In Pictures: Jama Masjid Comes Alive with Ramzan Fervour

The lanes leading towards Jama Masjid are crowded and the air is filled with a delicious aroma.

A man sits at Jama Masjid.

(Photo: Danish Qazi)

Ramzan, the ‘holy’ month of fasting is the most important period in the Islamic calendar. It is believed that observing a month of fasting from dawn to dusk brings one closer to god.

During Ramzan, the areas surrounding Delhi’s iconic Jama Masjid come alive at night.

Crowds throng to local eateries during sehri at Jama Masjid.

Street vendors sell the Ramzan special delicacy siwaye outside Jama Masjid.  

Eateries remain open till dawn, and people from across Delhi visit the bylanes of the old city, to take in the fervour of Ramzaan.

Devotees offering the morning prayer or ‘fajr namaaz’.

Decorated streets bustling with people during Ramzan opposite Jama Masjid.

Although the shops are shut after the morning prayer, some prefer to spend a few minutes of quiet time inside the mosque even after the prayers are over, for they believe that the Jama Masjid brings peace and solace to the ones sitting there.

People rest around the pool after ‘Fajr Namaaz’.

A woman and her child wait at a sweet shop.

A man reads a newspaper outside one of the many eateries that are open well into the wee hours.

For the young ones, Ramzaan means a few extra hours of fun.

The Jama Masjid in all its glory at the break of dawn.

The festivity is palpable as the day starts at dawn with people offering the morning prayer or ‘Fajr Namaaz’ and having the morning meal or sehri ahead of a full day of fasting, only to be broken at dusk during iftaar.

  A child running to the mosque to offer Fajr Namaz.  

Children playing late at night

  Children running inside the Jama Masjid compound. 

The empty streets post the morning namaaz and sehri.

Children playing gully cricket outside Jama Masjid at dawn.

The excitement starts after midnight. The streets are decorated with silver buntings and orange lamps. The lanes leading towards the mosque remain crowded and the air is filled with a delicious aroma, that is typical to the special month of Ramzan.

A myriad of colours and aromas come together as people prepare for the morning meal ahead of a full day of fasting.

Most agree that the charm of Ramadan’s culinary treats are best enjoyed on the street corners with friends, over a dose of noisy chatter and the hustle and bustle of the street.