Ariphil Mosque

The ‘Harano Masjid’, discovered 27 years ago in village Ramdas under Panchagram union Parishad of Lalmonirhat Sadar Upazila still under the ground. It is situated about 15 kilometers south-east of Lalmonirhat town and only two kilometers away from the Rangpur-Kurigram road from Barobari point. The mosque is 21 feet wide and 10 feet long. There are four pillars. Two of them are damaged.

Often, visitors from different places visit the mosque believing that it was made by the followers of the great Prophet. Considering the belief, local people call it Sahaba Keram Mosque. Many historians and researchers claim that it is probably the first mosque built in the sub-continent in the year 69 Hijri of Arabic calendar. The researchers found that the `Harano Masjid’ was built after 61 years of building the Koanta mosque in the Chinese port city of Canton on the bank of the river Koanta in the Hijri year of 8.

Locals said that the ruins of the mosque were first found in 1986 during clearing of the jungle areas there to make the land arable. The area was earlier known as’ Mosder Ara’, locally meaning that a deep forest containing a mosque of ancient times. It was not known to the local people till 1986 that there was a mosque. In fact, they could not comprehend what `Mosder Ara’ really meant for though they knew the place as like as their forefathers. It is now clear that `Mosder’ means mosque and `Ara’ means a jungle or deep forest. The place was a dense and fearful forest for centuries, full of wild animals like tigers, poisonous snakes, foxes and other animals. Nobody entered the jungle till 1986 out of fear, but the locals said that in the course of time the mosque sank into the earth beyond the knowledge of anyone, and a mound developed there under a big `Sheora’ tree, perhaps following an earthquake.

According to the Imam of the mosque Hafez Mohammad Abdul Hamid and some elderly people in the area, there was a very big `Paikor’, tree on about an acre of land there in the jungle covering the whole area of the mosque long ago. Hundreds of families were evicted from their lands during the British period when construction of Lalmonirhat Airport at Lalmonirhat town started for the use of the British Air Force during the Second World War. The evicted families went to the nearby areas of village `Mosder Ara’ for resettlement. In the course of time, the deep forest was gradually reduced in area with construction of houses.

Some people or their forefathers had bought two acres of land including the Ara of the then untraced mosque some decades ago. The very big tree was also sold and the two acres of land were divided into three equal parts among the owners of the land in 1985. The portion of the land containing the untraced underground ancient mosque went to the share of Omar Ali of the village who sold his part to Shamsul Haque. During the clearing of the jungle in 1986, the ruins of an ancient building were found while digging the land.

Ayub Ali, an elderly person in the village found six pieces of special size bricks with handworks on them. Other people and laborers also took away bricks, thousands in number after digging the area. The bricks found by Ayub Ali had some inscriptions on them. Kalema Taiyeba `La Elaha Ellallahu Muhammadur Rasullullah’, 69 Hijri year were inscribed in Arabic on some of those bricks. Some other stones bore inscriptions of flowers. Local people then informed the journalists and researchers of their findings in the beginning of 1987. Hundreds of people including Islamic researchers and historians started to flock the area became sure of an ancient mosque at the site which was built in the 69 Hijri year (690 AD).

The surrounding areas were partially dug then and local people found huge ruins of minarets and other structures which were built only for a mosque. There had been a number of miraculous incidents in the village concerning the power of the `Harano Masjid’. They also confirmed that the Harano Masjid at village Ramdas was built by those Sahaba-E-Kerams in the Hijri saying that the Almighty has blessed the people of the present time to know about the `Harano Masjid’ which literally means “lost mosque”.

Referring the terracotta brick which was found from the mosque compound the founder and director of Lalmonirhat District Museum Ashrafuzaman mandol said that the mosque was built in 69 hijri. At present, the loose bricks are kept in Tazhat Museum in Rangpur by the Deputy Commissioner of Rangpur. Another mosque was built in 1364 AD by Arabian merchants who came to the region to promote Islam as well as for trading in the sub-continent through Brahmaputra and Teesta rivers.

