Adhai din ka jhopra is a masterpiece of Indo – Islamic architecture, is located near the Dargah Sharif and consists of a quadrangle cloistered on all four sides. The inside has a front screen wall of seven pointed arches.It is a place of worship for the Hindu jain culture before a mosque was built out of the temple ruins. Originally a Sanskrit college within a temple enclosure. It was destroyed by Mohammad Ghauri and converted into a mosque.
The name, Adhai-din-ka-Jhonpra was given to it in the latter half of the 18th century when fakirs began to assemble here in the times of the Maratthaas to celebrate the URS anniversary of the death of the Pir Panjaba Shah, which lasted for two-and-a-half days, and fakirs residences are Jhonpras(huts), It is because of the that it gets its name. Pillars from at least thirty temples went into the making of this structure, but the screen and arches were added in 1266 A.D. A perfect merging of many religions is evident at Adhai din ka Jhopra, with the main gate having inscriptions in Sanskrit.
The interior of the mosque is more like a Hindu temple, with a main hall supported by numerous columns. Three pillars are placed over each other while the roof is supported on square bays. The columns are of an uncommon design, heavily decorated and quite similar to Hindu and Jain rock temples. Their bases are large, tapering as they gain height. Although the original pillars and the roof of the pre-muslim structure were allowed to remain, many of the original carvings were defaced by the conquerors. Most of these artefacts are now in the local Rajasthan museum, including the panels containing fine inscriptions from two popular Sanskrit dramas, Harakeli Natak and Lalita Vigraharaja Natak.
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