VictoriaCoward4 at 18:12, 5 December 2025

2025-12-05T18:12:57Z

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{{Short description|Former caravanserai, mosque and tomb in Murshidabad, West Bengal, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox religious building
| name = Katra Masjid
| image = Katra Masjid panoramic view.jpg
| image_upright = 1.4
| alt =
| caption = The former caravanserai and mosque, in 2017
| map_type = India West Bengal
| map_size = 250
| map_alt =
| map_relief = 1
| map_caption = Location of the former caravanserai and mosque in [[West Bengal]]
| coordinates ={{coord|24.184722|88.288056|region:IN-WB_type:landmark|format=dms|display=title,inline}}
| coordinates_footnotes =
| religious_affiliation = [[Shia Islam]] {{small|(former)}}
| locale =
| location = [[Murshidabad]], [[West Bengal]]
| deity =
| rite =
| sect =
| tradition =
| festival = 
| country = [[India]]
| administration = [[Archaeological Survey of India]]
| consecration_year =
| organisational_status = [[Caravanserai]], [[mosque]] and tomb
| functional_status = '''Inactive'''; ''(in partial ruins)''
| heritage_designation =
| ownership = [[Government of West Bengal]]
| governing_body =
| leadership =
| bhattaraka =
| patron =
| religious_features_label =
| religious_features =
| architect = Murad Farash Khan
| architecture_type = {{nowrap|[[Mosque architecture]]}}
| architecture_style =
| founded_by = [[Murshid Quli Khan|Nawab Murshid Quli Khan]]
| creator =
| funded_by =
| general_contractor =
| established =
| groundbreaking =
| year_completed = {{AH|1137|link=on}}
| construction_cost =
| date_demolished = 
| facade_direction =
| capacity =
| length =
| width =
| width_nave =
| interior_area =
| height_max =
| dome_quantity = Five {{small|(two destroyed)}}
| dome_height_outer =
| dome_height_inner =
| dome_dia_outer =
| dome_dia_inner =
| minaret_quantity = Four {{small|(two destroyed)}}
| minaret_height = {{cvt|70|ft|m|order=flip}}
| spire_quantity =
| spire_height =
| site_area =
| temple_quantity =
| monument_quantity =
| shrine_quantity = One {{small|(Tomb of [[Murshid Quli Khan|Nawab Murshid Quli Khan]])}}
| inscriptions = Two
| materials = Brick; [[basalt]]
| elevation_m = 
| elevation_footnotes =
| nrhp =
| designated =
| added =
| refnum =
| footnotes =
| website =
| module = {{Infobox historic site
| embed = yes
| designation1 = MANI | designation1_offname = Tomb and Mosque of Murshid Quli Khan (also Katra Masjid) | designation1_type = | designation1_criteria = | designation1_date = | delisted1_date = | designation1_partof = | designation1_number = N-WB-120 | designation1_free1name = | designation1_free1value = | designation1_free2name = | designation1_free2value = | designation1_free3name = | designation1_free3value = }}
}}
The '''Katra Masjid''' is a former [[Shia Islam|Shia]] [[caravanserai]], [[mosque]] and tomb, in a partial ruinous state, located in the north eastern side of the city of [[Murshidabad]], in the state of [[West Bengal]], India. The complex contains the tomb of its founder, Nawab [[Murshid Quli Khan]], and is one of the largest caravanserais in the [[Indian subcontinent]], with capacity for 700 readers at any one time. Built in {{AH|1137|link=on}}, when the [[early modern]] [[Bengal Subah]] was a major hub of trade in [[Eurasia]], the most striking feature of the structure are the two large corner towers having loopholes for musketry. The structure was significantly damaged by the [[1897 Assam earthquake|1897 Indian earthquake]].<ref name=india9>{{cite web |url=https://www.india9.com/i9show/Katra-Masjid-24822.htm |title=Katra Masjid |work=India9.com |date= |access-date= }}</ref>

The site is a [[List of Monuments of National Importance in West Bengal|Monument of National Importance]], maintained and protected by the [[Archaeological Survey of India]] since 1910, and the [[Government of West Bengal]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://asi.nic.in/alphabetical-list-of-monuments-west-bengal/ |title=List of Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains of West Bengal |publisher=[[Archaeological Survey of India]] |format=Item no. 120 |date= |access-date=18 July 2021}}</ref>

