BAGERHAT MONUMENTS PART-2

Mosque and Mausoleum of Zinda Pir

About 100 m southeast of the nine domed mosque there stands a small single domed mosque in a very ruinous state surrounded by many masonry graves. Tradition ascribes that the mosque was built by one nebulous Zinda Pir. The mosq is a 4.7m squre building with three arched entrances on its facade and north sides. The badly damaged single mihrab on the west wall is decorated with terracotta floral scrolls and the traditional chain-and-bell motif. The octagonal corner turrets are releived with bands at intervals. There is a tomb to the southeast of the mosque which measures 7.5 square. Though there were four sides but at present only northern doorway survives. The wall on other sides exist to a very little height. Octagonal turrets survive up to certain height.

Reza Khoda Mosque

The highly dilapidated ruins known as Reza Khoda Mosque is located about 100m northwest of Zinda Pir Mosque across an axial road. Only the four walls and three mihrabs survive up to certain height. From the existing ruins, it appears that it was a six-domed mosque and the domes were supported on stone columns, which still lie around. There were three tall entrances on the east and two each on north and south sides. The mosque internally measures 10.6m N-S and 8.1m E-W. the mihrabs are flanked by decorated brick pilasters. Arches in front of the mihrabs are multicusped. Terracotta perforated jalis were inserted into the walls at regular intervals for ventilation and light. Some of them still survive. Octagonal corner turrets appear to have been decorated with terracotta bands.

Ten-Domed Mosque

This mosque is located in the village Krishnanagar of Karapara Union on the old axial road leading to the Bagerhat town. The rectangular prayer chamber measures 23.7 × 11.7m with 2m thick walls. It is roofed over by 10 spherical low domes. The facade is provided with five arched entrances while there are two doorways each on the north and south sides. Though the local devotees have modernized the mosque but the monument still retains its some original factures like arches, pendentive and mihrabs.

Sbek Danga Monument

The monument locally known as Sabekdanga Mosque, is located about 5km due north of the Tomb of Khan Jahan. It is situated in the village of Sabekdanga of the Karapur Union across the Shait Gumbad Road. It is a small curvilinear structure which measures internally 5.6m N-S and 3.5m E-W with 1.3m thick walls. The rectangular building was covered by four segmented roof. The building was converted to a mosque by some alterations in different parts. The original entrance in the middle of the southern wall. Similarly they widened the nich on the west for using it as mihrab. The interior of the monument is profusely embellished with various terracotta floral and plant motifs in which pomegranate fruits hanging from spreading branches are worth quoting. Function of this building is a matter of controversy. An investigation out by the present author in 1993 proved that it was neither tomb nor mosque. Probably it was built as a special prayer chamber which is commonly now as Ibadatkhana ir Huzra Khana. Recently the monument has been restored by the Department of Archaeology.

Mounds

Khan Jahan’s Residence

A low mound locally known as Khan Jahan’s Vasatbati (Khan Jahan’s Residence) is situated about 600 north of Shait Gumbad Bus Station and 200m north of Shait Gumbad Mosque. The site is lacated in Bajeapti-Sundlarghona area under the union of Shaitgumbad on the southern bank of Magra Khal (canal). There are three mounds and two small tanks known as Bis Pukur and Andhi Pukur respectively. A small scale excavation carried out by the Department of Archaeology in 2002 in the large mound revealed some nondescript walls, floors, stone columns, postherds and porcelins. The exposed remains indicate that probably there was a mosque and residence also which had been repaired several times. Further investigation is required to confirm it and to expose the remains fully. About 50 m south of this excavated site a low mound lies which is locally known as Sona Masjid. The mound has now been almost leveled to the ground. But the huge potsherds and top of the damaged walls visible clearly indicates that this entire area was thickly inhabited. Extensive excavation will certainly yield important information which will help to reconstruct the history of Ulugh Khan Jahan.

Kotwali Chawtara

About 200m northwest of Khan Jahan’s residence site there lies a large mound, locally know as Kotwali Chawtara containing the remains of ancient structure. Tradition ascribes that once this was site of the city Kotwal.

Jahajghata

Nearly 200m north of Khan Jahan’s residence along an ancient road overlooking the meandering of moriband Bhairab there lies a site locally known as Jahajghata or Port of Khan Jahan or Pathar Ghata. An ornamental stone column is firmly embedded in the ground which supports the people’s common belief. An image of an eight handed Mahismardini Durga (c. 11th/12th century AD) is engraved in this stone column. Probably this was subsequently brought here.

