the art and architecture of adina mosque

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The Art and Architecture of Adina Mosque

Rozina Parvin*

Abstract

In the history of World Art, the position of Muslim Architecture is very significant. During the

expansion of Islam and Islamic Empire it conquered countries beyond the confines of Arabian

Peninsula and came in contact with Coptic, Gothic, Sassanian, Iberian, Turkish and Indian styles of

building art. Unlike all the provincial styles of Muslim Architecture in India, Bengal presents a

special style of its own based on local traditions and techniques. The Muslims came to Bengal with

a corpus of well established building traditions. The Adina Mosque in its art and architecture is a

glaring example. The author has tried to express it and it is the main object of this article.

Introduction

The Sultanate of Bangala under Ilyas Shah extended far and wide, but the monumental

remains of this period are found today mainly in Hazrat Pandua. There was political

unrest in Bengal during the period from A.D 1298 to 1375. There was no scope for

building any important Muslim Architecture in this vast span of time.1 Sikandar Shah

had come out successful in his negotiations with the imperial monarch, Firoz Shah

Tughlaq.2 After this event he was free, for some time, from political troubles. During

these years of peace he launched on a bold adventure to endow his capital Firozabad

with a truly gigantic and magnificent mosque, ‘original in design and construction’3 in

Bengal, as if to match the building projects, which Firoz Shah had started in his own

capital city of Delhi. The inspiration for this mosque, no doubt, came from the victory

achieved by Sikandar Shah, and the design of the mosque is far in advance of the type

so far built in Bengal.4 Through earnest discussion of Sultan Sikander Shah of Bengal

with Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq of Delhi, much of the political differences was

alleviated. As a result very big and gorgeous (magnificent) mosque (Illustration no-1)

was built in Firozabad, (Hazrat Pandua) the then capital of Muslim Bengal.

Naming of Adina Mosque

‘Adina’ is a Persian word. This word meaning ‘Friday’, goes back to medieval poetic

vocabulary such as could have used at the court. The Sultan and some of his entourage

obviously would have kept on some of the traditions brought from Lahore a generation

earlier Later, Sikander Shah 1’s son, Giyas-al-din Azam Shah, even invited the Poet

Hafiz to the Court. Hafiz declined the invitation because of old age but sent verses. In the

inscription itself the Mosque is referred to as al-Masjid al-Jami.5 This great Mosque at

Hazrat Pandua known as the Adina or Friday prayer chamber.

Founder and the date of construction

Adina the famous Mosque of Hazrat Pandua, was built in 1375 by Sikander Shah, the

second Sultan of the newly independent Iliyas Shahi dynasty. By far the most important

building now existing at Hazrat Pandua is the Adina Mosque.6 In the history of Muslim

Architecture in Bengal, Adina Mosque is very significant. Sikander Shah built it for his

*Associate Professor, Department of Islamic History & Culture, Jagannath University, Dhaka

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own satisfaction. This is the first and only mosque in Bengal which has been built

according to the model of traditional mosque-plan with prayers chamber7, Sahn8 and

Riwaqs9 on three other side of the court (Sahn).

Sikander Shah has been lying buried in and open room on the western side of the attached

to the outer wall. This Mosque model plan was built around open court of 400ʹ on length

and 150' in breadth. On the western side of this courtyard stands a very large sanctuary,

five ails deep and on three sides stands riwaq with three ailes each. There are 260 piers in

all to support the arches of the sanctuary and side riwaqs. The whole area is surrounded

by walls of brick faced with stone slabs on the outer side. The outer measurement of the

mosque is 507' in length and 285' in breadth. The outer walls of this mosque are all faced

with stone slabs for which terracotta plaques are almost rare in respect of its decorations.

Only the tympanums over the mihrabs are decorated with fully ornate terracotta designs.

Architectural Description

As per constructional technique this Mosque reckoned brick and stone style (Illustration

No-02). All four sides of the Sahn of this mosque has been embellished with continuous

arcade. Total number of arches of this arcade in 88 over which there is a horizontally placed

cornice just 22' above the floor. Above this were set 306 domes. Most of the domes are now

fallen off. At present only 41 are in existence, all set directly on the roof without having any

drums as necks.10 There are no round columns but are all rectangular piers over which the

domes of the sanctuary are set. As a result, a new system of building façade in Muslim

