Atiya is a historical four century year old mosque located at the Delduar Thana of Tangail district. It was named by the village Atiya and the mosque is also known as Atiya Jame Masjid. A few numbers of mosques, built in the outlying areas of Mughal Capital Dhaka during the early Mughal Period, reveal a happy blending of the Sultanate features with the new Imperial Mughal features, which characterize a transitional phase in the development of the mosque architecture in Bangladesh.
This Atiya mosque is an illustrious example of this transitional phase. It is located, about six kilometers south of Atiya Union under Sadar Upazilla in the District Tangail. According to the original date-plaque inscription, which is now preserved in the Bangladesh National Museum, the mosque was erected between 1019/1610-11 by Sayid Khan Panni.
The mosque belongs to the group of square shaped plans with a fore room that developed during the Sultanate period. The mosque measures externally 16.51m by 10.52m with a 3.55m wide fore room. There are three arched openings in the east facade and one on each side of the fore room. The main hall is accessed by three openings from the fore room and has one opening on each of the north and south sides. Corresponding to the eastern openings there are three mihrab niches in the kibla wall. Introducing typical Mughal octagonal turret, four instead of six in each corner, is the most inquisitive feature of this mosque.
The large central dome on the square prayer hall is supported on sequences at each corner and the three domes over the fore room are carried on pendentives. The entire eastern façade is adorned with several rectangular recessed paneled niches and divided by a string course in the middle. The area of each recessed niches is faced with extensive terracotta ornamentation of geometrical and floral nature. Eastern façade has gentle curved cornice embedded with merlon shaped battlements, whereas the southern and western façade has straight parapet.
The mosque brings together harmoniously both the Sultanate and Mughal features of Bengal. Square shaped room with a verandah, flat façade, curved cornice, exquisite terracotta ornamentation, horizontal string-course are typical sultanate features, whereas, plastered turrets embellished with niched paneling, blind kiosk on the corner turrets, plastered surface paneling, dome with octagonal shoulder embellished with merlon, kalasa typed finial on a lotus base recall Mughal architecture in Bangladesh.
The mosque was damaged during the massive earthquake of 1800. A reconstruction of the mosque was made in 1837. Also, during 1909 another reconstruction made by two Jamindar from Korotia and Delduar of Tangail jointly. Wazed Ali Khan Panni was from Korotia, and Abu Ahmed Guznavi Khan from Delduar. The photo of this iconic mosque used to be printed on the Ten Taka note of Bangladesh. Nowadays these notes are very rare and are available only at the banks or on in the collection of few people.
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