Atia Mosque (আতিয়া মসজিদ)

Atia Mosque stands in Atia village in Delduar Upazila, about six kilometres south of Tangail town, on the east bank of the Louhajang River. The Department of Archaeology protects it as a heritage monument.

The original inscription, now kept in the Bangladesh National Museum, dates the mosque to 1019 AH, or 1610 to 1611, while a later replica over the central doorway gives 1609, in the reign of the Mughal emperor Jahangir.

Sayeed Khan Panni and the 19th century repairs

Jahangir granted the Atia pargana to Sayeed Khan Panni, son of Bayazid Khan Panni of the Karatia zamindari, who had the mosque built in honour of the Sufi saint Shah Baba Kashmiri.

The mosque was damaged by an earthquake in the early 19th century. In 1837 Rowshun Khatoon Chowdhurani, a merchant from Delhi, paid for repairs, and it was restored again in 1909 by Abu Ahmed Ghuznavi of the Delduar zamindar family.

Mughal meets Sultanate

The building mixes Mughal elements with the older style of the Bengal Sultanate. It measures about 18.3 by 12.2 metres with walls over two metres thick. A square prayer hall under one large dome is fronted by a veranda with three smaller domes. Three arched doorways open on the east, the qibla wall holds three ornate mihrabs, and octagonal towers mark the four corners. Panni also built a large tank to the west of the compound.

The mosque once printed on the 10 taka note

The mosque appeared on an earlier design of the 10 taka note, and it is still often called the 10 Taka Mosque. Entry is free and it remains a working mosque, so visit outside prayer times and dress modestly.