Chand Gazi Bhuiya Mosque

Atkandi Nilkuthi Mosque (আটকান্দি নীলকুঠি মসজিদ ) is situated in the Atkandi village of Raypura upazila, Narsingdi. It was built by a man named ‘Alim Uddin’. Alim Uddin built this Mosque just beside the grave yard of his wife ‘Sadetunnesa’. To build this Mughal stylistic Mosque he brought some masons from far land Mohishur, India. Some even compare it with Tajmahal, given its architectural style and the emotions behind it.

Alim Uddin completed his education on Islamic religion from Deobond and later worked as Teacher in a madrasa, conducted by Khawaza Family in Dhaka. Later in 18th century, he built this Mosque, however the exact date of founding this Mosque could not be determined.

It is a rectangular shaped Mosque. Which can be divided into three specific spatial context. We can exemplify it as below- 1. Inner zone 2. Exterior Corridor zone 3. Exterior Porch zone (under open sky)

Inner Zone of this Mosque contains three domes, and a Mihrab. Among these, three bulbous domes, among which the middle one is the biggest. The inner zone contains two entrances.

Exterior corridor zone of this mosque is elongated in north-south forming a rectangular shape. It contains five bulbous domes, which is smaller than other three. This zone also contains five entrances which are arch shaped and decorated with multi foiled design. In parapet it’s decorated with the Merlon design. In the base line of outer wall it’s decorated with a pitcher design.

Exterior porch zone of this mosque was built considering the large gathering which take place. It’s a square shaped plastered floor, with one feet high bordered wall all around the porch. It contains a main gateway to enter into the Mosque.

Public gathering in different occasion:

In different kind of public occasions, like in the eve of Eid-festivals and in common vacations people from different parts of the country come here to visit this place. On the southern part of this Mosque there is an old Ghat (in the edge of a river) which has stepped down to the branch of Meghna river. So far we know, it was built by G.P. Wize when this region was a place to plant indigo in a massive scale.

Present Condition and ruins of several unrevealed structure:

Present condition of this Mosque is not so consistent in a sense of building strength. It is in very sensitive condition, where it is randomly being used without any treatment of conservation & preservation. That’s why we can observe some deterioration in the brick building both in Exterior & interior part.

In the northern part of the Mosque there are some ruins of buried structure. Some outer portion of that buried structure is seem like spherical shape. Which demands more exploration and systematic archaeological excavation to reveal the history behind this region.

It was built at a time when Sultani era was at its end and Mughal era had just set in. According to the inscription found in the mosque, it was built by Nawab Mirza Murad Khan, son of Jawahar Ali Khan Kakshal, in 1582 AD (989 Hijri).

The end of the 16th century AD is regarded as a tumultuous period in the history of Bengal due to anti-Mughal resistance spearheaded by the Bara Bhuiyans. During this era, the region, mentioned as ‘Sherpur Morcha’ in Ain-i Akbari by abul fazal, was the stronghold of the Kakshal rebels. They expressed solidarity with the bara bhuiyans of Bengal and the Afghan leader Masum Khan Kabuli. In fact Khherua mosque came into being to serve the community. As it was built while a political crisis was going on, a degree of negligence is evident in the construction and ornamentation of the mosque.

The rectangular mosque is 17.34 meters long from north to south while 7.5 meters wide from west to east. Its dimension from inside is 13.72 meters long and 3.8 meters wide. The walls are about 1.83 meters thick. The mosque has three entrances on the east, of which the central one is bigger than the two on its sides. Also, there is an entry on each side on the north and the south. Inside the mosque, on the west wall, there are three half-cylindrical concave mihrabs within a rectangular frame. The one in the middle is bigger than the other two and all three are devoid of any ornamentation.

Kherua mosque has three domes in a row, which look like three bowls of same size placed upside down. There is no motif or ornamentation on the domes. The construction looks similar to that of Sultani era. The two sides of the cornice are slightly curved taking after the traditional hut of Bengal. This type of roof treatment is seen in most of the 15th century architectural works. In the front walls some paneling work was done. There was some ornamentation with terracotta tiles, which are no longer there now. There were two inscriptions engraved on the two sides of the central entrance. One inscription is still there while the other is being preserved in the Karachi Museum. From the shape of the stone used for the inscription, it is assumed that the piece was the part of a statue; and the inscription was inscribed on the backside of the statue and placed on the wall. Kherua Mosque demands a great importance as an example of early mughal mosques in Bengal.

Washil Chowdhury Para Mosque is a historical mosque in Chittagong City. It was established in 1795 by landlord Asgar Ali Chowdhury.

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চট্রগ্রাম শহরের একটি ঐতিহাসিক মসজিদের নাম ওয়াশিল চৌধুরীপাড়া মসজিদ। ১৭৯৫ সালে জমিদার আসগার আলী চৌধুরী এই মসজিদটি প্রতিষ্ঠা করেন।

Hazrat Sayed Shah Rasti (R.A) is a celebrated Sufi Muslim figure in Bengal. Shah Rasti's name is associated with the Muslim movement into north-eastern Bengal and the spread of Islam in Bangladesh. He spread Islam in Bangladesh through Sufism, part of the long history of travel between the Middle East, Central Asia, Indian Subcontinent and East Asia. He was buried in Chandpur, Bangladesh, formerly known as Shahrasti, while the Thana, post office, Upazila, and School are named in his honor.

Early life and education: Shahrast's date and place of birth is not certain. He was Born in Mecca, Arab and later moved to Bagdad, Iraq as a child with his family. He excelled in his studies a studied in Islamic study and Islamic theology. He achieved spiritual perfection (Kamaliyyah) after years of study and meditation.

Travel to India: According to legend, He came in India with a group of Muslim saints. All saints had a handful of soil, they had to choose to settle and propagate Islam in any place in India where the soil exactly matched. Shahrasti reached India in c.1300. He matched the soil with the soil of Camilla and stayed on a hill. But the place was wrong. After that, a tiger came to him to the right place where the soil exactly matched that later life.

During the later stages of his life, Shahrasti devoted himself propagating Islam. Under His guidance, thousands of Hindus and Buddhists converted to Islam. His brother Sayed Shah Mahbub and two companions were with him. He was unmarried; his Brother Shah Mahbub’s son Sayed Shah Giasuddin was his successor and descendant. His descendants are still living in beside the Dargah. He is buried in Chandpur in his Dargah (Tomb), which is located in Shahrasti, the area is named in his honor. His shrine is famous in Chandpur and throughout Bangladesh, with hundreds of devotes visiting daily.