The foundation of the historic Sidi Saiyyed Jali mosque in Ahmedabad is rotting, thanks to cat-sized rats that have made it their home. The community has demanded swift action to save the mosque.
As per local media reports, the administration failed to maintain the mosque, which resulted in the rat infestation. The rats have made the foundation of the mosque their home by digging through it and hence the land there has softened leading to weakened structure. The mosque in question is one of the prominent tourist spots in the city and attracts tourists from India and abroad.
Both the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) and the local administration are responsible for its maintenance. There is a garden on the back side of the mosque that has turned into ruins because of a lack of maintenance. The fountain in the garden has also been damaged.
The mosque was built in 1572. The presence of rats in the mosque’s premises was reported last year and in 2018 as well but no action was taken. In a 2018 report, it was mentioned that the problem of rats persisted since 2014.
A caretaker has told Ahmedabad Mirror in 2018 that whenever he filled up old holes, rats would dig up new ones. “It is a pointless exercise,” he said. “We had to put tiles in the Maulvi’s room because the rats had infiltrated there as well. They continue to enter the mosque. I had placed rat poison a few times, but even that did not help,” the caretaker added.
Local activists have demanded that the administration immediately take action to preserve the mosque or it will turn into rubble.
