Naogaon, Rajshahi
A six-domed Sultanate-era mosque of dark stone beside a large pond, built in 1558–59 and pictured on the old five-taka note.
The Kusumba Mosque was built in 966 AH (1558–59), according to its inscription, by a nobleman named Sulaiman during the rule of the Afghan Sur sultans of Bengal — just before the Mughals arrived. It is one of the finest surviving mosques of the late Sultanate period.
Its brick core is faced with dark stone, which gives it its striking colour. Inside, two rows of three domes rest on stone pillars, and the mihrabs are carved with fine plant and hanging-lamp motifs. In one corner stands a raised stone platform, thought to have been used by the nobleman or by women at prayer.
The mosque faces a vast old dighi (pond) on its eastern side, and the view of the dark building against the water is the one printed on the old Bangladeshi five-taka note. It is still in use for prayer and is protected by the Department of Archaeology.
Take a Naogaon–Rajshahi bus and get off at Kusumba.
Look at the stone carving on the mihrabs and the raised platform inside.
Walk along the pond for the view of the mosque across the water.
Have tea by the road and catch the next bus on to Rajshahi or back to Naogaon.
October to March; morning or late afternoon light on the stone, outside prayer times
On the Naogaon–Rajshahi road in Manda upazila. Any Rajshahi-bound bus from Naogaon can drop you at Kusumba, roughly an hour away; the mosque is a short walk from the road. From Rajshahi it is also around an hour.
