ElenaEbersbacher at 23:52, 30 January 2026

2026-01-30T23:52:14Z

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{{Short description|Former mosque and former Hindu temple in Bodhan, Telangana, India}}
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox religious building
| building_name = Deval Masjid
| infobox_width =
| image = Indranarayana Swamy Temple built by the Rashtrakuta King this also called Hundred Pillars Temple at Bodan Nizamabad.jpg
| caption = Partial ruins of the former temple and mosque, in 2020
| image_upright = 1.4
| alt =
| map_type = India Telangana
| map_size = 250
| map_relief = 1
| map_caption = Location of the former temple and mosque in [[Telangana]]
| location = [[Bodhan]], [[Nizamabad district]], [[Telangana]]
| country = [[India]]
| coordinates = {{coord|18.6635|77.8854|region:IN-TE|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| religious_affiliation = {{ubl|[[Buddhism]] / [[Jainism]] {{small|(possibly former)}}|[[Hinduism]] {{small|(former)}}|[[Islam]] {{small|(former)}}}}
| sect =
| festivals =
| consecration_year =
| status = {{ubl|[[Hindu temple|Temple]] {{small|({{circa}} 12th{{endash}}14th century)}}|[[Mosque]] {{small|(14th century{{endash}}????)}}}}
| functional_status = '''Abandoned'''; {{small|(partial ruinous state)}}
| heritage_designation =
| leadership =
| website =
| architect =
| architecture_type = {{nowrap|[[Hindu temple architecture]]}}
| architecture_style = {{ubl|[[Kakatiya architecture|Kakatiya]] {{small|(12th century)}}|{{nowrap|[[Indo-Islamic architecture|Indo-Islamic]] {{small|(14th century)}}}}}}
| founded_by =
| funded_by =
| general_contractor =
| facade_direction =
| groundbreaking =
| year_completed = {{circa|12th century}} [[Common Era|CE]]; [[Kakatiya dynasty|Kakatiya era]]
| construction_cost =
| specifications =
| capacity =
| length =
| width =
| width_nave =
| height_max =
| dome_quantity = 12
| dome_height_outer =
| dome_height_inner =
| dome_dia_outer =
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| inscriptions = Several
| materials = Stone
| designated =
| module = {{Infobox historic site
| embed = yes
| designation1 = | designation1_offname = | designation1_type = | designation1_criteria = | designation1_date = | delisted1_date = | designation1_partof = | designation1_number = | designation1_free1name = | designation1_free1value = | designation1_free2name = | designation1_free2value = | designation1_free3name = | designation1_free3value = }}
}}
Bodhan is home to an ancient historical monument locally known as the Vanda Stambhala Gudi (“Hundred-pillared temple”), located in the Udmeer Gally area of the town. This site, now referred to as Deva Masjid, was originally been The ''Indranarayana Swamy Temple ( Hindu Temple)'' constructed in the 12th–13th century during the Kakatiya era. The pillared hall — noted for its numerous stone pillars — remains a prominent feature and is the reason for its local name. It was later converted into a mosque in the 14th century during the Delhi Sultanate period under Muhammad bin '''Tughluq’s expansion'''. The site is listed as a state protected monument under the Telangana Heritage Act.

== History ==
The temple was constructed in the late 12th or early 13th century, during the reign of the [[Kakatiya dynasty|Kakatiya]] kingdom.{{sfn|Eaton|2011|p=180}} [[Ghulam Yazdani]] posits that it might have been a [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] or [[Jainism|Jain]] temple before being used as Hindu temple, based on the imagery of all three religions being found in and around the temple.{{Sfn|Yazdani|1916|p=3}}

In the 14th century, the region was invaded and taken over by [[Muhammad bin Tughluq|Ulugh Khan]], a general of the [[Delhi Sultanate]], who would later become its [[sultan]]. In 1323, Ulugh Khan encamped in [[Bodhan]], and a contemporary account by [[Abdul Malik Isami]] mentions that he laid siege to the fort of Bodhan for approximately two to three months. The report further states that the chief of Bodhan surrendered, converted to [[Islam]] with his family, and was granted amnesty.{{sfn|Eaton|2011|p=183}} The style of the mosque does not correspond with other [[Tughluq dynasty#Architecture|Tughluq architecture]] of the Deccan. [[Richard M. Eaton]] posited that the chief of Bodhan converted the temple into a mosque himself.{{sfn|Eaton|2011|pp=181–183}}

