Tara Mosque

Vanga Shahi Masjid (ভাঙ্গা শাহী মসজিদ) is an ancient mosque in Bandura, Nawabganj. Its original year of establishment is not yet known. It is believed that it was built during the period of Mughal Emperor Jahangir, that's why it is assumed that it was built around 600 years ago.

The mosque has a legend about it. It is believed that one morning some people found it in the jungle with unfinished construction work. From that time the mosque has named "Vanga Masjid" as in the native language vanga (ভাঙ্গা) means broken. The Actual name of this mosque is still unknown.

But the truth may be like this- it was constructed at the age of Mughal Empire when Nawabganj area was a prominent merchant place. Due to erosion, local inhabitants changed their living place. At that time the mosque area was abandoned and forests grew rapidly at that area. After passing 100 years, people start making their residences in that particular area again. One day they found the mosque broken and reconstruct it.

Now it has became a well known mosque at Bandura Bazar in Nawabganj. People believe that donating here will turn their wishes true! So, the mosque has collected enough fund to built a minaret of 165 feet and still the renovation process is still going.

Nayabad Mosque is located in the bank of the river Dhepa, just 1.5 km south-west of the infamous Kantaji Temple at Dinajpur in Bangladesh. The mosque is named after the village “Nayabad” in which it stands in the Police Station of Kaharole. According to an inscription found on the central doorway, it was constructed at 1793 AD in the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II. During that period, Raja Baidyanath, the last of the Dinajpur Royal family, was the Zaminder (feudal land owner).

Nayabad Mosque was erected at a time when the soil of Dinajpur had already been enriched with one of the most remarkable Navaratna temples, the Kantajew Temple in 1752 AD. The founding Royal family of Dinajpur was still prominent. According to local traditions, the mosque was built by Muslim architectural workers who had come to this place from the west to build Kantaji Temple. They had settled in Nayabad, a village near the temple, and had built the mosque for their own use. There is a grave of an unknown person in the premises of the mosque. Local people believe, this is the grave of Kalu Khan, the master architect of Kantaji Temple.

It is an oblong three-domed mosque with octagonal towers at the four corners. There are three arched entrances to enter the mosque. Among them, the central one is bigger than the flanking ones. These are equal in height and width. There is an arched window each on the south and north sides. Inside in the western wall there are three Mihrabs in line with the three entrances. The central Mihrab is bigger than the flanking ones which are of equal size. Three hemispherical domes cover the mosque, of which the central one is bigger than the side ones. Pendentives have been used in their phase of transition. The parapet and cornice are straight.

Terracotta plaques have been used in decoration of the mosque. At present there are about 104 terracotta plaques rectangular in shape, used in the surface decoration of the mosque walls. The platform of the mosque is enclosed by a low brick wall with only one access from the east. On either side of the mosque are to be seen a number of tombs each of found fixed over the central doorway of the mosque.

One Dome Singair Mosque was built by Khan Jahan Ali and his followers in 15th-16th century. The mosque has a single square dome. The measure of each side is 39 feet 6 inches. The mosque is made of brick terracotta designs. Its single wide dome is heavily built. In the typical style of the Khan Jahan Ali, the dome topped with a cambered cornice, supported with thick walls.

The Singair Mosque is across the road from the Shait Gumbaz Mosque, Bagherhat on its southeastern side.Singair mosque is part of the mosque town of Bagherhat, built in the 15th and the 16th century by Khan Jahan Ali and his followers. The mosque is located 3 miles west of the Bagherhat town, opposite to the Shait gumbad mosque. The mosque is square, and has a single dome. Each side measures 39 feet 6 inches. The mosque is of red brick construction with terracotta designs. It has a single wide dome which is heavily built. In the typical style of the Khan Jahan Ali, the dome is supported on thick walls and topped with a cambered cornice.

১৫শ এবং ১৬শ শতকে খান জাহান আলী (রঃ) এবং তাঁর অনুসারীরা এই মসজিদটি নির্মাণ করেন। এই মসজিদে বর্গক্ষেত্রাকার একটি গম্বুজ রয়েছে যেটির প্রতিটি বাহুর মাপ ৩৯ ফুট ৬ ইঞ্চি। ইটের তৈরি ও টেরাকোটার নকশা করা এই মসজিদের একমাত্র প্রশস্ত গম্বুজটি মজবুতভাবে নির্মাণ করা হয়েছে। খান জাহান আলী (রঃ) এর নিজস্ব শৈলী অনুযায়ী মসজিদের গম্বুজের দেয়াল বেশ পুরু এবং গম্বুজের উপর একটি কার্নিশ রয়েছে।

The photo of this iconic mosque used to be printed on the Ten Taka note of Bangladesh. Nowadays these notes are very rare and are available only at the banks or on in the collection of few people now a days. Atiya is a historical four century year old mosque located at the Delduar Thana of Tangail district. It was named by the village Atiya and the mosque is also known as Atiya Jame Masjid.

Atiya Jame Mashjid is approximately 6 kilometers from the Tangail town. A small river called Louhojong Nodi flows near the mosque which gives it a more aesthetic appeal. The mosque is around 18m by 12m, it has four spherical domes at the top, one is the larger, which is located at the west part of the mosque. Other three are smaller sized and located at the east side of the mosque. All three domes are in a single row. Seems like the bigger one is for the Imam, and other three are for Musalli (regular people). All the domes are decorated at the bottom part and having a small minaret like object at the top. The mosque has four pillars at the four corners and each of the pillars are stylish and decorated nicely.

The mosque has lovely terracotta at the outer side of east and the north side wall. Those are very simple with just few small flowers inside the circles. The mosque has three entrance at the east side, and two entrance at the north and south side each.

This mosque was built during 1610 by Muslim Jomidar Sayeed Khan Panni, son of Baizid Khan Panni. He also dug a large water tank at the western side of the mosque. Local says that the mosque was built for the honor of a saint Shah Baba Kashmiri.

The mosque was damaged during the massive earthquake of 1800. A reconstruction of the mosque was made in 1837. Also, during 1909 another reconstruction made by two Jamindar from Korotia and Delduar of Tangail jointly. Wazed Ali Khan Panni was from Korotia, and Abu Ahmed Guznavi Khan from Delduar.

পুরাতন দশ টাকার নোটের ডানদিকে এই মসজিদটির ছবি রয়েছে। তবে আজকাল দশ টাকার পুরাতন নোটটি ব্যাঙ্কে পাওয়া যায় এবং মাঝে মাঝে মানুষের হাতে দেখা যায়। প্রায় চারশত বছর পুরাতন ঐতিহাসিক আতিয়া মসজিদ টাঙ্গাইল জেলার দেলদুয়ার থানায় অবস্থিত। আতিয়া গ্রামের সাথে মিল রেখে মসজিদের নামকরণ করা হয়েছে।

টাঙ্গাইল শহর থেকে প্রায় ৬ কিলোমিটার দূরে লৌহজং নামে একটি ছোট নদী মসজিদের কাছ দিয়ে বয়ে গিয়েছে। মসজিদটির দৈর্ঘ্য ১৮ মিটার এবং প্রস্থ ১২ মিটার। আতিয়া মসজিদে চারটি গো্লাকারের গম্বুজ রয়েছে যেগুলোর মধ্যে বড় গম্বুজটি মসজিদের পশ্চিম অংশে অবস্থিত। বাকি তিনটি গম্বুজ আকারে ছোট এবং মসজিদের পূর্বদিকে একই সারিতে অবস্থিত। গম্বুজগুলো দেখে মনে হয় যেনো বড় গম্বুজটি হল ইমাম এবং বাকি গম্বুজগুলো হল মুসল্লি। গম্বুজগুলোর নীচের অংশে নকশার কাজ রয়েছে এবং উপরে ছোট মিনারের মত বস্তু রয়েছে। মসজিদের চারকোণায় চারটি চমৎকার নকশা করা পিলার রয়েছে।

আতিয়া মসজিদের পূর্ব এবং উত্তর দিকের বাইরের দেয়ালে টেরাকোটার উপর চমৎকার বৃত্তের মাঝে ছোট ফুলের নকশার কাজ রয়েছে। মসজিদের পূর্বদিকে তিনটি, উত্তর ও দক্ষিন দিকে দুটি করে প্রবেশপথ রয়েছে।

১৬১০ সালে বাইজিদ খান পন্নীর পুত্র মুসলিম জমিদার সাইদ খান পন্নী এই মসজিদটি নির্মাণ করেছিলেন। তিনি মসজিদের পশ্চিমদিকে একটি বড় পানির ট্যাংক খনন করেছিলেন। স্থানীয়রা বলে থাকেন সাধক শাহ বাবা কাশ্মীরির সম্মানে এই আতিয়া মসজিদটি নির্মাণ করা হয়।

১৮০০ সালের প্রচণ্ড ভুমিকম্পে আতিয়া মসজিদ ক্ষতিগ্রস্ত হয় এবং ১৮৩৭ সালে মসজিদটি পুনঃ নির্মাণ করা হয়। এছাড়া ১৯০৯ সালে টাঙ্গাইলের করটিয়ার জমিদার ওয়াজেদ আলী খান পন্নী ও দেলদুয়ারের জমিদার আবু আহমেদ গজনবী খান যৌথভাবে মসজিদটি পুনঃ নির্মাণ করেন।