Sharshadi Shahi Mosque: A Memorial to the First Independent Sultan of Bengal?
The historic architectural monument Sharshadi Shahi Mosque is located in the village namely 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 Taqiyah Mosque. Many people also know this mosque as the Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah Mosque.
The Sharshadi Shahi Mosque is built in the medieval Sultani mosque architectural style. The mosque has six domes on the roof. It is built in a rectangular plan. The mosque measures about 10 meters in the north-south direction and about 8 meters in the east-west direction. The walls of this ancient monument of mosque architecture are almost two meters wide. Lime, concretes and thin bricks were used in its construction.
The mosque has various decorations of vines, leaves and flowers all over the walls. There are two stone pillars inside the mosque. The roof with six domes of the mosque is located resting on these pillars. There is one mihrab in the middle of the western wall inside the mosque. Various terracotta decorations are seen in this central mihrab.
In addition, there is one closed mihrab on both sides of the central mihrab. Both of these mihrabs also have terracotta decorations. Three entrances with gothic type arches are seen on the front wall of the mosque. The middle entrance is comparatively larger. No turret or minaret is seen at the four corners of the mosque.
Such six-domed mosques of Sultanate architecture style are seen in the southern, western and northwestern districts of Bangladesh, including Bagerhat, Munshiganj and Chapainawabganj districts, which are very few in number. However, no other mosques of this type of architectural style are seen in the southeastern districts of the country.
In this era of globalization, various heritage sites and monuments are at risk of destruction due to the impact of modern development work. One of the monuments of Islamic history, the Sharshadi Shahi Mosque in Feni district, requires special planning at the local and national levels for the future protection.
There is a square pond with a bank of about 500 meters long in the northeast corner of the mosque. Which is locally known as Sharshadi Dighe (a large water body). It is also known as Takiyah Dighe to many. This ancient Dighe is known to be a contemporary historic monument of the Sharshadi Mosque.
Due to the construction of multiple dams in the middle, the Dighe is currently on the verge of disappearing. It may be possible to develop a large archeological tourism site in Feni district with both the Sharshadi Mosque and the Dighe under government sponsorship.
Various sources indicate that in the 14th century CE, Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah (reign: 1338 – 1349 CE) was the first independent Sultan of Bengal, free from the control of Delhi. His main capital was the historic city of Sonargaon (present-day Narayanganj district).
It is also known that Sultan Mubarak Shah conquered the eastern and southeastern regions of present-day Bangladesh and established his second capital at a place called Sharshadi in Feni. At that time, he undertook several construction works in this region. Among them, roads, highways, dams, mosques, tombs, large ponds, etc. are notable. And the six-domed mosque of Sharshadi in Feni district is known to be a memorial monument built by Sultan Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah.
Again, some researchers mention in their research papers that the six-domed mosque of Sharshadi was built during Sultan Sher Shahi period. As an explanation for their idea, they mention that the word ‘Shershahabadi’ was altered to ‘Shershadi’, and finally the form of the word ‘Sharshadi’ was altered. ‘Shershahabadi’ (persons in favour of Sher Shah) arrived in the southeastern part of this territory called Bangladesh in the early 16th century CE during the reign of Sultan Sher Shah (reign: 1538 – 1545 CE).
Since 1995 CE, the Shershadi Shahi Mosque has been included in the list of protected antiquities of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh as a national heritage. The Department of Archaeology under the Ministry of Cultural Affairs is responsible for the supervision and conservation of this mosque.
How to visit the Sharshadi Shahi Mosque?
The Shershadi Shahi Mosque is located on the southwestern bank of Takiyah Dighe in the village of Shershadi, 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, the city of Feni district. This historic mosque may be easily reached by road by bus, minibus, microbus, private car, motorcycle, etc. [Md. Shahin Alam]
References:
1. Sharshadi Shahi Mosque, Wikipedia;
2. Sharshadi Mosque, Feni (16th Cen. CE), Alokito Bangladesh;
3. Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah, Banglapedia;
4. Data collected during Field Visit.