Mughal Architecture: Mohammad Ali Chowdhury Mosque in Feni

January 3, 2025

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Mohammad Ali Chowdhury Mosque, one of the monuments of Mughal architecture, is located in the village of Sharshadi in the Sadar Upazila of Feni, a southeastern district of Bangladesh. This ancient mosque, located in the eastern basin near the Dakatia river, is locally known as the Tingambuj Mosque. Many people also know this mosque as the Mosque of Zamindar Mohammad Ali Chowdhury.

Mohammad Ali Chowdhury Mosque was built in the Mughal architectural style. The mosque, built in a rectangular plan, has three domes on its roof. Measurement of the mosque is about 16 meters in the north-south direction and about seven meters in the east-west direction, and the walls are about one meter wide. Lime, concretes, and terracotta bricks were used in the construction of this ancient monument of mosque architecture.

The mosque has four pillars or turrets, one at each of the four corners. A tiny-dome may be seen on top of the pillars, which are octagonal. There are three entrances on the eastern wall of the mosque. Each dome of the mosque’s roof has a finial decorated with a design with an inverted lotus and pitcher.

Various types of floral and geometric designs may be seen throughout the interior walls of the mosque. There was a mihrab in the middle of its western wall. The mihrab has now been demolished and an entrance instead of the mihrab has been built. This entrance leads to the newly built two-storied mosque on the west side. In addition, four more mihrabs, a total of eight, are seen on either side of the central mihrab in the western wall. One entrance and two niches may be seen on both the north and south walls.

In front of the mosque, there is a courtyard with a paved floor. There are one room each in the southeast and northeast corners of the courtyard. The two rooms with a dome are built in an octagonal plan. In front of the mosque courtyard, there is an entrance arcade with a semicircular arch.

The architectural structure of the mosque is quite similar to the architectural design of the Jhaudia Shahi Mosque in Kushtia district of Bangladesh. Such three-domed mosques in the Mughal architectural style are more or less seen in different districts of Bangladesh, which are very few in number.

In this era of globalization, various archaeological places and monuments are at risk of destruction due to the impact of modern development work and Communal conflicts. A modern two-storied mosque has been built on the western side and various madrasa structures have been built on the north, south and east adjacent to the ancient monument namely Mohammad Ali Chowdhury Mosque in Feni district. There is a need for special plans at the local and national levels for the future protection of the Mohammad Ali Chowdhury Mosque in Feni, one of the monuments of Islamic history.

From various sources, it is known that during the Mughal rule, a Mughal Naib (an official) built this three-domed mosque in the Feni region in the late 17th century CE. Then in the 18th century CE, i.e. in 1762 CE, Mohammad Ali Chowdhury was appointed as the Mughal Naib in the Feni region. Within a few decades, his fame and reputation spread to the Feni region for establishing good governance. At one stage, when colonial rule began, British rulers gradually developed unfriendly relations with him.

When this unfriendliness turned into a rebellion, in 1790 CE, Mohammad Ali Chowdhury lost his authority and domain in the region. However, the love of the people of this region remained for him. It is known that the people awarded him the title of ‘Bir Mujahid’.

Along with this, this mosque built during the Mughal period was named Mohammad Ali Chowdhury Mosque in his memory. It is known that he built many structures in this region during his time. According to the inscription of the mosque, the construction period of this mosque was from 1690 CE to 1691 CE. Currently, the Sharshadi Darul Uloom Madrasa has been built on all sides of this three-domed mosque. It is known that Shah Sufi Nur Bakhsh (ra.) established the madrasa in 1943 CE.

Since 1995 CE, Mohammad Ali Chowdhury Mosque has been included in the list of protected monuments of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh as a national heritage. Department of Archaeology under the Ministry of Cultural Affairs is responsible for the supervision and protection-conservation of this mosque.

How to visit Mohammad Ali Chowdhury Mosque?

Mohammad Ali Chowdhury Mosque is located on the Darul Uloom Madrasa campus in Sharshadi village, 2.5 kilometers west of Mohammad Ali Bazar, along the Cumilla-Chattagram highway. Mohammad Ali Bazar is located about 45 kilometers from Cumilla city and about 15 kilometers from Mahipal, Feni district town. Anyone may easily reach this historic mosque by road by bus, minibus, microbus, private car, motorcycle, etc. [Md. Shahin Alam]

References:
1. Mohammad Ali Chowdhury Mosque, Wikipedia.org;
2. Mufti Mohammad Tasneem, Mughal Architecture Mohammad Ali Chowdhury Mosque, Desh Rupantar;
3. Department of Archaeology, Bangladesh;
4. Information obtained during field visit.

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