A Prime Archaeological Landmark of Thakurgaon

Initially, the area was named Basanta Nagar, but later the name was changed to Jamalpur. The Jamalpur Zamindar House Mosque, which is 240 years old, stands in the village of Jamalpur, 13 kilometers west of Thakurgaon town. The two main architects of the mosque, Hansraj and Ramhit, were followers of the Hindu religion. In 1870, the foundation stone of the mosque was laid by the then Zamindar Abdul Halim Chowdhury. Abdul Halim was born into a Pir family in the village of Tajpur, situated in Baro Pargana, under Raiganj Police Station in Balurghat Subdivision of the North Dinajpur district of then West Bengal.Around 1765, Abdul Halim came to Jamalpur from Tajpur for the purpose of the cloth business and settled there. While engaged in the cloth business, Abdul Halim Chowdhury acquired the zamindari by purchasing approximately 1000 bighas of land in the Latter Parpugi Mouza, from the then Zamindar Lal Mukti Prasad Nanda of then-West Bengal Bardhaman. In 1770, the British East India Company bestowed upon him the title of Chowdhury. Abdul Halim Chowdhury also initiated the construction of his royal palace in the same year.

In 1780, he brought masons from Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, and laid the foundation stone for the Jamalpur Mosque. When Abdul Halim passed away, leaving the mosque incomplete, his son, Roshan Ali Chowdhury, took over the responsibility of the zamindari.  During Roushon Ali's time, the construction of the mosque was halted. After Roushon Ali's death, his son Jamal Uddin Chowdhury took over the zamindari and resumed the construction of the mosque. After his death, his son, Nunu Mohammad Chowdhury, completed the construction of the mosque in 1801.The entrance gate of the mosque has an aesthetically pleasing archway. The interior and exterior walls of the mosque are adorned with intricate designs of vines, leaves and flowers."The mosque can accommodate approximately 300 people for prayer at a time. In a storm in 1965, 11 minarets of the mosque were destroyed. Seven of the minarets were repaired by the Chowdhury family members of that time. Four minarets are still in a dilapidated condition. The mosque has three large domes.

The domes are decorated with glass and stone. There are four minarets on the roof of the mosque. Each minaret is 35 feet tall , and all of them are intricately designed. The mosque has four main parts: the main chamber, a veranda with a roof attached to the main chamber, an open veranda, and an open veranda which is enclosed by a half-wall with a main door supported by four pillars in the middle of the eastern side and covered by a roof."The main length of the mosque is 41 feet and 6 inches, and its width is 11 feet and 9 inches. The mosque has 2 verandas. The length of the first veranda is 41 feet 2 inches, and its width is 11 feet 3 inches. The length of the second veranda is 41 feet 2 inches, and its width is 19 feet 5 inches. 

The mosque has three windows, two doors, and two niches. The corners of the main chamber of the mosque are supported by three pillars each. Abedur Rahman Chowdhury, a ninth-generation descendant of the Chowdhury family, is currently in charge of maintaining the mosque. Although the Department of Archaeology is responsible for the preservation of the mosque, they have not taken any action. According to locals, if the government takes the initiative to preserve the mosque, it will stand as a testament to history and become even more visually appealing.

 
Farzana Haque, MPhil is a
Lecturer in Rotnai Boglabari
School and College, Thakurgaon.