Architecture of Bengal has introduced. For entrance into this large mosque three covered

colonnades on the south-eastern corner of the mosque were kept open. Other three door

way entrances are there on the North-Western corner of the Mosque. A platform on the

upper floor could be climbed with the help of two doors on this side. In front of the central

mihrab (Illustration No- 03) at the centre of the sanctuary there is a nave with a roof of

barrel vault, supported by horseshoe arches. Besides, the sanctuary mihrab at the end of this

nave attached with the Qibla wall there could be found another (Illustration No-04) on its

left side and on its rights a pulpit (Illustration No-05) adorned with a canopy. After three

bays to the northern side of this nave there is a platform on the upper storey, which is

commonly known as ‘Badshah-Ka-Takht’ or ‘Ladies gallery’ of all the extant examples of

such gallery in Muslim Architecture of Bengal, this is the largest. A number of domes have

survived in the north prayer hall, and in particular a group of fifteen higher domes over the

area occupied by the so-called Badshah-ka Takht, or ruler’s throne.11 At present the

platform of this gallery is made of timber.

Decoration

It is presumed that it was earmarked for the Sultan and the ladies of his family. The

remnants of the stone faced outer walls of the Adina Mosque show that it was not without

beautiful decorations in places like corner towers frieze beneath the cornice and inside

the panel decorations set at regular intervals which can be visualized from the Corner

tower. The decoration of the corner tower of the upper part of the wall has been spilled

off. As a result the decorations of the outer surface of this portion cannot be exactly

reconstructed, but immediately below it the vertical fluting of mortar plaster give

testimony that the bare upper portion had also been decorated with the same patent. The

south-western corner tower (Illustration No- 06) shows that the frieze was decorated with

floral designs in terracotta just below if once again the round vertical flutings have gone

down the rim of a pitcher which is set on a three phased base made of stone. The pitcher

and the flutings above are faced with black basalt stone slabs. The winder portion of the

180 The Art and Architecture of Adina Mosque

pitcher has been decorated with heart shaped carved designs. The upper portion with

slender flutings and the tower portion with a band of bead ornaments. This unique

decoration with flutings in Bengal Architecture is apparently comparable with that of the

flutings of the Qutb Minar at Mehraul, Delhi.

The main attraction of this mosque is its central mihrab. The front of this mihrab of this is

placed in the cured wall decorated with a tri-foiled arch and the spandrel on either side

arch has been decorated with rosettes and the panels inside the mihrab are also adorned

with the designs of foiled arches and rosettes having chain and bells motifs (Illustration

No- 03) hanging from the apex of the arches. Certainly these are the decorative motifs

which carry the legacy of the Hindu style of decoration that were preventing in the pre-

Muslim period. Because these sorts of chain and bell motifs are noticed on the shaft of

the columns engraved during the Hindu period.12 In front of this mihrab rising from the

columns set on either side is a big tri-foiled arch and the scenes of engraved flowers and

foliages rising from flower vases at the bases of the columns are certainly the decorations

of the Hindu period.13 On the instance of the ‘Hangsa –Torana’ the capitals of the

columns are decorated where in besides the designs of flowers. There are the designs of

winged swans and heads of lions. Since the walls of the mosque are faced with stone

slabs, very little space on its surface is left uncovered and for which the terracotta

decorations in this mosque are not so profuse. Only the panels of the tympanum over the

mihrab are decorated with beautifully carved terracotta plaques.

One of the upper sides of the central mihrab has ornamental designs with interlocking

process (Illustration No, 03) which may be compared with a lamp at the middle emitting

rays of light on three sides, Professor Ahmed Hasan Dani took it for a pattern of a flower

vase and a palmette inside, which is abs bled. Because palmette has got no relation with a

flower vase. Rather a lamp giving light in a mosque symbolizes the religion ideas of the

Muslims nor about the of the creator.

On the left of this central mihrab in another mihrab less complicated in design but fall of

surface decoration. This mihrab has also put within a rectangular panel of stone plane

decorated with flower and foliages. (Illustration No-04). Along the borders to rows of such

flowers rose up to the apex and then came down along the right borders. Inside this panel is

a canopied multi-foiled arch of black basalt stone, supported by two engaged pillars of

stone having decoration with arrow head design and panel of arches. The central decoration

of this mihrab has been rendered with a hanging lamp looking all most like so-called chain

and bell motif. On either side of this design are panel decorations of small arches and floral

pattern. The spandrel above the arch is decorated with rosettes of exquisite beauty.

