Country’s first mosque ready to welcome all after renovation
629AD structure recreated in tune with its original aesthetics
India’s first mosque and the oldest in the subcontinent is all set to welcome back worshippers and the general public after regaining its past glory and grandeur.
Located at Kodungallur taluk in this central Kerala district, the heritage structure was recreated in tune with its original character and aesthetics, at a cost of Rs114 million (Dh5.67m), P M Noushad, Managing Director of MHP, said.
After submitting the letter of completion to the government, the MHP authorities are now awaiting Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s date to reopen the oldest mosque to visitors.
“It is expected to happen any day. We are waiting for a convenient day of the Chief Minister for the inaugural function. If the Covid-19 situation is completely under control, it may happen within the next two weeks,” Noushad said.
Noushad said they focused more on conserving the existing portions of the old structure and recreate its appearance in the past based on old photographs. “We demolished the additional concrete structure added to the main building in 1974. We recreated the old structure of the mosque with a tile roof as seen in the old photographs.”