Object Number: VRM2913

Dimensions: 133.0 x 40.0 cm

Material: Basalt

Find Location: Ulipur, Kurigram District, Bangladesh

Date: 1506 CE

This object is a commemorative inscription of Alauddin Husayn Shah (r. 1494-1519 CE), who ruled over the independent Bengal Sultanate (1353–1576 CE). The Sultan’s reign has been viewed as a golden cultural age, with a flourishing of Bangla literature and the building of many monuments. This inscription records the construction of a congregational mosque, or Jami masjid, although the specific monument and its location are unknown.

The elegant calligraphy of the Arabic script is embellished with two carved lotus flowers. In Islamic iconography, the lotus is associated with purity, as well as paradise. The location of these motifs frames the Hadith, sayings and teachings of the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH), that refers to the construction of the mosque:

“He who builds a mosque for the sake of Allah, for him Allah will build a similar house in Paradise”.

The Holy Quran records that a mosque forms the spiritual and social heart of the Muslim community and the building of a mosque for the faithful is a significant benevolent act. The placement of the lotus flowers draws the attention of the reader to this part of the inscription and emphasises the beneficence of the donor for its construction, as well as the reward of this virtuous act in the afterlife.