Gorar MosqueShailkupa, Bangladesh
The Gorar Mosque is locally considered to be contemporary
with Khan Jahan Ali style mosques of Khalifatabad and located at historic Mohammadabad
city, present day Barobazar, Jessore. Based
on architectural style the date of construction can be estimated to be
fifteenth century.
The Gorar Mosque is a square cell with porch style Sultanate
mosque, that is; the mosque has a single dome central chamber with a three-domed
porch. The mosque is situated about 800 feet to the west of the Pir Pukur Mosque.
The mosque is a rectangle of 46'6" x 36'4" externally
while internally it has a square plan of 32'0" x 20'0". The main
prayer hall is a single chamber, roofed over by a larger hemispherical dome
with a porch roofed over by three smaller domes. The eastern façade has three advanced
framed arched openings on the porch which leads to the prayer hall. There are
three mihrabs, each aligned with the three entrances at east and the central
portion of the qibla wall is projected westward. The northern and southern
façades have two openings each; one at the center of main prayer hall while the
other one is for the porch. Stylistically this kind is known as Khan Jahan Ali architecture,
commonly found in and around south-western part of Bangladesh.
The rectangular structure is buttressed by six corner octagonal
turrets. These turrets end at the level of parapet walls and ribbed with jali
and floral motifs. The façades are capped by curvilinear cornices of pre-Mughal
type. Exterior façades are ribbed with jali and betel leaf motifs arranged
horizontally. The central entrance at the eastern façade is larger than the
side ones which are slightly narrower and dwarfish. The arched openings are
framed with terracotta design of jali motif. There are three terracotta multi
cusped arched mihrabs in the qibla wall; the central one is larger and the
flanking ones narrower and dwarfish similar to the front façade.
The mosque was restored and repaired by the Department of Archaeology, Bangladesh and is now a protected monument.
Sources:
The Gorar Mosque is locally considered to be contemporary
with Khan Jahan Ali style mosques of Khalifatabad and located at historic Mohammadabad
city, present day Barobazar, Jessore. Based
on architectural style the date of construction can be estimated to be
fifteenth century.
The Gorar Mosque is a square cell with porch style Sultanate
mosque, that is; the mosque has a single dome central chamber with a three-domed
porch. The mosque is situated about 800 feet to the west of the Pir Pukur Mosque.
The mosque is a rectangle of 46'6" x 36'4" externally
while internally it has a square plan of 32'0" x 20'0". The main
prayer hall is a single chamber, roofed over by a larger hemispherical dome
with a porch roofed over by three smaller domes. The eastern façade has three advanced
framed arched openings on the porch which leads to the prayer hall. There are
three mihrabs, each aligned with the three entrances at east and the central
portion of the qibla wall is projected westward. The northern and southern
façades have two openings each; one at the center of main prayer hall while the
other one is for the porch. Stylistically this kind is known as Khan Jahan Ali architecture,
commonly found in and around south-western part of Bangladesh.
The rectangular structure is buttressed by six corner octagonal
turrets. These turrets end at the level of parapet walls and ribbed with jali
and floral motifs. The façades are capped by curvilinear cornices of pre-Mughal
type. Exterior façades are ribbed with jali and betel leaf motifs arranged
horizontally. The central entrance at the eastern façade is larger than the
side ones which are slightly narrower and dwarfish. The arched openings are
framed with terracotta design of jali motif. There are three terracotta multi
cusped arched mihrabs in the qibla wall; the central one is larger and the
flanking ones narrower and dwarfish similar to the front façade.
The mosque was restored and repaired by the Department of Archaeology, Bangladesh and is now a protected monument.
Sources: