Barisal is a district and a division. The central city of
this region is the city of Barisal. It is one of the biggest river ports in
Bangladesh. The ancient city of Barisal was known as Bacola in Europe. The city
is called the "Venice of the East" or the "Venice of
Bengal" and the "Paradise of Bengal". "Barisal guns"
is a natural phenomenon named after Barisal; it is kind of a booming sound
heard near lakes and rivers which is due to seismic activity under water, first
heard in this region by the British in the 19th century.
About Barisal
Barisal is a city with nearly 0.38 million people and a
divisional headquarters, medical college, cadet college, some pharmaceutical
industries, textile industries and the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport
Authority's head office. Barisal is fast growing city of the country stands on
the Kirtankhola River. Country's first short landing and takeoff airport has
been completed in Barisal and private Airlines as well as Biman Bangladesh operate
their regular air flight between Dhaka Hazrat Shahjalal Airport and Barisal. Barisal is a
rice producing center of Bangladesh. Balam (a kind of baasmati) is the most
popular rice in Barisal. It is also famous for Betel Leaf, a typical south
Asian chewing item. As Barisal is surrounded by river so fish is plenty in
there. A Bengali saying states, Dhan, nadi, khal ai tine Barisal, which
translates to “paddy, river and canal are these three things that make
Barisal”.
Coconut is a common fruit as the city is located
near the coast. Barisal is also known for its hog plum, Hilsha fish. Hilsha
fish, Medicine, Empty Gelatin Capsules, Cement and Agricultural Products are export
to another city and country from here. The hospitality of Barisali people is
remarkable. The Curd and sweets of this area are also famous around the
country. Their different verity and taste make it special. The Barisali people
are very much fond of sweets. So, you can find out a sweet shop here and there
in this area.
There are lots of historical places and
structures around this city. Few of them are Bibir Pukur, Durga Sagor Dighi,
Oxford Mission Church, Lakhutia Zamindar Bari, Narikel Bagan & Horticulture,
Korapur Miah Bari Masjid, Shankar Math, Aswani Kumar Town Hall, Goila Ma Manosa
Temple, etc.
Heritage of Karapur
North Karāpur in Barisal District
(Barisal Division) is a place in Bangladesh about 68 mi (or 110 km) south of
Dhaka, the country's capital city. Just about ten kilometers from the
divisional headquarter Barisal, a village named Karapur under the union Raypasha,
where the remnant of a large residential complex exists. This complex comprises
of two big tanks with associated ghat, ruins of several boundary walls and the
foundations of a few residential buildings. These recall the glorious past of
this settlement. Old mosques are one of
the most common heritage structures found in Bangladesh. The reason is that
this country was ruled by several Muslim dynasties over the centuries. And as a
mark of their dominion, and also to serve religious purpose, the Muslim rulers
built a number of unique mosques during their rules. Karapur Miah Bari Mosque
is one of them. This impressive two storied mosque structure is located on the
north eastern part of the complex and eastern bank of a large tank, presently
known as Miah Bari mosque. This three-domed, mosque is locally considered to be
built during 17th century. As per Miah Bari Family history, Mahamud Hayat and
Mahamud Munir were two brothers. Muhammad Jahid, son of Mahamud Hayat built the
mosque in the early 17th Century. While this edifice bears no inscription,
according to the historian M. Hasan it was probably constructed in the early
eighteenth century (Hasan 1987: 23), when two storied mosque structures such as
the Khan Muhammad Mridha (1706) and Kartalab Khan (1704) mosques were popular
in Dhaka. Hazi Ahmad Ali Miah(death 1962/63), son of Raham Ali Miah, descendant
of Muhammad Jahid (founder) repaired the mosque in 1955-1959. Hazi Ahmad Ali
Miah had five sons. The mosque was repaired by the finance of Miah Bari family
members under the supervision of Aminur Rahman Firoz, son of Alhaz Abdul Latif Miah and grandson of Hazi Ahmad
Ali Miah in 2013-2016.
Structural
Beauty
The mosque
consists of three domes and the middle one is a little bigger than the other
two. The architectural style of the mosque is terrace type, which is
rectangular in shape. The mosque is built over a high platform, or base. The high plinth or platform gives a majestic look to the
Miah Bari Mosque.
There are several rooms on the ground level. These days, the ground floor is
being used as a madrasa. The upper floor is used for prayers. There is a wide
staircase to reach the top floor. There are two graves of Mahamud Hayat and
Mahamud Munir below the stairs. The mosque has eight minarets, four in the
front and four at the back. Apart from these, there are several mini minarets
in between. All the minarets and the upper portion of the mosque are
beautifully decorated. A large pond on the eastern side of the mosque adds to
the beauty of its surroundings. The
prayer hall is entered from the eastern side by three archway and the other two
side walls also have one-pointed arched openings each. All the architectural
elements observed on the frontal facade repeat outside the qibla wall.
Entrances are substituted by blind openings which are bare of any
ornamentation. The domes have an octagonal shoulder and are crowned with
elongated finials. The western wall is internally recessed with three
semi-octagonal mihrab niches, which are all arched. The larger central mihrab
is projected outside having usual ornamental turrets.
Conclusion
Mia Bari Mosque is a unique heritage site in Bangladesh. We appeal to the
Master of this Universe to keep peace our ancestors who made this great job.
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