== Location ==
[[Hazarduari Palace]] and its associated sites in the Kila Nizamat area is the centre of attraction in Murshidabad. Just a little away are Katra Masjid, [[Fauti Mosque]], [[Jama Masjid, Motijheel|Jama Masjid]] and the [[Motijhil]] area. There is a group of attractions in the northern part of the town. Some attractions such as [[Khushbagh]], [[Rosnaiganj]], [[Baranagar, Murshidabad|Baranagar]], [[Kiriteswari Temple]], [[Karnasuvarna]] and others are on the other side of the river and there are attractions in the neighbouring [[Berhampore]] area also.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://offbeatweekend.com/mushidabad/ |title=Offbeat Weekend in Murshidabad |work=Outskirts of Killa Nizamat (Northern part) |publisher=Offbeat Weekend |date= |access-date=20 July 2021 |archive-date=21 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721035644/https://offbeatweekend.com/mushidabad/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Architecture ==
[[File:KatraMasjidexterior.jpg|thumb|250px|Katra Masjid]]
[[File:Katra Masjid Dome Destroyed.jpg|thumb|250px|A dome, destroyed in the [[1897 Assam earthquake|1897 earthquake]]]]
[[Murshid Quli Khan]], on reaching old age, expressed his desire to construct his tomb adjacent to a mosque. He entrusted the responsibility for constructing the mosque to his trusted follower who was an architect, Murad Farash Khan.

The former mosque is reportedly a copy of the [[Kartalab Khan Mosque]] in Dhaka,<ref name=BP/> also built by Murshid Quli Khan, approximately 25 years earlier. The Katra Masjid stands on a square plinth, built of brick, and surrounded by double storied domed cells that were built for those who read the [[Quran]], like a ''[[madrasa]]''. Up to 700 Quran readers can be accommodated in these rooms that from a cloister to the huge courtyard.<ref name=india9 />

Four large [[Minaret|minar]]s stood at the four corners, of which two have since been partially destroyed. These are octagonal in plan and taper upwards. The two towers or the minarets in front of the mosque are {{convert|70|ft|m|order=flip}} high and {{convert|25|ft|m|order=flip}} in diameter. The whole mosque is quadrangular in shape, has no pillars, and is supported by a raised platform below the mosque and by several arches. The mosque was, however, partially destroyed in the 1897 earthquake. Each minar has a winding staircase which leads to the top, and a major part of the city of Murshidabad may be viewed from the top of the minars. At the two ends of the mosque, the two minarets are in a dilapidated condition, and they had bulbous domes, also destroyed in the 1897 earthquake. In 1780 CE, a traveller named [[William Hodges]] wrote that 700 Quran readers lived in the mosque. In his book, ''Select Views of India'', Hodges described the mosques as "''a grand seminary of Musalman learning, adorned by a mosque which rises high above all the surrounding buildings''".<ref name=AO>{{cite web |author=Gahatraj, Diwash |url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/katra-masjid |title=Katra Masjid |work=Atlas Obscura |date=February 17, 2023 |access-date=2 March 2025 }}</ref>

The former mosque is rectangular in plan. The dimensions are {{convert|45.5|by|7.32|m}}. It was divided into five [[Bay (architecture)|bays]], each with an arched entrance and the central one is the most prominent one as it has a slender turret. The mosque has five domes. Some of them have been destroyed others have survived the great earthquake of 1897, which almost destroyed most of the building. The total site area is {{convert|19.5|acre|ha}}. The mosque can accommodate 2,000 [[Namaz]] readers, with 2,000 squared type mats depicted on the floor, each of them used by a single Namaz reader.

The cells in the former mosque, locally called ''Katra'',<ref name=BP/> are two storied and are {{convert|20|sqft|m2}}; and each have six arched doorways. There are fifteen steps edged with stones lead up to the gate with five arches on either sides and a stone paved pathway which leads to the central door of the mosque. The open spaces between these cells and the mosque are {{convert|13|ft|m|order=flip}} wide on either sides and {{convert|42|ft|m|order=flip}} wide at the back of the mosque. The terrace in front of the mosque is {{convert|166|by|110|ft|m|order=flip}}.

The former mosque has two inscriptions on [[basalt]] slabs, that translated from [[Persian language|Persian]], state that the mosque was constructed by Nawab Nazim Murshid Quli Khan in {{AH|1137|link=on}};<ref name=BP>{{cite web |url=https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Katra_Mosque,_Murshidabad |title=Katra Mosque, Murshidabad |work=Banglapedia |date=17 June 2021 |access-date=2 March 2025 }}</ref> and, that translated from [[Arabic language|Arabic]], read, ''"Muhammad, the Arabian, is the glory of both worlds. Dust be on the head of him who is not the dust of his portal."''<ref name=AO/>

=== Tomb ===
The eastern entrance to the mosque is by a flight of fourteen stairs. Nawab Murshid Quli Khan was buried under these stairs.<ref name=india9 /> The Nawab's humble wish was to repentant for his misdeeds. He wanted to be buried in a place where he could be trodden on and could get the foot prints and the touch of the feet of the noble men who climb those stairs and enter the mosque. He was buried under the stairs in 1725 CE.

