History of the old mosque
The article from the Ceylon Daily News states the new Mosque would replace the old Mosque believed to have been built by Arab ‘adventurers’ in the 17th Century. Ananda Peiris reiterates “the old Mosque will not be demolished until the new Mosque is ready for prayers.”
“The matter has to be decided upon by the Trustees and other Sufis,” he is quoted as saying.
Obviously, the trustees and Sufis decided to demolish the old Mosque and only the photograph in the paper remains. Its sad end prompted me to trace its history ………… ..
The oldest record is a Cufic (Arabic) stone inscription dating to 949 A.D., retrieved by a Dutch official in 1787 from the cemetery of the Old Mosque in Pettah. This was deciphered by Sir Alexander Johnston in 1806 and the findings submitted to the Royal Asiatic Society of London in 1827. It transpired that it was the tombstone of Khalid Ibn Abu Bakaya, a preacher dispatched to Ceylon by the then Caliph of Baghdad. The preacher had built a mosque and preached the religion to the Arab traders living in Colombo at the time. When he passed away, he had been buried in the cemetery next to the mosque. It appears to be the same site of the present Grand Mosque.
When the first Portuguese flotilla of eight sailing vessels anchored in the bay of Colombo on November 15, 1505, the Commander had spotted two lime-washed mosques on shore. Later they had to compete with the Moors who had been dominating trade in and out of Ceylon for over 500 years. In 1520 the Portuguese launched an attack on the town of Colombo, largely inhabited by Moors of Arabian and Indian descent and the two mosques were destroyed. One was believed to have been on the same site as the present Grand Mosque in Pettah.
Subsequently after Vasco da Gama became Viceroy of India, he was ordered by the King of Portugal to dismantle the Portuguese Fort at Colombo. The garrison and artillery were moved to Goa. Thereafter, a small mosque was rebuilt on the same site of the Old Mosque in 1524.
In 1790 the Dutch East India Company exiled to Ceylon, 23 families from the Kingdom of Gowa in South Celebes (South Sulawesi, Indonesia). Hooloo Balang Kaya from this group settled with his family in Moor Street in Pettah. The small mosque built in 1524 was renovated and enlarged to a two storey structure by his son, Muhammad Balang Kaya in 1820. British Governor Lt. General Sir Edward Barnes had visited the newly built mosque in 1826 and complimented Muhammad Balang Kaya on his excellent accomplishment.
In later years Tuan Baqoos Karawan Balang Kaya (youngest son of Muhammad Balang Kaya) became the Khalifah of this Mosque. The Ziyaram (Shrine) of Baha-Uddeen Baqoos Karavan Voliyullah is in the lower ground floor of the present Colombo Grand Mosque. The shrine has a long tomb with two Meezangal (headstone and a foot stone) surrounded by an ornate balustrade. On top of the balustrade behind the headstone is a gilded Arabic inscription. Most importantly this tomb appears to be the only section within the new Mosque which is older.
Records indicate an additional wing known as the Kanjee Maduwa (Porridge Shed) was constructed in 1897 by I.L.M.H.Muhammad Mohideen. Once the Al Madrasatul Hameedia (Arabic School) was begun on August 31, 1900, this building was used for classrooms. This building is the next oldest after the shrine of the Malay saint and needs urgent restoration.
Therefore, we can assume that the original mosque built by Muhammad Balang Kaya would have been 152 years old when it was demolished around 1972.