Shailkupa Shahi Mosque, one of the monuments of medieval antiquity of Bangladesh, is located in the Dargapara of Shailkupa Upazila, on the north bank of Kumar river in Jhenaidah district. It is believed that this mosque was built by Nasir Shahr alias Nasrat Shahr, son of Sultan Alauddin Hussain Shah, between 1523-24 before the establishment of Mughal rule in India. According to historians, after the death of Sultan Alauddin Hussain Shah in 1519, Nasir Uddin Nusrat Shah, who was on the throne, stayed in Shailkupa for some time on his way from Gaur to Dhaka. At that time Dervish Arab Shah was with him as his travel companion. When the dervish Arab Shah expressed his desire to stay in Shailkupa, the Sultan arranged for his two disciples to stay in Shailkupa. He also gave waqf of several hundred bighas of land in the name of the mosque for the renovation, conservation and management of this mosque. As a result, the mosque's main entrance and minarets were added during later renovations.
Shailkupa Shahi Masjid is a beautiful medieval architecture with small red bricks used throughout. The north-south length of the mosque is 31.5 feet and the width is 21 feet and the walls are 5.5 feet wide. The six-domed mosque has 4 ornate round minarets in the four corners, two five-feet high pillars, seven entrances and 3 arches. There is a pond on the north side of the mosque and a shrine 30-45 feet high on the east side. According to locals, it is the shrine of Pir Shah Mohammad Arif-e-Rabbani alias Arab Shah. There are 6 other auliya shrines near Pir's shrine.
Almost five hundred years old Shailkupa Shahi Mosque is a shining example of ancient tradition and medieval Muslim architecture. Although the original structure of the mosque has been modified by various renovations, the tradition of the Sultanate period is still evident. A large number of visitors come every day to see this Shahi Masjid, an interesting Sultanate architecture.
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