Choto Sona Mosque
Chapai Nawabganj, Rajshahi, Bangladesh
The small Sona Mosque is known as the Jewel of Sultanate Architecture. Small Sona Mosque is located half a kilometer southeast of the Tahkhana complex in the Firozpur quarter of Gaur-Lakhnauti, the capital of Bengal, and about three kilometers south of Kotwali Darwaza. Its location covers the western part of the southern shore of a huge lake. Not far west of the mosque is a modern two-story guest house built a few years ago by the Archaeological Survey of Bangladesh. A modern road runs north-south through guest houses and mosques.
The road seems to be old-fashioned, and at one time it was the gate of Kotwali, connecting the southern suburbs with the main town of Gaur-Lakhnauti. According to an inscription at the top of the main entrance, the mosque was built by Majlis-e-Majalis Majlis Mansur Wali Muhammad bin Ali. However, from the mention of the name of Sultan Alauddin Hussain Shah, it is clear that the mosque was built at some point during his reign (1494-1519).
Chhota Sona Masjid or Chhota Sona Masjid The name of this mosque comes from the gilding once on the top of the fifteen domes. An inscription mentions Wali Muhammad as the builder and it was built during the reign of Sultan Hussain Shah.
It is a typical rectangular structure with external dimensions 82 'x 57' x 20 'and internal 70'- 4 "x 40'-9". In addition to the four corner towers, there are two additional projecting buttress towers framed behind the central mihrab. This brick structure is decorated with the black stone on the outside of the palace and this change is visible in the materials where the domes started. All arches and domes are brick and the conversion from square to the drum-less dome is done with a brick stalactite pendant.
An important architectural feature is high-quality stone carvings made in the shallow reliefs on the inner and outer walls. These are the reproductions of the highly developed traditional terracotta stone of Bangladesh which is similar to wood carving or filigree work. Many of the stones used to cover this mosque are of Hindu descent. This is evident from a piece of architecture now preserved in the British Museum, which features a statue of the Buddha on one side and a shallow diaper design by a Muslim craftsman on the other, which bears the marks of the gilding. According to local legend, the mosque was once decorated with gilding and gold in tile ornaments.
How do I get there:
About 35 km from Chapai Nawabganj. You can go by bus or CNG. About 45 m. It takes from 1 hour.
