Hindu Temples: What Happened to Them v2.c19.s3.22

v2.c19.s3.22

An inscription dated AD 1286-87 records the construction of a mosque at Junagadh in the reign of Sarañgadeva. The record invests the name of the builder, Abul Qasim, with high-sounding titles. The titles, observes Z.A. Desai, may be taken to suggest that Abul Qasim, probably an influential merchant conducting business in that part, was associated in some way with the liaison work between the state and its Muslim population. The record also indicates that there was a considerable number of Muslim population residing at Junagadh, which necessitated the building of a prayer house and that some of the Saurashtra ports used to clear the traffic of Haj pilgrims from Gujarat and possibly from outside too.¹¹