Golakata Mosque
Kaliganj, Bangladesh

This six-domed mosque is locally considered to be contemporary with Khan Jahan Ali style mosques of Khalifatabad and located at Mohammadabad, present day Barobazar, Jessore. Based on architectural style the date of construction can be estimated to be fifteenth century. 

The mosque is a multi-domed rectangular type Sultanate mosque with a rectangular structure crowned by six domes. The Golkata Mosque is located approximately 100m east of Jorbangla Mosque.

The mosque is 46'8'' X 26'0'' rectangle externally while internally it has a rectangular plan of 30'7'' x 19'4''. The structure is a single chamber, internally divided into six equal grids roofed over by six hemispherical domes. The eastern façade has three framed arched openings to the prayer hall flanked by two blind arches on each side. The northern and southern façades have two framed arched openings to the prayer hall flanked by two blind arches on each side. There are three mihrabs, each aligned with the three entrances at east and the central portion of the qibla wall is projected westward from the ground to the roof. Stylistically this kind is known as Khan Jahan Ali architecture, commonly found in and around south-western part of Bangladesh.

The structure is buttressed by four massive corner octagonal turrets. These turrets end at the level of parapet walls and ribbed in typical Bengali Sultanate fashion. The façades are capped by sloped cornices pointed at center. Exterior façades are of plain brick texture with framed arched opening. All entrances are almost of equal breadth while the central ones are slightly taller. There are three terracotta mihrabs in the qibla wall; the central one is slightly larger than the side ones. All three mihrabs are decorated with pointed arches.

The mosque was restored and repaired by the Department of Archaeology, Bangladesh and is now a protected monument.


Sources:

Asher, C. B. Inventory of Key Monuments. In The Islamic Heritage of Bengal, George Michell, editor. Paris: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 1984.

Hasan, P. Sultans and Mosques: The Early Muslim Architecture of Bangladesh. London: I. B. Tauris, 2007.

Islam, I., and Noblea, A. Mosque Architecture in Bangladesh: The Archetype and Its Changing Morphology. Journal of Cultural Geography, 17(2), 5-25, 1998.

Location

Kaliganj, Bangladesh

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Associated Names

Associated Collections

Style Periods

Dimensions

Rectangular plan of 46'8'' X 26'0''

Variant Names

Golakata Masjid
Variant

Site Types

religious