Dinajpur, Rangpur
A small three-domed eighteenth-century mosque with terracotta decoration, a short way from the Kantajew Temple.
Nayabad Mosque dates from the late eighteenth century; an inscription over its entrance places its building in the reign of the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II. Local tradition holds that it was raised by Muslim craftsmen who had come to work on the Kantajew Temple and settled nearby.
It is a modest building of three domes with corner towers, and its walls still carry terracotta panels of plants and geometric designs, a quieter echo of the temple’s art. It is protected by the Department of Archaeology and is still used for prayer.
Start at the Kantajew Temple in the morning.
Take a van or auto-rickshaw along the village road to the mosque.
See the domes and the terracotta panels, outside prayer times.
Back to town for lunch.
October to February, outside prayer times
In Kaharol upazila, a few kilometres from Kantanagar: go first to the Kantajew Temple (about 40 minutes from Dinajpur) and ask locally for the village road; a van or auto-rickshaw covers the last stretch.
