Shopian, July 25: The renovation and preservation work on Jamia Masjid Shopian is going on at full swing.
The refurbishment work, which started a few months ago is being carried out under the supervision of the district administration.
According to an official, the turrets, rooftop and interior architecture of the Masjid is being renovated.
Sprawling over 9 kanal land, the Masjid is second-largest in Kashmir after Jamia Masjid Srinagar.
The foundation stone of the Masjid was laid in 1940 and it took 13 years to complete the structure.
“The Masjid was built out of the local donations only,” said historian Muhammad YousufTaing.
He said that even women donated their golden ornaments for the construction of the Masjid.
“The camels were pressed into service to ferry boulders from the nearby Rambiara,” Taing said.
He said that MoulanaAdbullah Shah, a local cleric, was then the care taker and Waiz of the Jamia Masjid.
“A local committee headed by an affluent businessman Ghulam Hassan Khan was constituted to raise the donations and supervise the construction work,” Taing said.
The turrets of the Masjids are made of Deodar wood while the windows are embellished with geometrical designs. The dozens of wooden columns inside the Masjid give it a magnificent look.
“Our main aim is to retain the original architecture while carrying out the renovation work,” the official said.
He said that the electric work had recently been completed while the renovation work on turrets was going on.
Assistant Commissioner Revenue, Shahbaz Ahmad Boda said that around Rs 75 lakh had been spent on the refurbishment process so far.
“The complete renovation work will cost more than Rs 1 crore,” he said. However, Boda said that the entire amount being spent on the renovation process was out of the Masjid funds.
A few antique decorative lights and benches were also installed outside the Masjid as part of the government’s beautification drive.