AS MAGNIFICIENT AS A MUGHAL
Photos: Prabir Das
Dhaka's status as a city of mosques is surely not a new one. A travel poster, printed presumably during the Pakistan rule, reads, 'Dacca: The City of Mosques & Muslin', hinting that the notion of this city being one of many beautiful mosques had existed perhaps even before the birth of Bangladesh.
This repute owes much to the Mughal period, when builders dotted the city with magnificent mosques.
One glorious illustration is Khan Mohammad Mirdha Mosque. Less than a ten-minute walk from Lalbagh Fort, this majestic place of worship was built in 1706, by one Khan Mohammad Mirdha, by the order of Kazi Ibadullah, who was probably the Chief Judge at the time.
As you approach the premises of the more than 300-year-old building, the first few glimpses - comprising of magnificent domes, minarets, front yard and a strong, robust stairway - will take you aback. Surrounded by modern-day apartments and the hustle and bustle of the locality, the compound is a refreshing historical oasis that will immediately take you to the long gone Mughal era.
Overlooking the gardens, the mosque is located on a raised platform, which you can reach through a short flight of stairs - about 25 steps, made of black basalt stone. At the top of the staircase is a beautiful gateway, entering through which you will be on the platform.
Much of the platform is under the open sky; a portion of it hosts a small prayer hall. This prayer hall is roofed by three domes, with the central one larger than those on either side - a common feature of many Mughal mosques in Dhaka. The corner minarets, attached to the building, rise above the parapet and are crowned by cupolas.
Enter the prayer chamber through arched doorways. Once inside the room, you might be shocked at how small the space really is; in congregation, just about three rows of worshippers can stand inside.
The chamber is a very peaceful one, cutting off many of the noises from the street. With the 'spacious' domes, the alcoves and the mihrabs, a sense of antiquity and spirituality is all around.
The digital clock on the wall and the modern buildings in very close proximity of the mosque, however, do ruin the atmosphere to some extent!
Nevertheless, the grandeur of the mosque still manages to be overpowering, owing to the beauty of the magnificent Mughal architecture.
One may argue that the compound has seen worse days. F.B. Bradley-Birt wrote in The Romance of an Eastern Capital (published in 1906),"The mosque has fallen now on evil days, the lower floor being used as stalls for the municipal bullocks, and furnishing a barely sufficient income to pay for the muezzin and to light the mosque at sundown."
From there, it has indeed come a long way. The mosque, today, is in relatively good condition, and is a must-visit.
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