The 'Dubai elsewhere phenomenon': 10 photos of the transformation of Kerala's mosques

Villagers in the Indian state are demanding for their traditional mosques to be converted into the modern, spacious and comfortable ones they are used to in their adopted homes

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  Ibrahim Baqavi Omasserry, an imam at the 150-year-old Payurthottam Juma Masjid in Malappuram, says: 'Even Makkah and Madinah have been expanded in a way, so why can’t Kerala’s mosques?' Although villagers have asked to extend the mosque’s size, he says for now, it is already large enough. However, if more worshippers come to the area, Omasserry said he 'will definitely build a modern mosque over the old one'. Photo by Sebastian Castelier

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  Built 600 years ago in Ponnani, a village in northern Kerala, Valiya Juma Masjid is the centre of Muslim identity in Kerala. 'Our mosque is still intact and stands as the real traditional Keralite Islamic architecture. We are the guardian of the Keralite traditions,' Assaqafi says. Photo by Sebastian Castelier

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  The structure of the Ponnani Juma Masjid depicts the traditional architectural style of Kerala. But locals say that the mosques need to be spacious, clean, opulent, gleaming and equipped with air conditioners and a proper sound system. 'Our old mosques offer insufficient space to pray, especially on Friday when people have no other choice than to perform prayers outside overcrowded mosques,' a local tells me. It doesn’t help that, knowing heritage policies protect no more than a handful of mosques in Kerala, committees can decide to refurbish mosques at any time. Panthavoor says: 'We struggle mostly with pro-modernity people.' Photo by Sebastian Castelier

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  The minaret of Mampuram Grand Juma Masjid is under maintenance in Mampuram. Al Bukhari grumbles that only 200 to 300 traditional Keralite mosques are left after thousands have been refurbished over the past 40 years. Panthavoor agrees, saying 'religious and political leaders give no importance to heritage, while a loss in Islamic architecture would erase key elements of Kerala’s history'. Photo by Sebastian Castelier

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  Ponnani Juma Masjid, locally known as the Mecca of Kerala Muslims, was once the centre of Islamic education in Kerala. The structure of this mosque depicts the traditional architectural style of the region. In addition to a shift in mentality among Keralites, a price hike in teak wood that forms the roof structure of traditional mosques has popularised further the low-cost architecture made of cement. Skilled carpenters able to build a mosque that conforms to the Keralite style have also become rarer. 'Only a few carpenters still master the construction of purely traditional Keralite mosques, they have all aged and died!' Sayyid Ibraheem Khaleel Al Bukhari, one of India's most recognised Muslim personalities, said. Photo by Sebastian Castelier

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  Ponnani Juma Masjid, locally known as the Makkah of Kerala Muslims, was once the centre of Islamic education in the Indian state. The structure of this mosque depicts the traditional architectural style of the region. In addition to a shift in mentality among Keralites, a price hike in teak, which forms the roof structure of traditional mosques, has popularised architecture featuring low-cost cement. Skilled carpenters able to build a mosque that conforms to the Keralite style have also become rarer. Photo by Sebastian Castelier

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  Sirajudheen Ahsani is the imam at Thottungal Mosque in Ponnani and he wants to preserve its incredible heritage. 'Traditional mosques have become rarer in Kerala,' Ahsani says. 'Migrant workers who experience modern architecture in Gulf countries wish to enjoy it once back to Kerala, too.' It’s a statement echoed again by Panthavoor, who believes that returning migrants 'look down at old-fashioned mosques because they want to be perceived as modern'. Photo by Sebastian Castelier

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  The Santhanpara Juma Masjid in Santhanpara is locally referred to as a 'modern mosque', as it is made without roof tiles. Previously, traditional Keralite houses were built with reddish-tiled roofs inspired by distinctive local Islamic architecture that is without a minaret. 'Our mosques are designed to survive torrential monsoon rains,' Sayyid Habib Thurab Assaqafi, imam of Valiya Juma Masjid, tells me. Photo by Sebastian Castelier

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  The roof tiles of Thottungal Juma Masjid, built around 1500. Local scholars say Islam was introduced to Kerala by Arab merchants who settled in different ports along the shores of the Arabian Sea. Although Muslims barely account for a quarter of the predominantly Hindu population of Kerala, they are over-represented among migrant workers, accounting for about 40 per cent of the migration flows. Photo by Sebastian Castelier.

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  A Keralite mosque in Iringallur, Kerala. There are no exact figures for the rising number of mosques in the state, but Al Bukhari estimates that about 20,000 are currently active, compared to the 5,000-odd that were operating in the 1970s. Al Bukhari says the mosque-building boom has been fuelled by the generosity of wealthy Keralite migrant workers and rich Arab sponsors. Villager Ashraf Thevarmannil says: \Gulf citizens finance the constructions to be rewarded by God, because any Muslim who builds a mosque will be automatically given access to heaven.' Photo by Sebastian Castelier

Mosque architecture throughout ­Kerala used to be unique to the region, inspired by local houses made of tiled roofs. However, since the 1970s, they’ve taken on a distinctly Gulf-influenced theme.

As millions of Keralites migrate to the ­Arabian Gulf, remittances sent home mean not only has the standard of living in the region increased, but so too has its local Islamic architecture.

Billions of dollars in remittances are sent back to Kerala every year by the 2.1 million Keralites who work overseas, significantly contributing to modernising the state's architecture. But some villagers have taken this one step further, with demands for towns to convert their traditional mosques in to modern, spacious and comfortable ones, locally referred to as Gulf-like mosques, which they have become used to in their adopted homes.

Check out our gallery above to hear more from the people involved in the fight for or against Kerala's Gulf-inspired mosques, and take a closer look at their architecture. 

Sayyid Ibraheem Khaleel Al Bukhari is an imam and prominent voice among Keralite Muslims. He is also founder of the Ma'din Academy, a charitable educational organisation in Kerala. He tells The National: "Those who had migrated to the Gulf imported a new Islamic lifestyle to Kerala after having experienced lavish prayers rooms."

Villagers now want to build minarets, which the older mosques do not have. "The Gulf has become our reference point in terms of architecture. We call it the 'Dubai elsewhere' phenomenon," says Dr M H Ilias, professor at the India-Arab Cultural Centre in New Delhi. Those demands have recently come up against some resistance from those who want to protect the historic architecture, however, resulting in an ongoing row.

Proponents for Kerala’s Islamic architectural heritage have responded by campaigning for the preservation of the old mosques. Faqrudheen Panthavoor campaigns independently against the modernisation of traditional Islamic architecture, and writes on the matter for local newspapers. He says: “Traditions have been weakened by the migration process and newly rich Keralites no longer pay attention to the preservation of history.”

Abubakr Ahmad, general secretary of the Muslim Scholars Organisation of India and president of the Islamic Education Board of India, also weighed in. “We encourage Keralites to preserve our traditional mosques from ‘concrete masjid’,” a spokesperson for Ahmad says. “Unfortunately, there is no awareness among government officials regarding the preservation of our heritage.”

As the debate between villagers keen for change and conservationists continues in the area, The National went to speak to those on both sides of the argument. This photo essay shows examples of both new and old mosques in Kerala, while surveying the views of activists, villagers and public figures. For many, converting the mosques means eroding aspects of Kerala's history, while for others it is a necessary sign of the times. This series offers a snapshot.