page_title: Adina Mosque
section_title: Accounts of Pandua
hierarchical_section_title: Adina Mosque / History / Accounts of Pandua
caption_attribution_description: English: Though it is highly unlikely to have a tomb constructed to the immediate west of a qibla wall, this may have been a makeshift tomb after the patron of this mosque Sikandar Shah was killed, This chamber with its raised platform (known as Badshah ka Takht) and several pillars does not seem to be originally meant to serve as mausoleum of the patron himself.
context_page_description: The Adina Mosque is a historical largest mosque in India located in Malda District, West Bengal, India.
  The mosque was the largest mosque in the Indian subcontinent. It was built during the Bengal Sultanate as a royal mosque by Sikandar Shah, who is also buried in the mosque. Shah was a member of the Ilyas Shahi dynasty and carried lofty titles such as "the exalted Sultan" and "Caliph of the Faithful". The mosque is situated in Pandua, a former royal capital. The vast architecture is associated with the hypostyle of the Umayyad Mosque, which was used during the introduction of Islam in new areas. The early Bengal Sultanate harbored imperial ambitions after having defeated the Delhi Sultanate twice in 1353 and 1359. The Adina Mosque was commissioned in 1364. Its construction absorbed materials from pre-Islamic Hindu and Buddhist structures. The Bengal Sultanate disintegrated during the sixteenth century with the rise of the Mughal Empire.
  Adina Mosque is included in the List of Monuments of National Importance in West Bengal by the Archaeological Survey of India.
context_section_description: The mosque was built during the reign of Sikandar Shah, the second Sultan of the Ilyas Shahi dynasty of the Bengal Sultanate. The mosque was designed to display the kingdom's imperial ambitions after its two victories against the Delhi Sultanate in the 14th century. According to Encyclopedia Iranica, the mosque's construction material included stone from Bengali temples. A few parts of the mosque's exterior wall have carvings like elephants and dancing figures. Historians have considered whether the builders used stone from pre-Islamic structures or whether the mosque was built on the site of a pre-existing ruin. Inscriptions on the mosque proclaimed Sikandar Shah as "the exalted Sultan" and the "Caliph of the faithful". The Sultan was buried in a tomb chamber attached to the wall facing the direction of Mecca.
  The mosque was located in the historic city of Pandua, a former capital of the Bengal Sultanate. Pandua was a thriving and cosmopolitan trading center during the period of the sultanate.
  According to the accounts of Chinese envoy Ma Huan, Pandua developed from a small hamlet into a capital city with a military garrison and then a commercial, manufacturing and trade center. Its population included royalty, indigenous people, and foreigners from across Eurasia who settled or were part of a floating population. It was a walled city with well-arranged streets and bazaars. The marketplaces sold many kind of goods, including six varieties of muslin and four types of wine. The markets included eateries, drinking houses and bathing areas. The Sultan's residence was a white mansion. Alcohol was not served in the royal court.
  Another remnant of the former royal capital that still stands is the Eklakhi Mausoleum. The main structure of the royal palace, with its high steps, nine walls and three gates, no longer exists. Remnants of the palace, including floral carvings, can be seen in Pandua's raised mounds. The mixture of seemingly Buddhist, Hindu, and Islamic decorative characteristics of Adina Mosque has been questioned by many people. Wondering if this building is considered Islamic architecture or not, but with careful study it has become clear that this building was put together using Islamic traditions used in many other islamic architecture.
caption: Tomb of Sultan Sikandar Shah
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