== Communal uprising ==
The mosque has been protected and maintained by the ASI since 1910, used only as a centre for scholarly pursuits. At the [[1987 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election|1987 election]], the [[Indian Union Muslim League|Muslim League]] was successful in gaining a seat in the [[West Bengal Legislative Assembly]] on a platform of allowing constituents the right to pray at all mosques, including the Katra Masjid and another eleven mosques in West Bengal managed by the ASI. The Muslim League submitted to government authorities requests for the right to pray at Katra Masjid that were ignored, and in response, the government tightened security around the mosque. Permission for a protest march was granted to the Muslim League to gather at a village near [[Berhampore]], some {{convert|12|km}} from the mosque. Approximately 35,000 Muslims turned up to protest. A group of Muslims broke away from the march and clashed with local [[Indian Hindus|Hindus]], resulting in the death of at least 12 (and possibly up to 21) unarmed Muslims in [[Cossimbazar]].<ref>{{cite journal |author=Engineer, Asghar Ali |title=Communalism and Communal Violence, 1997 |journal=Economic and Political Weekly |volume=33 |number=1/2 |year=1998 |pages=11–13 |jstor=4406256 |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/4406256 |access-date=2 March 2025 }}</ref> The Muslim League blamed the state government authorities, ''"Either the Government must allow us to pray at Katra Masjid or scrap the right to religion from the Constitution."''<ref>{{cite news |author=Rattan, Kamaljeet |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19880731-deadly-communal-clash-over-right-of-worship-at-mosque-in-west-bengal-797512-1988-07-30 |title=Deadly communal clash over right of worship at mosque in West Bengal |work=[[India Today]] |date=31 July 1998 |access-date=2 March 2025}}</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
Katra debaditya chatterjee.jpg|The mosque
Katra_Mosque_By_Ansuman_Bhattacharya.jpg|Katra Mosque plaque by the ASI
Katra_Mosque_ventilation_window_-_Murshidabad.jpg|Mosque ventilation window
The Arch Supported Katra Mosque.JPG|The arch supported Mosque
Floor Asanas in Katra Masjid.JPG|The square type mats depicted on the floor
Arabian Inscription Written in Katra Masjid That Means Arab's Muhhamad Is World's Glory!!.JPG|The [[Arabic language|Arabic]] inscription that reads: "''Muhammad, the Arabian, is glory of both worlds. Dust be on the head of him who is not the dust of his portal''"<ref name=AO/>
The Persian Inscription In The Katra Mosque Destroyed In An Earthquake.JPG|The [[Persian language|Persian]] inscription states that the mosque was constructed by [[Murshid Quli Khan|Nawab Nazim Murshid Quli Khan]]
The Entrance..of the Katra Mosque.JPG|The open space or the terrace between the mosque and the entrance in the east
Murshidabad.gif|Early 19th-century view of the Katra Mosque
Katra Masjid Mosque.jpg|One of the towers, where the dome fell in, due to the 1897 earthquake
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{stack|{{portal|Shia Islam|India}}}}
* [[Shia Islam in India]]
* [[List of mosques in India]]
* [[List of Monuments of National Importance in West Bengal]]
* [[Nawabs of Bengal and Murshidabad]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Katra Mosque (Murshidabad)|Katra Mosque}}
* {{Wikivoyage-inline|Murshidabad}}
* {{cite web |title=Website of Katra Mosque |url=http://murshidabad.net/history/places-topic-places-zone-three.htm#katra-mosque |access-date=29 March 2012 |archive-date=8 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190108074010/http://murshidabad.net/history/places-topic-places-zone-three.htm#katra-mosque |url-status=dead }}

{{Mosques in India}}
{{Tourist attractions in Murshidabad}}

[[Category:1724 establishments in India]]
[[Category:18th-century mosques in India]]
[[Category:Caravanserais in India]]
[[Category:Monuments of National Importance in West Bengal]]
[[Category:Mosque buildings with domes in India]]
[[Category:Mosque buildings with minarets in India]]
[[Category:Mosque ruins in India]]
[[Category:Mosques completed in the 1720s]]
[[Category:Mosques in Murshidabad]]
[[Category:Religious buildings and structures completed in 1724]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Murshidabad]]
[[Category:Shia mosques in India]]

Katra Masjid - Revision history

VictoriaCoward4 at 18:12, 5 December 2025