With an enormous main entrance and the ability to hold 33,000 worshippers, Srinagar's magnificent mosque, Jamia Masjid, dominates the disputed Kashmir region.

The mosque has been locked for the last two years due to a security crackdown and pandemic. Indian officials regard the mosque as a hotspot for demonstrations and riots that threaten India's regional sovereignty.

For Muslims however, it is a holy spot where they may worship on Fridays and raise their voices for political rights.

The mosque is mostly used for Friday congregational prayers and other special events. However, the mosque is allowed to remain open for only six days a week, Friday not included despite it being the holiest of days for Muslims.

Jamia Masjid was shuttered for 21 years by Sikh overlords in 1819, and it has been subject to intermittent prohibitions and lockdowns for the previous 15 years.

Separatist rallies against Indian control have centered on the mosque in Srinagar's core.

The insurgency has been portrayed by India as Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, which Pakistan denies. The embargo, according to Kashmiri Muslims, is compromising their constitutional right to religious freedom.

A decade ago, popular cries for "Azadi," or freedom, remained embedded in the Kashmiri mentality.
Unarmed uprisings began, with thousands protesting Indian control. 

Bashir Ahmed, a retired government employee who has been praying at the most for over 5 decades, said "There is a constant feeling that something is missing in my life."

Many Kashmiri Muslims have long complained that New Delhi violates their religious freedom under the guise of maintaining law and order.

Altaf Ahmad Bhat, one of the mosque officials said "This is the central mosque where our ancestors, scholars and spiritual masters have prayed and meditated for centuries."

India's constitution guarantees residents' freedom of religion. The state will not "discriminate, favor, or intervene in the practice of any religion," according to the constitution.

Experts claim Modi's rule made life difficult for Muslims before security operations in Kashmir.

The mosque closure reignites fears of suppression for some in Kashmir while some worry that this is only the beginning of their spiritual suffering.