Tem Steel, a British researcher and the Chief Adviser of the Tiger Tours Ltd. visited the mosque. He told the locals that during the lifetime of the Prophet two mosques were built in South Asia, one in China and another in India. But there is no archeological evidence at present in favour of the claim. But this mosque has evidence that it was built in 69 Arabic years. Possibly it is the mentioned mosque in South Asia. He also added that according to construction year it is an ancient mosque in the history of Islam. So as a Muslim country it should be protected and repaired by the government. ”I believe that this lost mosque is a part of Islamic heritage. The Arabs and Chinese who use to come to this area for trading used to take shelter in various places and worked for the promotion of Islam”. He urged to do more research on the mosque.

The principal of Harano Masjid Hafiziya Madrasha Mawlana Abdur Rahim said that an 11-member” 69 Hijri Harano Masjid complex committee was formed on April 12 in 1993 with Dr. Shah Muhammad Emdadul Haque as its president. After his death, Muhammad Nuruzzaman Bosunia is carrying out the responsibility as the new President. The committee has opened a visitor’s book there on the same day on April 12 in 1993, which has already been signed by thousands of visitors both from home and abroad.

The president of mosque committee Muhammad Nuruzzaman Bosuniya said that the committee has planned to rebuild the `Harano Masjid,’ to establish a Madrasha, one Islamic Library, a research centre, a Musafirkhana and an orphanage with 100 seat capacity on the mosque premises. “Reconstruction and renovation works of the mosque had started some four years ago. The ancient brick samples have been sent abroad for examinations,” he said adding that many people both from home and abroad wanted to donate funds and other assistances to assist the committee but no response yet.

He added that the ex-local MP, also was the Deputy Minister for Relief and Disaster Management Principal Asadul Habib Dulu along with State Minister for religious Affairs Mossarref Hossain Shahjahan MP, visited the mosque site on June 5 in 2003. They discussed with the committee members and they assured them of all possible cooperation to reconstruct the mosque and other complexes there on 62 decimals of land as soon as possible but it was only giving promises. “Now we need supports and funds to protect the heritage site. The people here in the village are poor and most of them live hand to mouth are not capable to donate fund for continuing upgrading work for the mosque,” he said appealing supports and funds from the kindhearted people in home and abroad.

Source: The daily Star

Mahisantosh Mosque located near the India-Bangladesh edge about 13 km northern western of Dhamorihat Thana Sadar in Naogaon place. Mahisantosh, known from Pre-Muslim periods, came to reputation during the guideline of Sultan Ruknuddin Barbak shah (1459-1474) who raised its place to an excellent town and known as it Barbakabad after him. Many traditional hemorrhoids, located in different places of the town, can still be monitored. In 1916 the varendra analysis team conducted a traditional excavation at Mahisantosh in the remains of the Jami Masjid heap. A little element of the mosque was exposed. Very lately individuals, after removing weeds, vegetation and junk of the Jami Masjid heap have developed up a new chauchala tin shade kacha creating on the old ranking of the mosque to perform Sunday desires. From the present remains it is still possible to recover the exclusive design of the mosque.

The 2.25m large materials of the rectangle-shaped mosque (24m X 16.20m externally) with semi-octagonal place techniques at the four aspects were designed of rock and bricks; the main was designed of rocks and the inner and external activities were secured with rock places. The top aspect act was provided with five (arched) doorways. Most probably the main one was larger than the flanking ones. There were three (arched) areas each on the south east aspect of and southern region aspects.

The inner of the mosque (19.50m X 11.70m) was divided by two selections of rock assistance supports, each having four assistance supports. Each main was status on an office rock foundation. The foundation of each main was divided into three sections: the decreased place, about 0.40m, was rectangle-shaped shape with pie design on its face; the middle element, about 1.55m, was decagonal with pattern and gong components and the greater element, about 0.96m, was polygonal (16 sided) with pattern and gong components and suspended pearl-string of 50% team design.

The main nave of the mosque, larger than the element ones, had three rectangle-shaped places and was perhaps secured over by Persia chauchala bins. Hemispherical domes, 12 in all, might have secured the element chicken wings. Thus the ceiling top program was almost just like that of the shatgumbad mosque at Bagerhat (1459 AD).

