Katra Masjid Murshidabad

Katra Masjid is a Mughal-era mosque in the Katra area of Murshidabad, West Bengal, built in 1724 by Murshid Quli Khan, the Nawab of Bengal who moved the provincial capital from Dhaka to Murshidabad. The mosque was the centrepiece of a larger complex that included a madrasa and a caravanserai, and it was designed to serve as the main congregational centre of the new capital. The building is made of brick with plaster, raised on a high plinth and approached by a flight of about 100 steps. Murshid Quli Khan asked to be buried beneath the entrance steps, so that worshippers would walk over his tomb as they entered. The mosque had a central prayer hall with domes, and corner minarets, and the surrounding courtyard was enclosed by two-storey cells used by students and travellers, about 70 in number. Over time, earthquakes and the shifting of the river damaged the mosque, and the tallest minarets and some domes collapsed. Repairs have been carried out by the Archaeological Survey of India, which protects the monument. The surviving structure shows the Bengal-Mughal combination of terracotta decoration, arched openings and a plain brick finish. The mosque is still used for prayer, although the visitor experience is modest, with a small garden, boundary wall and an information board. The site lies close to the Hazarduari Palace, so it is often visited as part of the same day around Murshidabad.