Jhulta Minar of Gujarat: Mystery of Shaking Minarets

Jhulta Minar of Gujarat: The Ahmedabad city of Gujarat is centralized with a true representation of Indian architecture and mysterious Minarets which has a lot of scientific theories behind their structural organization and this article is all about that.
Jhulta Minar of Gujarat: Mystery of Shaking Minarets
Jhulta Minar of Gujarat: Mystery of Shaking Minarets

Jhulta Minar of Gujarat: Sidi Bashir (Jhulta Minar) is a mosque in Ahmedabad city of Gujarat. This mosque is believed to be constructed in the year 1511, during the reign of Mahmud Begada.

There also occurred a war between the Maratha and Mughal governors of Gujarat which destroyed the premise and what remain after the war was two arched minarets and a centralized gate known as Jhulta Minar.

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Mystery of Jhulta Minar 

What makes the Jhulta Minar marvellous is the fact that by pushing or pulling on any topmost arch results in the back-and-forth swaying of the other minaret.

Sir Monier Monier-Williams (Surveyor General of the Bombay Presidency)
Sir Monier Monier-Williams (Surveyor General of the Bombay Presidency)

This all happens without any effect on the connecting passage of the minarets. This phenomenon was first discovered by Sir Monier Monier-Williams, the Surveyor General of the Bombay Presidency when he visited the site after the great Kutch earthquake in 1819.

Why minarets Vibrate

How the minarets vibrate without affecting the corridors of the premise is still a mystery to solve. Many scientists have tried to research the architecture and what they found about the minarets is that they were built to protect from earthquakes.

Vibrating minarets of Ahmedabad
Vibrating minarets of Ahmedabad

An Englishman has tried to demolish one of the minarets to demonstrate the mechanics of the Jhulta Minar but failed miserably. The reason for the vibration given by the Englishman was regarding the way the surface of minarets is.

While most of the minarets have plain vertical grooves, Jhulta Minar has horizontal grooves.

Location of Sidi Bashir mosque 

Sidi Bashir mosque is located in the city of Ahmedabad, Gujarat at a distance of half a kilometre away from the railway station of the city.

Sidi Bashir mosque
Sidi Bashir mosque

Jhulta Minar of Gujarat: Best time to visit

The best time to visit Gujarat is between October and March, as the season during this time remains a little cold, which makes the trip a little cozy.

Major attraction near Jhulta Minar 

Shahi Jam-e-Masjid

Ahmad Shah's Mosque, also known as Shahi Jam-e-Masjid was built in 1414 by Sultan Ahmed Shah. Ahmed Shah was the one who gave existence to the Ahmedabad city of Gujarat.

Apart from that, this place also has some beautifully carved stone pillars along with the jaali screens with brilliant symmetry.  

Sultan Ahmed Shah
Sultan Ahmed Shah

Frequently asked questions

Q

Who established the Ahmedabad city of Gujarat?

A

Sultan Ahmed Shah established Ahmedabad city as the capital of Gujarat state.

Q

Why Jhulta Minar vibrates?

A

The reason for the vibration of the Jhulta Minar is the horizontal grooves at its base, which remain vertical in most of the monuments.

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