On the north western most side of the sanctuary is embellished with another unused

mihrab built of stone slabs. This is a mihrab hooded with tri-foiled arch having a crown

shape design. The origin of this tri-foiled arch is very ancient one in Bengal. This is

supported by two columns of one stone engaged on either side of the mihrab. They have

got capital and bases decorated with band ornaments and pitchers. The inside of the

mihrab are divided into a number of vertical panels. The central one of which has also

been decorated with hanging lamp which regarded by stone as chain and bell motif.

On the right of the central mihrab stands a pulpit (Illustration No, 05) built of stone for

religious sermon of the imam during Friday prayers. This pulpit can be climbed with the

help of a stone made of give successive steps. The blanks of this stear have been decorated

with beautifully carved stone slabs having floral designs. The platform of the pulpit has

been embellished with three arch opening just to make the imam visible before the


audience. The arches on three sides are of multi soil design set in rectangular panel design.

The same pattern of arch decoration is also noticed on the back inside of the pulpit.

Regarding the shape and structure of this mosque Cunningham has rightly remarked, that

it was more logical to call it an inn (or rest house) than a mosque. As regards its structural

appearance it has been built in a very simple and monotonous way. It is a fortune for the

histories of Bengal school that no such repetition of a vast plan of a mosque did occurs

again and though much changes have taken place on the Architectural features for

removal of monotony, yet the defeats of those have never been so apparent as in the case

of Adina mosque.14 On considered of its total features this mosque may be considered as

an earliest attempt to build in its ideal plan. But the masons have failed to it as per

instructions of the architects. Because most of the Hindu masons were totally

inexperienced to built arches on three sides of the Shan to from Riwaqs and to enhance to

height of the domes, which they have failed to make. Because the Hindu masons were

totally inexpert to build lofty gateways and high domes. This also incongruous in

consideration of the climatic conditions and physical features of Bengal. So a mosque of

ideal plan in the history of Muslim Architecture of Bengal is the first and the last. The

vast area occupied by the mosque reflects an ambitious building programme.15

Conclusion

The Adina mosque at Hazrat Pandua built by Sultan Sikander Shan is the only mosque in

the whole of Bengal which is built in ideal mosque plan. This architectural monument

built as per ambitious whim of a zealous Sultan is totally incongruous, as compared to the

gradual process off Muslim Architecture of Bengal which has never been followed in the

latter Muslim Architecture. By building of the Sikander Shah not only threw a challenge

to the ruler of Delhi, but also proved himself one of the greatest builders of the time.16

The Adina Masjid stands today not a symbol of Architecture type of the day, but as a

testimony of the power of an ambitious ruler and of an enormous building work

unsurpassed by any of its contemporaries either before or after in Bengal of Sultanate. In

fact, through this Architectural work ushered in unwritten competitions of Bengal with

the Architectures of Delhi, the then capital of India.

Notes and References

1. B. M Hussain, Gawr-Lakhnawti: A survey of Historical Monuments and sites in Bangladesh

(Dhaka : Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, 1997), P: 10

2. J.N. Sarkar, ed. History of Bengal (Dhaka: The University of Dhaka, 1940) Vol. II, P.112

3. Percy Brown, Indian Architecture (Islamic Period) (Bombay: DB Tarapore Vala Son & Co.

Private Ltd.1942), P.37

4. A.H. Dani, Muslim Architecture in Bengal (Asiatic Society of Pakistan, 1961) p. 58

5. George Michell, ed. The Islamic Heritage of Bengal (Paris : UNESCO , 1984) p. 157

6. A.H. Dani, op. cit. p.55

7. Prayer chamber means a sanctuary where the Muslim pray to Allah.

8. Sahn is an open court in front of the sanctuary of a Mosque.


9. Riwaq in the surrounding corridor around the open court on three other sides except the Qibla side.

10. The author had the opportunity to visit the personally on 5, September 2002.

11. George Michell, (ed.) Op.cit, p. 159

12. A.H. Dani, op.cit, p. 64

13. Ibid.

14. Sir Jhon Marshall, ‘The Monuments of Muslim India’, Cambridge History of India, vol-III

(Delhi, 1958) p. 603

15. Catherine B. Asher, ‘Inventory of key Monuments’ , The Islamic Heritage of Bengal (Paris:

UNESCO, 1984) p.110

16. A.B.M Hussain, ed. Architecture (Dhaka: Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, 2007) pp.103-105


Ground Plan of Adina Mosque


Illustration No. 1

Illustration No. 2


Illustration No. 3

Illustration No. 4


Illustration No. 5

Illustration No. 6

the art and architecture of adina mosque

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