Balia Mosque

Balia Mosque (Bengali: বালিয়া মসজিদ), also known as Choto Balia Jame Mosque or Jiner Mosque (Mosque of the Jinn), is a traditional mosque located in Bangladesh.^[1][2] It is situated in the village of Choto Balia, 3.7 km east of Bhulli Thana in Thakurgaon District.

The Choto Balia Jame Mosque is located alongside the Bhulli-Panchpir Hat road, three kilometers east of Bhulli Hat on the way to Boda Upazila of Panchagarh from the Thakurgaon District town.

According to local folklore, on a new moon night, Jinns and fairies were flying over the area and took a liking to it. They descended and began constructing the mosque, but dawn broke before they could finish the domes, compelling them to leave the work incomplete. As a result, the extraordinarily ornate mosque stood without domes. Because the locals believe it was built by Jinns and fairies, it is popularly known as the "Jiner Mosque" (Mosque of the Jinns).^[2][3]

History suggests that the ancestors of Meher Baksh Sarker originated from Bihar, India. After the defeat of Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah in the Battle of Plassey, Meher Baksh's grandfather moved with his family from Bihar to Jalpaiguri. Later, Meher Baksh's father, Raj-e-Mohammad, moved to Balia in the Thakurgaon subdivision and achieved prosperity through business.

Due to good relations with the local Zamindar (landlord), Raj-e-Mohammad married his son Meher Baksh to the landlord's daughter, Bibi Gulmati Nesa. Subsequently, Gulmati Nesa was nominated as the heir to her father's estate. Gulmati Nesa received the title "Chowdhurani" for delivering estate taxes to the British authorities on time. Through this connection, Meher Baksh Sarker also became known as "Chowdhury." Although the landlordship was officially in Gulmati Chowdhurani's name, Meher Baksh effectively administered the estate.

There is disagreement regarding the exact date of the mosque's construction. According to the year inscribed on the mosque, it was built in 1317 BS (1910 AD). The year of death carved on the grave of the builder, Meher Baksh Chowdhury, is also 1317 BS. However, according to local residents and Meher Baksh's relatives, the construction of the Balia Mosque began in the late 19th century, and the majority of the work was completed by the time of Meher Baksh's death.

Zamindar Meher Baksh Chowdhury planned to build a mosque in Balia in the late 19th century. For this purpose, architects were brought from Agra, Delhi, or according to some sources, Murshidabad. Designing this mosque in the Mughal architectural style was a complex and time-consuming endeavor. The construction work came to a halt due to the sudden death of the chief architect. Meher Baksh resumed construction with the help of local artisans, but they failed to construct the domes. Meher Baksh Chowdhury passed away in 1910.

Meher Baksh's younger brother took the initiative to resume construction a few years later. However, he also died without completing the work. As a result, the mosque stood without domes for 100 years.

Finally, under the patronage of Meher Baksh Chowdhury's great-granddaughter Tasrifa Khatun and with the technical assistance of the Department of Archaeology, the renovation of Balia Mosque began in 2010. Artist Kamruzzaman Shadhin and Zakirul Haque Chowdhury supervised the renovation work from beginning to end. Simultaneously, new domes were constructed according to the design of architect Syed Abu Sufian Kushal.

The mosque sits on a rectangular complex measuring 62 feet 6 inches east–west and 69 feet 2 inches north–south, located on a platform raised 5 feet 3 inches from the flat ground. The complex is divided into three parts: an entrance with a staircase, an open courtyard, and the main building or prayer hall. The main building is 25 feet 11 inches wide (east-west). The roof of the mosque is 17 feet high from the platform.

There are three domes of equal size and eight minarets on the mosque's roof. Among these, the four minarets at the corners are large, while the remaining four are small. The entire mosque, including the foundation, is constructed using lime-surkhi mortar and hand-burnt bricks. Although there is no painted ornamentation on the bricks, designs of pitchers, bells, dishes, bowls, amla, lotuses, etc., have been created by carving bricks at various places on the mosque walls.

• Front view with the mosque gate
• View from the northern side of the mosque
• View taken from the mosque gate
• Interior view taken from the south

• Mirzapur Shahi Mosque
• List of mosques in Bangladesh
• List of mosques in Rajshahi Division

• [1] Archived 2017-05-01 at the Wayback Machine, Prothom Alo
• Choto Balia Jame Mosque, Bangladesh National Portal
• [2] Archived 9 June 2019 at the Wayback Machine, Bangla Tribune