Chilakbana Mausoleum

The site known as Chillakhana Mazar is located about 200m north, northeast of Rezakhoda Mosque in Ranavijoypur mouza. Within an enclosure there are the remains of a large tomb. Local people believe it is the grave of Chilla Khan who was the security of Khan Jahan’s treasury. However, this claim is yet to be proved. The local devotees have modernized this tomb to a large extent.

Bara Azina Mound

The site is located about 300m northeast of Khan Jahan Ali College in the village Sonatala. The site is covered with large trees, herbs and shrubs. Occasional brickbats and good number of stone columns are noticed in the site. The columns are very similar to those of Shait Gumbad Mosque. Most probably the site covers the remains of a mosque. We need archaeological excavation to uncover the remains.

Bagerhat Museum

A museum-cum-office has been constructed in 1994 to display the cultural materials of the period recovered from Bagerhat and adjacent areas. This museum is built in an area of 520 sqm in the adjacent north of Khulna-Bagerhat Highway in the premises of Shait Gumbad Mosque Complex. The museum building comprises six galleries of various sizes and shapes. The museum displays the cultural materials collected from various sources either as surface finds or excavated materials. They include different types of house hold objects like drinking an cooking pots of stone, glazed tiles, semi-precious stone beads conch bangles etc. Besides, some excavated objects predominantly ornamental bricks of different mosque sites of Barobazar>Muhammadnagar have also been displayed. Ilustration of some Mughal forts, tombs of saints, maps of Bangladesh and Bagerhat are also displayed in the museum.

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BAGERHAT MONUMENTS PART-1

Tomb of Khan Jahan

The second important monument of Khalifatabad is the single domed mausoleum of Khan Jahan located on the northern embankment of a large tank locally known as Thakur dighi. It is about 2km east-southeast of Shait Gumbad Mosque. The tomb is a square building measuring 13.70m each side. At the base of the brick wall 5 courses of black stones have been used. There is an arched entrance in the middle of each side; the northern one is now closed. The corner towers are faceted at regular intervals with seven brick mouldings and crowned with ribbed cupolas. The walls are 2.5m thick. Each wall is relieved with two multi cusped arched niches. The tomb accommodates a stone built sarcophagus in the middle of the floor and actual grave underneath and date (27 Zilhaz, 863 AH>24-25 October 1459 AD) of the demise of the saint Khan-ul-Azam Ulugh Khan-i-Jahan by title. The walls of the crypt, which is now closed, are also full with inscriptions. An attempt to decipher those inscriptions may help to get the Khan Jahan’s identity and to reconstruct the history of the region. On the close west of this tomb there is another stone sarcophagus known as Peer Ali Taheerer Majar who was close associate of Khan Jahan. Further west there is an identical but smaller single domed mosque. An inner and outer compound encloses the tomb. The inner boundary wall accommodates three gateways, one in each side except north. The main gateway in the west is now closed. The outer enclosure has six entrances in it.

Nine-Domed Mosque

The mosque is located on the western embankment of the Thakur Dighi and to the southwest of the mausoleum of Khan Jahan. The square mosque is roofed over with nine hemispherical domes rest on four freestanding stone columns. It has three pointed arched openings on the north, south and east sides bordered within tall rectangular frames. Above the arches there are horizontal rows of mouldings. The western wall is relieved with three semicurcular mihrabs of which the central one is larger which is projected to the west. The multicusped mihrabs are decorated with terracotta floral, scroll and foliage patterns within rectangular panels. Centre of each mihrab is decorated with chin and bell motif. Apexes of the arches have diaper designs and large rosettes at the spandrels. Rest three walls are relieved with only two niches in each. The corner trurrets are round and faceted by eight bands of mouldings. The exterior walls are relived with vertical panels. The curved cornice is very prominent.

Singar Mosque

The mosque is situated abut 200m southeast of Shait Gumbad Mosque across Khuln-Bagerhat highway. This single domed mosque externally measures 12.42m square. It has three arched entrances on the east and one on each of the south and north sides within rectangular frames. There are four round corner relieved with five bands of mouldings. Wall is 2.15m thick. The western wall is provided with only one central multicusped mihrab and two small niches on its either side. The mihrab portion is projected westward and internally it is profusely decorated with terracotta rosettes and foliates motifs bordered by a rectangular frame. Row of blind merlons is noticed at the top of the frame. Interior of the mihrab contains the bell and chain motif.

