Choto Sona Mosque

The Choto Sona mosque was built around 1500 under Sultan Hussain Shah at Gaur, the sultanate capital that straddles what is now the India-Bangladesh border, and it is the best preserved building on the Bangladeshi side: a rectangular hall of brick faced in stone, with fifteen domes of which the central three are Bengali chala vaults shaped like hut roofs, corner towers, and carved stone decoration whose gilding gave the mosque its name, the small golden one. Around it lie other remains of the scattered capital: the Darasbari mosque and madrasa, the Khania Dighi mosque, tombs and tanks, reached along country roads among mango orchards, for which the district is famous. The border crossing is nearby.

History

Majlis Mansur Wali Muhammad bin Ali built the mosque between 1493 and 1519, in the reign of Sultan Alauddin Husain Shah, and its fifteen domes were once gilded, which gave it its name, though the gold has long gone. The earthquake of 1897 brought down three of the domes, three of the chauchala vaults of the central aisle and much of the west wall, and after restoration between 1900 and 1907 it is one of the best preserved Bengal Sultanate monuments (Wikipedia, Choto Sona Mosque).

Highlights

• Fifteen domes with chala vaults - hut-roof shapes over the central bays.
• Stone facing with carved decoration - the work that was once gilded.
• The scattered remains of Gaur - mosques and tombs among the orchards.
• Mango country - the orchards the district is known for.

When to go

November to March; the mango harvest in May and June is the district's other season. Half a day for the mosque and the nearby sites. It is a working mosque; visit outside prayers.

Practical notes

The other Gaur sites are scattered and need a vehicle and patience. Border sensitivity applies near the crossing. Interpretation is minimal. The journey from Rajshahi is long.

Nearby

The Sona Masjid border crossing is close; Chapainawabganj lies south-east.

Key facts