Adina Mosque
| Adina Mosque আদিনা মসজিদ | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Construction started | 1373 |
| Completed | 1373 |
| Owner | Government of West Bengal |
Adina Mosque (Bengali: আদিনা মসজিদ) is a 14th-century mosque located in Maldah district of West Bengal, India. It was once the largest mosque in the Indian subcontinent and was built during the Bengal Sultanate.[1]
Establishment
Adina Mosque was built in 1373 by Sultan Sikandar Shah.
Built by Sikandar Shah, the second sultan of the Ilyas dynasty, the Adina mosque is one of the largest mosques to be built in the subcontinent and the only hypostyle mosque in Bengal. Located twenty kilometres North of the town of Malda and along a major road leading to north Bengal, the sultan probably built it as a visual proclamation of his victory over the Delhi ruler, Firuz Shah Tughluq. The mosque is mostly in ruins today following the damages sustained during the earthquakes in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Similar in plan to the Great Mosque of Damascus, it is a rectangular, hypostyle structure, with an open central courtyard. Externally it measures 524' x 322' (154.3 x 87m) with the longer side running north-south, while the courtyard measures 426'-6"x147'-7"(130 x 45m). The prayer hall is located to the west, and is divided into two symmetrical wings by a central nave (78'x 34' and 64' high) that was originally covered by a pointed barrel vault. The high central vaulted nave may be traced to Persian antecedents, Taq-i-Kisra, a pre-Muslim monument at Ctesiphon. The prayer hall is five aisles deep, while the north, south and east cloisters around the courtyard consist of triple aisles. In total, these aisles had 260 pillars and 387 domed bays. The interior of the courtyard is a continuous façade of 92 arches surmounted by a parapet, beyond which the domes of the bays can be seen.
Santhal Insurgency
In early twentieth century Santhal tribals armed with bows and arrows captured the mosque after attacking the local Muslims. In leadership of Jeetu santhal the revolt took place. But it was soon suppressed by British Government supported landlord Khan Chowdhury. Jeetu was killed in the conflict. His heart was extracted. The bullet impressions are found in the walls of the mosque.
Shooting Spot
This mosque has been used for shooting some Bengali films like Bojhena Shey Bojhena and Arshinagar.
See also
References
- ↑ Husain, ABM (2012). "Adina Mosque". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
External links
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Coordinates: 25°09′09″N 88°09′52″E / 25.1526°N 88.1644°E