| Dariya Mosque stands on the western
bank of the karatoya
in Dariya village in Muradpur Union, about 15 km to the east of Nawabganj
Upazila of Dinajpur district. There is no inscription recording the date
of its construction, but from its stylistic similarity with the nearby
nayabad mosque
it can be identified as a Mughal mosque. Tradition has it that a local
merchant built it and the builder lies buried beside the mosque.
The mosque is in a highly
damaged condition due to lack of repair and maintenance. All the
three domes are heavily damaged and show overgrowth of vegetation.
Most of its terracotta decorations are now gone. |
|
Dariya Mosque, Dinajpur |
But it was not too long ago that the mosque was in use.
It is interesting to note that the walls of the mosque are decorated with
representations of elephant, horse and peacock. For this reason it was
abandoned, since the Imam of the new village mosque issued a fatwa
against such decoration.
The foundation of the mosque has sunk considerably. It
measures 9.75m x 3.41m from the outside. There are three arched entrances
on the east; the central one is bigger than the flanking ones and is 1.68m
high and 1.71m wide. Of the three mihrabs inside the western wall, the
central one is bigger than the flanking ones. There are four corner towers
in the outer corners of the mosque. The eastern faE7ade wall shows panel
decoration. Terracotta plaques with depiction of floral and creeper patterns,
horse, pairs of peacocks, and elephants, are placed inside the panels
on the wall. It should be noted here that representations of life do not
occur in the decoration of mosques. The exception of this general rule
in this mosque is worth noting. [Sania Sitara]
|
