Historic and Colorful Mosques, Churches, Temples, Shrines and Tombs in Bangladesh

[Tmac]

Originally Posted by Tmac

a temple in Comilla

I really like this colorful temple.

[Tmac]

A temple in Moheskhali

[Tmac]

another temple in Moheskhali

[Tmac]

A temple in Joypurhat

[Tmac]

Golden Temple, Bandarban

[Tmac]

a buddhist temple in Bandarban.

[Tmac]

A nice mosque in Fenchuganj, Sylhet.

[tanzirian]

In the next few posts I will be posting some photos of lesser known historic mosques in Bangladesh. The pictures are not of great quality but other images of these buildings aren't around. These are also probably somewhat dated images so I am not certain the condition of the structures today.

Baba Adam's Mosque, Kazi Qasba, Munshiganj - built 1483. This low rectangular structure with sloping roofline and octagonal corner piers is a common mosque type of the Sultanate period. Surface treatment in brickwork and terracotta is also typical of this time.



Laldighi Mosque, Laldighi, Rangpur. Date of construction is not known but from the architecture you can tell it's of the Mughal period. Three domed mosque type very common to this time, with typical flat modular (and largely unornamented) plasterwork, also characteristic of the age.

[tanzirian]

Continuing from my previous post:

You could kind of guess the age of these two mosques without knowing the exact dates. The first one, for example, has a single hemispherical dome over a cubic chamber. Such mosques were a common type during the Sultanate period. This lasted from 1200s - 1500s but most surviving buildings in BD are from 1400s - 1500s (there are a few older structures in West Bengal). However, the treatment of surfaces of this mosque is not typical of Sultanate style, which is typified by high quality brickwork and terracotta decoration. Instead we see plasterwork in flat unornamented panels, which was common during Mughal times (1600s). So we could guess that this is a Sultanate period mosque modified in Mughal times, which is in fact the case. A better known...and unaltered...example of this type is the Goaldi Mosque, at Sonargaon near Dhaka.

Mosque of Fath Shah, Nagar Sadipur, Narayanganj - built 1484, renovated 1700-1701.



Similarly, looking at the second mosque, this three dome type is highly typical of the Mughal period and carried on into the colonial period. However, the decoration...somewhat eclectic and occasionally overly exuberant...is typical of colonial period. So you would think that this either a Mughal period mosque renovated in colonial times or a Mughal-style mosque built in colonial period. In this case, the former is true.

Mirzapur Jami Mosque, Mirzapur, Panchagar - built in Mughal period, renovated 1831.

[tanzirian]

Continuing from above:

Tenga Iswaripur Mosque, Iswaripur, Satkhira. The date which this sizable mosque was built is unknown. However, the architecture gives some clues. This five dome type was a Mughal trait, the most elegant example being the Kar Talab Khan Mosque in Dhaka (now sadly obscured by modern annex). However the architecture also has a heavy set quality more typical of the Sultanate era. Therefore most likely this is transitional period structure, built around 1600.



Sura Mosque, Ghoraghat, Dinajpur, built 1504. Although the mosque is clearly highly delapidated, nonetheless it is easy enough to tell that this is probably a Sultanate period building. The mosque type here is a common variation on the style of Fath Shah mosque in the previous post. To the single domed cubic chamber is added a front veranda with three smaller domes. This type was common in the late Sultanate period. The best known example of this 1+3 dome type is a transitional period building - the Atia Mosque in Tangail.

[tanzirian]

Continuing from above:

This is the very elegant Pakulla Mosque, Pakulla, Tangail. The central structure is typically Mughal, but note the attractive addition, at each end, of rooms shaped to look like a typical Bengali village hut. The incorporation of such locally inspired elements into formal architecture began in the Sultanate period, when a uniquely Bengali style was developed. Later on, the Mughals also used in this "chau-chala" motif, borrowed from Bengal, in many of their buildings...some famous examples are the pavilions flanking the Khas Mahal in the Agra Fort and the Naulakha in the Lahore Fort. The overall form of the Pakulla Mosque is very similar to that of the Kar Talab Mosque in Dhaka, the main difference being that the latter is a larger five-domed structured as compared to the three domed Pakulla. The facade of the Kar Talab mosque has been integrated into a modern expansion and is no longer visible, so it is nice to see a frontal view of this mosque type at Pakulla. We do not know the exact date this mosque was built but again from the style, we can be pretty sure late 1600s or early 1700s. Since the picture below is itself somewhat old I do not know if this mosque has survived unchanged or has also acquired a modern appendage.



I'll continue with a couple more pics tomorrow since it's high time for me to be hitting the sack tonight.

[Tmac]

A temple in Mymensingh

[Tmac]

A large mosque in Bogra

[amar11372]

Wow looks like Bogra is becoming pretty dense.

[tanzirian]

That last minaret looks to be a copy of those of the mosque in Mecca.

On another note, I am away for the next few days...I'll rejoin you guys Thursday night or Friday.

[Tmac]

Originally Posted by tanzirian

On another note, I am away for the next few days...I'll rejoin you guys Thursday night or Friday.

have fun in your trip man. I will be going to Washington DC for the weekend as well.

[meghnarmajhi]

Hasta luego, guys. I'll go on a one week trip around the middle of next month.

[Tmac]

beautiful Golden Temple in Bandarban

[meghnarmajhi]

maintained - you can tell

[Tmac]

Shatt Gombuz Mosque, Bagerhat