Bibi Begni’s Mosque

Located to the west of Shait Gumbad Mosque across the Ghora dighi is the Bibi Behni’s Mosque, measuring 14.6m square. This domed mosque shows resemblance with Singar Mosque in general appearance except that it is larger and massively built. The building has three entrances on the east and one each on south and north sides. The central doorway is larger. The corner turrets are relieved with bands of mouldings at regular intervals. The western wall is projected westward in its middle which is flanked by two engaged small unusual round towers ornate with horizontal bands and terracotta’s. The multicusped mihrabs are embellished with terracotta floral motifs and bordered with rectangular mouldings. In the centre of each mihrab chin-and-bell motif is prominent. The spandrels of each mihrab are decorated with rossettes on either side. Interwined geometric motifs and blind merlons run in parallel rows over the spandrels. The building has eight engaged round pilasters-two in each wall. The curved cornice runs through the corner turrets.

Chuna Khola Mosque

Located in an isolated place of a vast agricultural field the Chunakhola Mosque is about 1 km northwest of Bibi Begni’s Mosque. This single domed squre mosque is similar to Singar Mosque and Bibi Begni’s Mosque. The monument has three pointed arched entrances on the east and one each on the north and south sides which are bordered by rectangular frames. It has three mihrabs along the west wall corresponding to the three doorways on the east. The central one is larger. The mihrabs are boedered by rectangular frames with terracotta decorations. A horizontal row of blind merlons exists at the top. In the middle of the row above the central frame of the mihrab, there is a Kalasa motif. The interiors of the mihrabs are profusely decorated with terracotta motifs. Similar features like rectangular frame, row of blind merlins, kalasa motifs are observed in the doorways of the east wall. In addition there are four pannels with terracotta decoration. The corner turrets are decorated with circular bands at regular intervals. The curved cornice comprised several horizontal bands of ornamentations.

Ranavijaypur Mosque

The largest monument among the single-domed mosques in Bagerhat is situated 1 km east of Shait Gumbad Mosque. The monument accommodates the largest dome of the country. There are three doorways each on the north, south and east sides. The central ones are larger compared to the side ones. All the entrances are placed in separate recesses tops of which have horizontal rows of terracotta designs. The west wall accommodates three mihrabs of which the central one is larger. All the mihrabs are flanked by small decorated pillars. The arches in front of the mihrabs are multifold and the apses are profusely decorated with floral, plant and bell and chain motifs.

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INTRODUCTION TO BAGERHAT

The ruins in and around the present Bagerhat town represent the medieval township of Khalifatabad built by a saint general Khan-al-Azam Khan Jahan or Ulugh Khan Jahan in the inhospitable habitat close to the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest of the world. Today it is the headquarters of the district of the same name located in the southwest part of the country. A township was established here in the 15th century AD along the bank of the old Bhairab in an area of roughly 20 sq.km ( about 6.5km N-S and 3.5km E-W). A good number of surviving mosques, mousolea, roads, reservoirs, as well as cultural mounds testify to this medieval town. Due to the outstanding universal significance and historical and archaeological importance, both the sites have been inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1985.

Nomenclature

There are ambiguities about the origin of the present name of the place. Some scholars opine that the name carries the meaning the “Habitat of Tiger”(Bagh meaning tiger/garden and hat meaning market place) whereas other express that there was the site of Khan Jahan’s garden where the present town of Bagerhat is located. Subsequently near that garden, a hat (market place) was developed and thereby, the present name was derived. Equally uncertain is the origin of its earlier name Khalifatabad. There is a tradition that Khan Jahan named his newly established township Khalifatabad after the reigning Abbasaid Khalifa of Bagdad or his representative in Bengal Sultan Nasiruddin Mahamud Shah (1442-1459 AD). It was also called haveli Kashba. Some scholars suggested that the place had been designated as Sahr-i-Nao (a newly established town) during the Ilyas Shahi regime before it was named Khalifatabad. In fact, the name Khalifatabad appeared for the first time as a mint town in 1516 A.D. in sultan Nusrat Shah’s coinage.