There are five mihrabs in the Qibla materials invert the top side aspect possibilities. The main mihrab, a little bit larger than the element ones, was removed from here and is now managed in the varendra analysis collection. Originally it was designed from 1 product of rock with amazing eye-catching schemes; pattern and gong, lotus and palmetto are its main ingredients. The extant mihrab at the southern region end also contains amazing developed design. It seems to have been designed of three places of rock. The main element of the mihrab industry is developed with attractive pattern and gong art work. On the element of the pattern is suspended a hand crafted series. A complete bloomed lotus weighs from the end of the pattern. The sidepieces of the rock places have geometric styles in round and rectangle-shaped shape types. The rosettes in the top and platform increase the beauty of the mihrab. It may be described here that the pattern and gong design, a very familiar eye-catching program, is also seen in mosques like darasbari, chhota sona and kusumba.

Stone-blocks calming propagate in and around the mosque involved eye-catching components on their activities. These developed stone-blocks indicate that the external outside of the materials of the mosque may have been developed with rock styles. The attractive devices are mostly geometric in design with flowery styles, palmette, nailheads, pie styles, look for components, pattern and gong components and suspended 50 % round jewelry. Some developed clay-based rocks were also exposed at a lot of period of removing junk. These clay-based rocks might have been used on the inner encounter of the drums equipment of the domes. Similar eye-catching program is seen in other mosques e.g., Darasabari, Chhota Sona and Kusumba.

When the Varendra Research Community conducted excavation on the website they discovered an epigraph product. It authorized the growth of a mosque during the guideline of Alauddin Husain shah in 912 AH/1506 AD. Very lately, another epigraph product was exposed at a lot of period of removing junk from the mosque. Currently it is calming before aspect of the lately designed kacha mosque creating. The epigraph contains two selections of writing and is developed on dark-colored basalt rock. It keep in mind the development of a mosque in a lot of period of Sultan Ruknuddin Barbak Shah by Ulugh Khan Hasan in the 867 AH/1463 AD.

Growth of these two individual from the same ruinous mosque improves some issues about the period of your energy and energy of growth of the mosque. Was the mosque developed in a lot of period of Sultan Barbak Shah or during a lot of period of Alauddin Husain Shah? Was it developed in a lot of period of Barbak Shah and therefore redesigned (or reconstructed) during the guideline of Alauddin Husain Shah? Or, was one of these two individual collected from outside and kept in the mosque when the mosque was in an amazing condition of preservation? It is not possible to figure out any of the above possibilities. It is, however, quite likely that the mosque was developed during the guideline of Sultan Barbak Shah in 867 AH (1463 AD) and knowledgeable a renovating during a lot of period of Sultan Alauddin Husain Shah in 912 AH (1506 AD).

Jamalpur Shahi Mosque is one of the oldest mosque in Gaibandha district. It was built by Hazrat Maulana Shah Jamal (R). There are no specific inscription behind the proper construction period of this mosque. There is a Folklore that a war had been occurred between Hazrat Shah Jamal and contemporary Hindu Raja Khirodhar (ক্ষীরোধার) where Raja Khirodhar was defeated by Shah Jamal (R). For preserving this victory, Hazrat Shah Zamal (R) built this mosque just in one night.

The people who are living here, have strongly believe about this Myth. There is also a pond in front of the mosque which was also built by Shah Zamal in one night.

Chad Gazi Bhuya Mosque, also known as Chad Kha Mosque, is an archaic mosque from the Feni district that was built during 1112 Hijri (Arabic Calendar). According to the inscription at the front door, the mosque was built by someone named Chad Gazi Bhuya. It’s a traditional three domed mosque, domes are in a single row. Center one is larger compared to the others. All the three domes are having a Lotus at the top and two Kolosh (native water pot). This looks delicately beautiful and adds an extraordinary beauty to the mosque.

Apart from the domes, the mosque has 12 minarets over the walls in a symmetric way. Four minarets at the four corners are having similar style and other 8 minarets amid the walls are also having similar style. Eastern side of the wall is having simple terracotta along with the terracotta above the front door.