== Architecture ==
[[File:Indranarayana Swamy Temple built by the Rashtrakuta King At Bodan Nizamabad.jpg|thumb|The pillared hall, surmounted by several small brick domes, served as a pavilion leading to the prayer-hall.]]
The temple had a star-shaped plan, and it was composed of a ''[[garbhagriha]]'' (sanctum), ''[[antarala]]'' (antechamber), and ''[[mandapa]]'' (pillared hall). While the sanctum and antechamber were converted into a prayer-hall, the pillared hall remains almost completely intact, and serves as a pavilion leading up to the prayer-hall. Twelve small [[dome]]s, made out of brick, were added on the roof of the pillared hall. The large number of domes is unusual for Tughluq mosques, and were probably included in order to give the building a more [[Indo-Islamic architecture|Indo-Islamic]] appearance.<ref name=":0" />{{sfn|Yazdani|1916|p=3}}

The pillared hall is divided into nine [[Bay (architecture)|bays]] and contains [[porch]]es in the middle of its northern, eastern, and southern sides. It stands upon a plinth, and is accessible by flights of steps with [[Baluster|balustrades]] on the northern and southern sides.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Eaton |first1=Richard M. |author-link1=Richard M. Eaton |last2=Wagoner |first2=Phillip B. |date=2013-11-01 |title=Power, Memory, Architecture: Contested Sites on India's Deccan Plateau, 1300-1600 |url=https://academic.oup.com/book/27797 |journal=OUP Academic |language=en |pages=50–52 |doi=10.1093/acprof:o |doi-broken-date=July 1, 2025 }}</ref> The prayer-hall is divided into forty-five [[Bay (architecture)|bays]]. The central bay is elaborately carved, and images of [[Narasimha]] can be found at its four corners.{{sfn|Yazdani|1916|p=3}} The western wall was closed up using rubble. A ''[[mihrab]]'' (prayer-niche) is carved into the western wall, and a ''[[minbar]]'' (pulpit) stands to its north.{{sfn|Eaton|2011|p=181}} The building is surrounded by a wall built out of dressed stone, with four entrances facing the four cardinal points.{{sfn|Yazdani|1916|p=3}}

== See also ==
{{stack|{{portal|India|Islam|Hinduism}}}}
* [[Islam in India]]
* [[Hinduism in India]]
* [[List of mosques in India]]
* [[List of Hindu temples in India]]
* [[List of State Protected Monuments in Telangana]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
* {{Cite book |last=Eaton |first=Richard M. |author-link=Richard M. Eaton |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iWNHYID4WqAC&q=deval+masjid |title=Sultans of the South: Arts of India's Deccan Courts, 1323-1687 |year=2011 |publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art |isbn=978-1-58839-438-5 |editor-last=Haidar |editor-first=Navina Najat |pages=180–183 |language=en |chapter=Muhammad bin Tughluq and Temples of the Deccan, 1321-26 |editor-last2=Sardar |editor-first2=Marika}}
* {{Cite book |last=Yazdani |first=Ghulam |author-link=Ghulam Yazdani |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.09372/page/2/mode/2up |year=1916 |title=Annual report of the Archaeological Department of His Highness the Nizams Dominions, 1323-24 F. (1914-15 A.D.) |pages=3–4 |publisher=Baptist Mission Press}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons-inline}}

{{Mosques in India}}

[[Category:12th-century Hindu temples]]
[[Category:14th-century mosques in India]]
[[Category:Former Hindu temples in India]]
[[Category:Former mosques in India]]
[[Category:Hindu temples in Nizamabad district]]
[[Category:Indo-Islamic mosques]]
[[Category:Kakatiya architecture]]
[[Category:Mosque buildings with domes in India]]
[[Category:Mosque ruins in India]]
[[Category:Mosques converted from Hindu temples]]
[[Category:Mosques in Telangana]]
[[Category:State protected monuments in Telangana]]

Deval Masjid - Revision history

ElenaEbersbacher at 23:52, 30 January 2026