Mosque and shrine, Sherpur
Maisaheba Jame Mosqueমাইসাহেবা জামে মসজিদ
- Time needed
- Half an hour.
The biggest mosque in Sherpur, about 250 years old by tradition and rebuilt many times, with two tall minarets you see from across town and a story about an elephant that refused to move.
At a glance
- Age
- About 250 years, by tradition
- Built by
- The Tin Ani zamindar of Sherpur, by tradition
- Today
- Three storeys, two minarets; the district's largest mosque
About
The Maisaheba mosque stands in the middle of Sherpur town, south-east of the government college, and is the first landmark on the way in from the bus stand. By tradition it is about 250 years old. The story the town tells is this: the Tin Ani zamindar of Sherpur had invited the zamindar of Muktagachha, who asked for this plot as a gift, so the host ordered an elephant to knock down the old rent-collection room standing on it. The elephant stopped at the door and knelt. Inside, a woman was deep in prayer. The zamindar begged her pardon, and after her death built a mosque on the spot and named it for her, Mai Saheba.
What stands today is the result of repeated rebuilding: three storeys, pointed arches, two slender minarets and, the committee says, room for several thousand worshippers, with an extension and air conditioning under way. Friday prayers draw people from the villages around, and the mosque is known for the donations it receives from Muslims and non-Muslims alike. It is a working mosque, not a monument, so visit between prayer times and dress accordingly.
Getting there: In Sherpur town, a rickshaw ride from the bus stand; it is beside the Sherpur–Mymensingh road near the government college.
Things to do
- See the minarets from the college side, then the prayer hall between prayer times.
Good to know
- Remove shoes and cover arms and legs; women should ask at the gate about where they may enter.
