Shahi Jama Masjid (Urdu: شاہی جامع مسجد) is the oldest surviving Mughal-era mosque in South Asia.

[10] Scholars have noted a high degree of similarity with the Sharqi architecture of Jaunpur, especially in the usage of stone-masonry—covered in plaster—as the chief building material and the use of iwans; Catherine Asher suggests a reliance on local artisans.

[18][19][a] In 1745, Ānand Rām Mukhliṣ, a Hindu scholar and official of the Mughal court, toured Sambhal and recorded the claim that Hari Mandal had been converted into a mosque.

[22][23] He recounted a line from Sikh Dasam Granth to identify the context of the temple: Mukhlis quoted an inscription on one of the arches saying that the mosque was constructed by Hindu Beg.

He also narrated that the Hindu pilgrims were still coming to a neighbouring tank and bathing in it as it was considered holy, with Brahmin priests and flower-sellers standing by.

[26] In 1770, Aḥmad ʿAlī, a scribe under the employment of East India Company, toured Sambhal and produced an account similar to Mukhliṣ.

[7][31][32] In 1873, Ganga Prashad, deputy collector of the district, noted the mosque to still have the chain for the suspension of a bell,[c] and a passage at the back for parikrama carried out by Hindus.

[d][4] Around the same time, Carlleyle alleged local Muslims to have confessed to him about the extant inscriptions being forgeries and about how they had usurped total control of the site only around 1850.

[36][37] On 19 November 2024, Vishnu Shankar Jain, known for his involvement in the Gyanvapi Dispute, filed a petition in the Chandausi Civil Court arguing that the mosque was built over a 'Shri Hari Har Temple' and asked for an immediate survey of the site.

[39][40][41] On 24 November, there was an attempt at a fresh survey which gave rise to apprehensions that the surveyors were excavating the mosque; stone-pelting and arson followed, resulting in four deaths, likely from retaliatory police firing.