India during maharaja's reign part 2 Atention part 2 Juma Masjid / The Moorish Mosque This incredible monument was commissioned by the last ruler of Kapurthala, Maharaja Jagatjit Singh Bahadur (1877-1948). For the anecdote, did you know that it is a replica of the Koutoubia of Marrakech? It took 13 years to complete the Mosque (1917-1930), and the construction cost 600 000 INR (or for Indians, 4 lakhs of rupees)! We can remember the participation of artists of the Mayo School of Arts, who decorated the dome of the mosque. Today, it is a national monument, protected by the Archeological Survey of India, and historians see in this sanctuary an illustration of the religious tolerance under the Maharaja’s reign. If you are tired to walk in our beautiful city, stop in the beautiful garden which is located next to the mosque. State Gurudwara: For Westerners, the name of this monument could seem strange. We could find the explication in the Sikhism religion: the holy places of Sikhs always named gudwara. You couldn’t think that this beautiful snow-white temple is initially a red sandstone building. The stone has been painted white next! The sanctuary had been constructed in Indo-Saracenic style. It is consecrated in 1915, under the reign of Revail Singh. It is located in the centre of the city. Mahabharata It is the great Hindu epic and one of the holy books of India. Never was a poem longer in the world: 106 000 verses! According to legend, Ganesh, the elephant-god dictated it to the wise man Vyasa. But historians think that it had been written by different authors between 500 and 200 BC. The epic tells a dynastic rivalry between two families, the 100 Kaurava and the 5 Pandava, who has the same ancestor: Bharata. The families fight for the throne of Hastinapura and so, the domination of the entire world. Despite the mediation of the god Krishna, the war is declared between the two clans. So, Krishna orders to his army to join the Kaurava while he helps the Pandava. Finally, the Pandava win, and slaughter the Kaurava to the last one. In fact, this legend told the first times of Bharata, or if you want… India !