Vol. VI, No. 1.] Pre-Mucjhal Mosques of Benqal. 31 



[N.S.] 



Eleven domes over the corridor, and some thirty 

 over the hall in three rows. Six thin octagonal 

 pinnacle-crowned minarets, four for the hall and 

 two for the corridor. Walls of brick faced with 

 stones, both inside and outside, up to a height of 

 about 20 ft. ; probably gilded inside. Three 

 large gateways of the compound, 38| x 13J' each, 

 faced with stone and ornamented with flowers in 

 glazed tiles of different colours* 



(d) Those 



nave 



two wings 



(14) Adinah mosque , Hazrat Pandua, Malda. 776 H. (?), 



December, 1374 A.D. The largest and the most 

 imposing mosque in Eastern India. For fuller 

 descriptions, see Buchanan in Martin's Eastern 

 India, vol. ii, Cunningham in Archaeological Survey 

 Report of India, vol. xv, and Ravenshaw's Gaur. 

 Externally 507|' x 285|' with a courtyard of 397' x 



159' surrounded by cloisters. The cloisters on 

 the west side form the prayer hall and are five 

 aisles deep ; those on the other three sides are 

 only three aisles deep. In the centre of the 

 prayer-hall is the nave, 64 / 4 // x 33/82|," made up 

 in the back- wall of two bays, with a pulpit to 

 the north of the northern bay. The wing to the 

 south has 18 bays with 68 pillars in four rows of 



17 each. The wing to the north had 18 bays ; 

 but has now a door let through the first bay 

 (beginning from the south), while the bays 3rd to 

 8th are occupied by a raised two-stoned platform 

 Padshdh-ka4akht, and three doors let through the 

 6th to 8th bays. The nave is accessible from the 

 courtyard by a wide opening, 33 ft. in span and 

 more than 60 ft. high; while each wing has 

 fifteen openings into the courtyard. The nave is 

 separate from the wings by two sets of four thick 

 pillars. The ordinary pillars are 10 ft. high and 



18 inches in diameter, except those below the 

 Padshdh-kd-lakht which are octagonal and thicker, 

 3£ ft. in diameter. The wall is of plain stone up 

 to 12 ft. and of brick above, of which some 20 ft. 

 is elaborately carved. The doors are in compari- 

 son with length insignificant, The roof over the 

 nave was a long vault ; and over the cloisters the 

 roof had no less than 378 small domes. The 

 vault and most of the small domes have fallen; 

 and scores of the tall stone pillars have disap- 

 peared. No corner towers visible. This mosque 



