Athar Hussain, spokesperson for Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF). IICF is the trust formed by UPSCWB to ensure construction of the mosque and other public utility structures on the allotted land.

The specifications and dimensions of the mosque would be decided in the days to come, he said.

“So far, we have only invited applications from architects all across the country to help with the design of the mosque that would be on the Indo-Islamic theme,” added Hussain.

The other establishments of public utility, including community kitchen, an Indo-Islamic research centre, a hospital, museum, school and others, would also have the same theme.

He said the board had maintained its stand since day one that the mosque would not be named after Mughal emperor Babur.

Officials with the board said the board was flooded with suggestions regarding the name of the mosque. Recently, Madariya Sufi Foundation had suggested the mosque be named ‘Sufi Masjid’.

Prior to that, residents of Dhannipur village and others had suggested the name ‘Aman Masjid’ to set an example of communal harmony and brotherhood.