The historic Nayabad Mosque of Dinajpur. Photo : BSS

By Rostom Ali Mondal 

DINAJPUR, Mar 11, 2025 (BSS) - The historic Nayabad Mosque in Nayabad village, about one kilometer away from Kantaji Temple in Ramchandrapur Union of Kaharol Upazila of the district, stands as a witness to time.

According to legend, in 1722, the then Dinajpur Maharaja Prannath brought a group of skilled construction craftsmen from Egypt to build a temple in Kantanagar village of present-day Kaharol upazila.

The craftsmen who came were all Muslims and pious as they did not forget to practice their religion while coming to build temples in this country.

During the construction, the craftsmen used to offer prayers under the open sky next to the temple. In the meantime, the head craftsman Niaz alias Kalua went to Maharaja's court and requested a place to build a mosque for all the craftsmen to live and practice their religion.

At that time, Maharaja Kantaji gave 1.15 bighas of land for building a mosque in Nayabad village, located on the west bank of the Dhepa River in Kaharol upazila of the district, about a kilometer away from the temple, for building a mosque. In addition, the Maharaja ordered that a house be built next to the mosque for them to live in.

As per the Maharaja's instructions, the craftsmen continued to build their own house and a mosque for praying in Nayabad village, along with the temple. After the construction of the Nayabad Mosque, they used to pray five times a day there.

At one point, after the death of Maharaja Prannath, the construction of the temple was completed in 1715 during the reign of his adopted son Maharaja Ramnath.

In the meantime, the craftsman completed the work of the mosque along with the temple. The masons who came to build the temple under the leadership of Kalua Mistry returned to their own country after completing the construction of the temple. But Niaz alias Kalua Mistry and his younger brother Niyamul Haque did not want to leave this country.

Niaz Mistry again appeared in the court of the Maharaja. This time, he requested some land from the Maharaja to live permanently and earn a living by farming. The Maharaja immediately donated some land to their two brothers. Until their death, these two Egyptian brothers lived by cultivating crops on the land donated by the Maharaja.

Yesterday, Monday, March 10, on the 9th day of the holy month of Ramadan, the village devotees discussed this issue during Iftar at the Nayabad Mosque. The relatives of the current generation pray to Allah Almighty for them. One of their relatives, Hafez Maulana Md. Raihanul Islam, confirmed this information on Monday night after Tarawih prayers.

He said that after the death of their ancestors, Niaz alias Kalua Mistry and his younger brother Niamul Haque were buried near the Nayabad Mosque. The area was named Nayabad Mistrypara after these masons. Currently, the descendants of the head mason of the temple and mosque construction and his younger brother live in Nayabad Mistrypara.

The descendants of Kalua alias Newaz Mistry said that their ancestors are no more. But now this Nayabad Mosque exists as a memory. Domestic and foreign tourists visit this mosque to visit the Kantaji Temple.

They said that compared to the past, the number of tourists visiting the Nayabad Mosque is increasing. There is also a gathering of new devotees during the five daily prayers. Every day, the people of that village have to answer the questions of the tourists about the construction of this historical mosque and 
various issues. Many tourists want to know what the relationship between this mosque and the Kantaji Temple is. Tourists expressed satisfaction after learning about the real facts.

Dinajpur Kahrol Upazila Executive Officer Md. Aminul Islam said that along with visiting the historic Kantaji Temple, tourists are also increasingly interested in visiting the historic Nayabad Mosque.

There has been a proposal to include the historic Nayabad Mosque as a tourist center. The mosque is under the supervision of the villagers.