Chand Gazi Bhuiyan Mosque
By Mamun Chowdhury
Chhagalnaiya Chand Gazi Bhuiyan Mosque is a 300-year-old archaeological heritage of Feni district.
The mosque was built by Chand Gazi Bhuiyan, a zamindar or landlord, in 1112 Bangla year on 28 decimals of land.
Made out of burnt bricks, the mosque is rectangular in plan, with three octagonal domes and a marble floor inside.
The mosque attracts all kinds of visitors. Every Friday, a good number of devotees come here from different places to say their Jumma prayers.
However, the old mosque is getting damaged, with plaster pealing off, as none cares to repair or preserve the golden heritage.
Mufti Abdul Goni, a 7th generation descendant of Chand Gazi, said the mosque was built during the reign of Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah, an independent sultan of Bengal in the 17th century. At present, the main building is in bad condition and needs urgent repairs, he added.
Local people claim that during the rainy season, water seeps into the mosque and at any time, the damaged roof may cave in.
The local administration had allocated Tk 3 lakh in 1992 for the mosque and part of it was repaired. But due to shortage of money, the repair work could not be completed.
Mawlana Abdul Halim Bhuiyan, general secretary of the mosque managing committee, said: We are trying to preserve our golden archaeological heritage, but we are getting no help.
Recently, the government declared the mosque as an archaeological resource to ensure its preservation.
The writer is Noakhali correspondent of The Independent.
