Panbari Eidgah-Mosque in Assam(India)
Dr.Mazhar
Naqvi
The historic Panbari Eidgah Mosque(Masjid) does not figure among the popular and famous mosques of India.
But it does not reduce its significance as the oldest and highest mosque of Assam- largest
among the north eastern states of India. The mosque is located about 25 km from
Dhubri town on national highway 31.Also known as Rangamati Masjid, the mosque
also serves as Eidgah during Id ul-Fitr and Id ul-Azha for the believers of
Parbani and Rangamati towns.
The construction of the mosque dates back to 15th
or 16th century and its three-domes are considered to be an excellent example
of north- eastern architecture with Islamic influence. It is believed that the
mosque was erected during the reign of Koch rulers who turned the prosperous town of Rangamati as
their frontier post. The Sultans, Mughals and Nawabs of Bengal also used Rangamati
Fort as their base camp while penetrating into north-eastern hills to subdue the
rulers of small hill kingdoms of north- east. It is also believed that Rangamati
attained zenith of its glory when Alauddin Husain Shah declared the town as his
headquarters and soldiers of his army used Parbani mosque for offering daily
prayers. Husain
Shah was the
founder of HusainShahi dynasty. The mosque remained unused later. People remained unaware of its
existence for more than two centuries. It happened when Rangamati lost its
strategic importance and gradually faded into oblivion as a garrison city.
The mosque surfaced about two hundred years ago when some local
residents found it in Panbari ‘Pahar’(Mountain) under the thick foliage. As the
structure of the mosque was only covered with mud and the vagary of weather had
time had not caused it much damage, they cleaned the place and began offering
prayers there regularly. Since then, the mosque has earned the status of a holy
shrine for the people of western Assam. The entire Panbari ‘Pahar’ is revered
because of the chance discovery of the mosque. The place attracts large number
of devotees to have a glimpse of mosque and to also watch the scenic beauty of
the hills with its rich flora. It is ironical that Assam government has yet to
realize the tourism potential of the mosque due to its unique location and archaeological significance.
The Panbari area was in news a couple of years ago when remains of an old
city consisting of brick-plinths, terracotta antiquities with
scores of coins belonging to
Mughal period were discovered near the mosque.
It was then
expected that the state government would undertake more excavations near the mosque
to unearth precious pieces of antiquity but it just proved to be a dream.Similarly, when a leading newspaper of Assam had highlighted in 2011 about the losing glory of the mosque due to the apathy and negligence of government towards its maintenance and preservation, people had again hoped that the government would take adequate measures to preserve the mosque reportedly built during the rule of Husain Shah between 1493 and 1519 AD.But their hopes were once again belied and Panbari or Rangamati mosque despite its historical importance remains obscure
to the people beyond Assam (Reference available on request)
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