Roshnibagh Mosque,Rosnaiganj, Murshidabad, West Bengal, India.
Roshnibagh is actually Garden of Lights which was built by Nawab Shuja ud din Mohammad Khan. A spectacular mosque located in this garden is famous for its architecture, which is a magnificent combination of Islamic and regional Bengali architecture, which is unique and spectacular known as Roshnibagh Mosque.
It is not very large but looking at the exterior ornamentation, the inner grandeur can be gauged, as it was closed due to maintenance work so I failed to see the interior of this mosque.
The mosque is probably one of its kind . Three Iwans in the eastern wall provisioned with arched entrances to access the main prayer hall from the eastern courtyard. The central Iwan is higher and larger than the other two. Middle Iwan has a rectangular projection with octagonal slenderical pillars, raised above the parapet and top is adorned with the bulbous dome and finial. The octagonal pillars at the four corners with their plain shafts till roof level and octagonal minarets having a series of bands aligned with parapet and divided into two stages by moldings, vertical surfaces are decorated with columned arches. Their peaks of the minarets are covered with bulbous cupolas. The either sides Iwans are portraying the front views of the four sided slopping domeâs roof above the jagged edge arches supported by decorated columns running from the base. Central Iwan is also having the projected replica of the central dome above the jagged edge arche supported by decorated columns. Below this replica in the middle a black stone tablet is fixed having the construction details in Persian.
There are three domes on the roof of the mosque. The bigger one is in the centre, and on either side of it are two rectangular domes that resemble the charchala traditional Bengali hutâs roof which is winding and four sloping sides. This marvelous architectural fusion was adopted even by the Mughal Architecture. Both Charchala or Chauchala domes are decorated with two inverted lotuses and two Kalshes on each roof. The central dome is hemi spherical which rest on an octagonal drum and is crowned with a lotus and a kalash at the top. The mosqueâs parapet and cornice are highly decorated and divided into two levels, one separated from the other by a prominent band. Northern and Southern walls are projecting the side views of Charchala dome supported by pillars and arches as arched windows with decorated lattice which bears magnificent flower vase. Remaing part of the wall is plastered with rectangular panels.
In the courtyard a big Pot is fixed, probably to store the water.
It has many noticeable features and a major attraction among the visitors and art and architecture lovers. It also portrayed the communal harmony because Charchala roofs were used mostly in temples.