Ek Minar Mosque, Raichur

Ek Minar Mosque, or Ek Minar Masjid is a mosque located in Raichur, in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is listed as a state protected monument.

History
According to the Persian inscription on its threshold, it was commissioned by one 'Ambar in 919 Hijri (corresponding to 1513-1514 CE) during the reign of Mahmud Shah Bahmani.

Etymology
The mosque is called Ek Minar Masjid (lit. one-minaret mosque) or Ek Minar Ki Masjid (lit. mosque of one minaret) due to the fact that it has only one minaret. In Indo-Islamic architecture, stand-alone minarets, such as the Qutb Minar and Chand Minar would typically serve as victory towers, while minarets attached to mosques would be multiplied symmetrically for aesthetic reasons. The stand-alone minaret of this mosque is an exception to this rule.

Description
There is a courtyard in front of the mosque, and two graves are situated here. At their head is a water cistern. The mosque is entered from the south, with the roof of the entrance being supported on eight Chalukyan pillars.

The prayer hall is rectangular, measuring about 40 feet by 30 feet. It has a flat ceiling, and a battlement parapet rises above the roof. The western wall is decorated with verses from the Quran as well as hadith, inscribed in stone slabs.

Minaret
The minaret, for which the mosque is named, is the principal architectural characteristic. It is situated just above the entrance in the south-eastern corner of the courtyard. It rises to a height of about 65 feet and has a diameter of about 13 feet. The minaret is built in a Persian style, very similar to the Chand Minar, as well as the minarets of the Mahmud Gawan Madrasa, both of which are earlier Bahmani constructions.

It consists of two stories, each being provided with windows to let in light and air, and each having galleries girded with stone balustrades. A winding staircase within leads up to the top story of the minaret. The minaret gradually tapers from bottom to top, and is surmounted by a typical Bahmani rounded dome, adorned with floral decorations at the bottom. The dome is topped by a pinnacle with a crescent.