Historical Background

The early history of Bagerhat is as obscure as the origin of its name. The area was an inhospitable tract in the remote past. Its location on the offshore of the Bay of Bengal, densely overgrown mangrove forest and the associated hazards, have always worked as negative factors for the development of human habitation. In spite of the forbidding nature of the area we have some evidence to prove that people tried to settle here as early as 10th century AD. The black stone image of a Buddha recovered from Thakur Dighi, very close to Khan Jahan’s Tomb, commonly known as Sivbati image, now housed in Kamalapur Dharma Rajika Monastery in Dhaka, and a stone column depicting an eight handed Mahismardini Durga dated to about 12-13th century AD still embedded upright at a site in the abandoned bank of old Bharirab, known as Jahajghata, are examples of this early habitation. But these evidences are too scanty to reconstruct the history of the localty of that period. One can only surmise that before the foundation of a Muslim colony there was a settlement of Buddhists and Hindus during the period of 10- 13th century AD. Khan Jahan established here in the 15th century AD whose identity alson is still obscure. Some scholars express that a Wazir of Sultan Mahmud Taghlaq named Malik Sarwar holding the title of Khawaja Jahan established a semi-independent kingdom at Jainpur in 1309. In his old age he left the trone and proceeded towards east to preach Islam. Finally, he came to Bagerhat and established a township here. But this statement does not fit well as the opinion that Azam Khan, son of Shaikh Alaul Huq was a friend of Sultan Ghyasuddin Azam Shah of Sonargaon who made him wazir and honored him with the title of Khan Jahan. During the political instability in Gaur Azam Khan fled to Bagerhat founded a township there, and began to propagate Islam. It is to be noted that ‘Khan Jahan or Ulugh Khan-al-Azam Khan-i-Zahan’ are the titiles only. So we do not know the actual name of this great man who held these titles. And these titles have been found in inscriptions engraved on his sarcophagus. Some scholars are inclined to identify one Khawaja jahan inscribed on an old mosque in the Chawkbazar area of Dhaka known as Churihatta Mosque with Khan Jahan of Bagerhat. Since the tomb inscriptions so far have been deciphered bears no original name, not even the name of his Sultan or someone else. In this regard we may point out the recommendation made in the Master Plan to reopen the crypt of the Khan Jahan’s tomb and decipher the inscriptions on the wall which may help to identify the name of the person founded the township as well as to reconstruct its authentic history. Whoever may be Khan-i-Jahan or Ulugh Khan-al-Azam there are ample evidences that he adorned the city with mosques, roads, bridges, palaces and reservoirs in a short span of time. He introduced an architectural style, which was uncommon blending of the indigenous, and the imperial styles of Delhi, particularly of the Tughaq, which has been termed as Khan Jahani style. Based on this style some scholars express that Ulugh Khan Jahan was possibly of Turkish origin. Most of the establishments of his township have disappeared with the passage of time. Only a few survive most of which are religious buildings like mosque and mausoleum. Not a single secular structure excepting road is visible now. Water tanks may be related to both type of establishments. So whatever evidences of Bagerhat>Kalifatabad still traceble can be distinctly divisible into two groups: surving monument and structural ruins buried in the earth. The former group comprises Shaitgumbad Mosque, Singar Mosque, Bibi Begni’s Mosque, Chuna Khola Mosque, Naygumbad Mosque, Ranavijaypur Mosque, rezakhoda Mosque, Zindapir Mosque, Sabekdanga Monument and Khan Jahan’s Tomb. In the latter group there are many structural ruins scattered in and around Bagerhat town. A few of them are in the form of low mounds while some others are almost leveled down to the surrounding land surface. Some of them are Khan Jahaner Vasarbati, Bara Azina Masjid, Jahajghata, Kotwali Chawtara etc.

Monuments

Shait Gumbad Mosque

Shait Gumbad Mosque, Bagerhat

The most spectacular and magnificent monument of Khalifatabad, stands on the eastern bank of a large water tank, locally known as Ghora dighi. It is about 7 km west of Bagerhat town. Khulna-Bagerhat high way passes to the south of the mosque commonly known by its highly misleading name of Shaitgumbad Mosque or Mosque of Sixty Domes. Actually this is roofed over with 77 squat domes including 7 chauchala or four segmented hut shaped domes in the central row. It is the largest mosque of medieval Bangladesh with its external dimension 49 m long × 33m wide. The large prayer chamber is provided with 11 arched doorways on the east and 7 each on the north and south. The interior of the mosque is divided into 7 longitudinal aisles and 11 deep bays by 60 stones columns excepting one. There ate ten concave mihrabs on the western wall of which the central one is of stone while the flanking 9 mihrabs are decorated with terracotta motifs. There is a small arched doorway in the western wall close to the central mihrab. The corner turrets are raise above the slightly curved parapet capped by rounded cupolas. The eastern turrets are tall and have entrances from the interior of the mosque through staircases while the western turrets are dwarfish without staircases. The facade is relieved with usual curved cornice. Besides, over the central arched doorway existed a small triangular pediment. After repair this pediment is not seen. Around the mosque, there is an open courtyard and is enclosed by brick wall. The middle part of each wall was providing with gateway of which the eastern one seems to be massive and elegant.

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