Archaeological site, Jhenaidah
Barobazar mosque ruinsবারোবাজারের প্রাচীন মসজিদ
- Time needed
- Half a day.
- best months
- Nov–Feb
- Cost
- Free; a van or easy-bike for the round.
A group of excavated and restored sultanate-era brick mosques around Barobazar in Kaliganj, among them Jor Bangla and Gorar mosque, thought to be the remains of the old town of Mohammadabad.
At a glance
- Period
- Bengal Sultanate
- Excavated
- From 1992–93
About
For centuries these buildings were only mounds and tanks in the fields. Digs by the Archaeology Department from the early 1990s found mosque after mosque, several with fine terracotta, and most have since been rebuilt on their old walls. Local tradition ties the area to Khan Jahan Ali's time and to twelve saints, which some say gave Barobazar its name.
Jor Bangla is a small one-domed mosque with graves beside it and rich terracotta on its pillars and walls; Gorar mosque is another single-dome building close by. Galakata, the largest, has its own page. The sites are spread over a few kilometres of village road, so a van or easy-bike is the easy way round.
Getting there: Bus from Jhenaidah to Kaliganj and on to Barobazar, about 45 minutes; or a train to Barobazar station.
Things to do
- Look closely at the terracotta on Jor Bangla's pillars.
- Hire a van and go mosque to mosque.
Good to know
- These are working mosques; visit between prayers and dress modestly.
