Jama Palli Mosque

Calicut has a rich Islamic tradition that was mainly because the Arab traders worked along the Malabar Coast and this dates back to the 7th century. The town therefore has many old mosques but one that caught my attention was the Jama Palli Mosque that dates back to the 14th century. This is a single storied structure that can accommodate a whopping 1000 worshippers at a time. This mosque has the largest floor area among the mosques of Kerala and has intricate wood carvings on the ceilings. The wooden walls and ceilings on the interior are carved with verses from sacred Arabic texts and resemble a temple. A distinctive feature of this mosque is the extensive use of wood. There is a circular structure with wood panelling on top and the main hall has amazing illumination. The movable roof seen here is another distinct factor and you can see that this mosque promotes conservation through rain water harvesting. The intricate wood carvings includes lotus and geographic motifs and Arabic inscriptions are also done on the wooden walls and the ceiling rafters.