The Minarets of the Hilāl Khān Qāzī Mosque, Dholaka
By M. A. Dhaky
Summary
M.A. Dhaky's article analyzes the minarets of the Hilal Kham Qazi Mosque (A.D. 1333) at Dholaka (anc. Dhavalakakka), Gujarat, as the earliest documented examples in the region. Early Islam in Gujarat Islam entered Gujarat peacefully before the 1298 conquest, predating structures in Delhi and Ajmer. Key pre-conquest mosques include Sadre-e-avval Jami at Cambay (pre-12th c., trad. late 8th c.), Apalli (1053 post-Somnath raid), Bharuch (c. 1066), Bhadresvar (late 11th-12th c.), Prabhas-Patana (1264), and Junagadha (1286-87). Vastupala (1220-1235) and Jagadu Shah built masjids; a 12th-c. Vastushastra (Jayaprchha) references "Rahmana prasada" (mosque). Mosque Description Post-conquest survivors include Dholaka's graceful structure (vs. larger Cambay Jami, 1375), with minimal reused temple materials, emphasizing authentic local Islamic style. Features: chaste workmanship, proportional entrance hall, women's gallery grilles. Minarets (17 ft high, 2-3 ft diameter shafts) crown the maqsura's central arch over parapet, symbolic rather than functional (unlike monumental Sultanate types). Minaret Analysis Composed cylindrically in eight parts using Maru-Gurjara terms: bhittis (plinths), pitha (5 mouldings: jadyakumbha etc.), bhumi storeys (fluted janghas, madhyabandha, kapotapali, madalas), prahara, khuracchadya, miniature minar through amalasaraka, candrika, kalasa (ghata-bijapuraka). Hindu elements subordinated by circular form, slenderness, dominant triangular flutings (non-Indian, akin to Wasit Great Mosque, Iraq, A.D. 702-5, via medieval Middle East trade/Islam). Comparative Significance Refutes Burgess/Brown (turrets, indigenous innovation): follows Ajmer (c. 1206), Cambay precedents; ideologically Islamic despite variations. Evolved into Ahmedabad Sultanate minarets (1412-1422, sans flutings, over simulated shrines). Cambay/Mangrola types declined; Dholaka's verticality, Corinthian-like shaft enabled monumentalization, blending symbols.
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Conclusion
The minarets of the Hilal Kham Qazi Mosque at Dholaka represent a unique architectural synthesis where indigenous Maru-Gurjara elements are subordinated to a distinctly Islamic form and ideology. Their cylindrical structure with rare triangular flutings connects Gujarat to a wider Islamic architectural tradition extending to the medieval Middle East. These minarets stand as pioneering examples in Gujarat, symbolizing the early and authentic Islamic identity that influenced subsequent monumental mosque architecture in the Sultanate period, marking a critical juncture in the region’s religious and architectural history.