The historic Panbari Mosque or Rangamati Mosque is a famous mosque in northeast India and is considered to be the oldest mosque in the Indian state of

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur t ...

. The mosque is situated on the

National Highway 17 Route 17, or Highway 17 can refer to the following roads: For the roads named "A17", see list of A17 roads. International * European route E17 * European route E017 Australia * Brisbane Valley Highway, Queensland * D'Aguilar Highway, Queensla ...

, near Panbari and Rangamati, about 25 km east from

Dhubri Dhubri (Pron: ˈdhubri) is an old town and headquarter of Dhubri district in Indian state of Assam. It is an old town on the bank of the Brahmaputra river, with historical significance. In 1883, the town was first constituted as a Municipal Bo ...

town. This 15th/16th century three-domed mosque also presents an excellent example of great architectural achievements of the

Sultanate of Bengal The Sultanate of Bengal ( Middle Bengali: শাহী বাঙ্গালা ''Shahī Baṅgala'', Classical Persian: ''Saltanat-e-Bangālah'') was an empire based in Bengal for much of the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. It was the domina ...

Construction

The mosque was believed to have been commissioned by the

Sultan of Bengal The Sultanate of Bengal ( Middle Bengali: শাহী বাঙ্গালা ''Shahī Baṅgala'', Classical Persian: ''Saltanat-e-Bangālah'') was an empire based in Bengal for much of the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. It was the domina ...

Alauddin Husain Shah Ala-ud-din Husain Shah ( bn, আলাউদ্দিন হোসেন শাহ (1494–1519)Majumdar, R.C. (ed.) (2006). ''The Delhi Sultanate'', Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, pp.215-20 was an independent late medieval Sultan of Bengal, who ...

to celebrate the victory of the Conquest of Kamata in 1498. However, the exact details of the mosque's history is uncertain and the possible date of construction spans between 1493 and 1519 AD. On the other hand, there is a less common theory which attributes the mosque's construction to Mir Jumla II, the Mughal governor of Bengal who may have passed through the area during his invasion of Assam in 1662. The eidgah and deep well within the complex is considered to have been constructed during the same time as the mosque. The vast paved courtyard and

minaret A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گل‌دسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...

were constructed later on. It is said that the mosque later became surrounded by deep forest, and fell in use. In 1928, a villager caught a glimpse of some minarets from the hills of Rangamati whilst he was collecting some firewood. The news then reached the Nawab of Dhaka who even dispatched a team to investigate the matter, and they returned having confirmed its existence.

Background

During the reign of the Koch rulers Rangamati area was a very prosperous place. It was the frontier post of the Koch rulers. Invading army of

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predo ...

sultans and Mughals also used Rangamati fort. The area, as some believe, was also the headquarters of Alauddin Husain Shah. And this mosque was used as a prayer hall by the Muslim soldiers.Rangamati Mosque, INDIA the pristine beauty
/ref> It is said that about 200 years ago, the local people of this place found this mosque in Panbari "Pahar" under the thick foliage. They cleaned this place and started to offer Namaz there. Today, Panbari "Pahar" is known as the holy seat and the mosque is a holy shrine for the people of western

. The scenic beauty of the hills with its rich

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring ( indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or ''skin flora''. ...

, its unique location together with the archeological importance, holds promise of becoming an important tourist spot in India. Of late, a

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...

consisting of brick-plinths, terracotta

antiquities Antiquities are objects from antiquity, especially the civilizations of the Mediterranean: the Classical antiquity of Greece and Rome, Ancient Egypt and the other Ancient Near Eastern cultures. Artifacts from earlier periods such as the Meso ...

as also a hoard of coins have been discovered near the mosque, which have been tentatively attributed to the Mughal regime. About 150 people can pray inside the mosque at a time.

Management

The mosque is run by a local body, Panbari mosque management committee, who appoints the imam and other employees. Various religious services like imamat and leading namaz are performed by the imam. The expenses of the mosque are covered from different kind of donations obtained by the mosque. As the mosque enjoy a special place in the society of western Assam, people donate generously irrespective of religion, caste or creed.

Festivals

During the annual Islamic festivals like Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha, this mosque wears a special look. Thousands of people from different parts of the country visit the mosque. Not only the people from India but also from England and Japan visit this place. Normally hundreds of people gather here for the weekly Friday noon Jumu'ah prayers, besides other regular prayers.

Transport

As the mosque is standing on the national highway 17, regular bus services are available from

Guwahati Guwahati (, ; formerly rendered Gauhati, ) is the biggest city of the Indian state of Assam and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the ...

and

Cooch Behar Cooch Behar (), or Koch Bihar, is a city and a municipality in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Cooch Behar district. It is in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas at . Cooch Behar is the only planned city in ...

. The nearest railway station is Fakiragram (30 kilometers) and the nearest airport is the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (200 kilometers). The mosque is also not far away from the mighty

Brahmaputra The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Tibet, northeast India, and Bangladesh. It is also known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan, the Siang/Dihang River in Arunachali, Luit in Assamese, and Jamuna River in Bangla. It ...

(8 kilometers).

Government steps

The

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...

, Ministry of Culture has taken some steps to conserve the monuments of this area. However, local people are not happy with the token steps of the government and demand more.

References

External links

Dhubri District Profile
* https://web.archive.org/web/20120208111140/http://www.indiainfoweb.com/assam/panbari/

Government of Assam, Official website

Choudhury, R. D.; HERITAGE OF ARCHITECTURE OF ASSAM – NEED FOR CONSERVATION, National Museum, New Delhi.

The Archaeological Survey of India, Ministry of Culture.
{{Mosques in India Bengal Sultanate mosques Dhubri Mosques in Assam Religious buildings and structures completed in 1519