Sura Mosque Dinajpur

Sura Masjid is located in Ghoraghat Union of Dinajpur District, Bangladesh. The mosque is located on the southern bank of a large banked lake with an area of ​​350-200 yards on the northern side of the paved road, 3 km west of Ghoraghat upazila center.

'Sura Mosque' is a unique example of Muslim architecture in Bangladesh. Sura Masjid is a listed historical structure of Bangladesh Directorate of Archeology. Along with local visitors, thousands of tourists from different parts of the country come to see the architectural style of this magnificent mosque.

A witness of ancient architecture, this mosque was built about 500 years ago. However, there are different opinions about the construction period of this mosque. Many people call this mosque as solar mosque. Others say Sura Mosque. And to many, this mosque is also known as Shah Shuja Mosque.

According to the locals, the word Sur means deity or demon. Many believe that the Jinn built this mosque in one night hundreds of years ago. Again, seeing the architectural style of the mosque, many think that this mosque was built during the reign of Hussain Shahi during the Sultanate period in the 16th century.

This mosque is also claimed to be Asmani or Ghaibi meaning the mosque built behind the people's eyes. Again the Murubbirs say, Subedar Shah Shuja of Bengal built this mosque during the Mughal period. So they call it as Shah Shuja Mosque.

Sura Mosque is mainly divided into two parts. Main prayer room and balcony. The prayer room measures 7.84 m x 7.84 m and the verandah is 4.48 m long and 2.12 m wide. The walls of the mosque are 1.80 meters wide and are made of small bricks with lime and mortar. The roof of the main prayer room is covered by a semi-circular dome.

The porch has 3 similar domes in a row. There are 4 stone towers in the four corners of the prayer room and 2 in the balcony. There are 3 arched entrances on the east side and 1 on the north-south side to enter the mosque. There is an entrance on either side of the balcony. Inside the mosque are 3 beautifully decorated stone concave mihrabs on the qibla wall.

There is a possibility to go to Dinajpur from Dhaka by bus and train. Buses bound for Dinajpur usually leave from Dhaka's Gabtali and Kalyanpur. Bus services include Nabeel Paribahan, SR Travels, SA Paribahan, Hanif Enterprises, Kaya Paribahan, Shyamoli Paribahan etc. Non-AC and AC bus fare is Tk 650 to Tk 700 depending on the standard.

You can get down at Palashbari or Gobindganj by bus and go to Sura Masjid. You can go by auto/van from Gobindganj. And you can go there by same process from Palashbari.

Ghoraghat Upazila and Palashbari Upazila are very close. In that case it is easier to go from Gaibandha without going to Dinajpur.

Inter-city Ekta Express, Hirtyan Express, and Panchagarh Express trains leave for Dinajpur from Dhaka's Kamalapur or Airport railway stations. By train you have to get down at Gaibandha Railway Station. Depending on the category, the ticket price of these trains will be from 550 to 1,886 taka. From Gaibandha you have to go to Palashbari by Bus/CNG and then from Palashbari you can go to Sura Masjid by Auto/CNG.

There is no good overnight stay in Sura Masjid area. You have to move to Dinajpur city for night stay.

Dinajpur Rajbari , Haji Mohammad Danesh University of Science and Technology , Nayabad Mosque , Swapnapuri Picnic Spot , Ramsagar Dighi and Kantjir Temple are some of the other places to visit in Dinajpur . Also check these places in your tour plan.