Qadam Rasul Mosque


The Qadam Rasul Mosque built in 1530-1531 by Sultan Nusrat Shah in the ancient city of Gaur, is a historic single-domed mosque known for housing a stone tablet bearing the footprint of Prophet Muhammad. The mosque, set amidst a lush garden, is a significant heritage and cultural site, maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.

History

According to local tradition, the footprint of prophet Muhammad came from the Khanqah of the 13th century saint Jalaluddin Tabrizi of Pandua. It was moved to Lakhnauti by Sultan Alauddin [Husain Shah]. Husain Shah's successor Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah built the mosque to preserve the tablet in 1530/1531 AD.

Architecture

Qadam Rasul Mosque

The Qadam Rasul Mosque is a rectangular brick structure with a highly embellished east façade featuring three arched entrances on octagonal piers and four rows of panels with cusped-arch and hanging-bell motifs, similar to the Bagha Mosque in Rajshahi also built under Nusrat Shah. It has vaulted verandahs on the north, east, and south sides, each opening to a central square room containing a relic. The north and south exterior walls have simple recessed panels. Likely the earliest structure in its compound, it predates the guesthouses, gateway, and other buildings, which are attributed to the Mughal period and linked to the Lukochuri Darwaza. The mosque compound also holds the tomb of Mughal general Fateh Khan.

Tomb of Fateh Khan

Beside the mosque, lies the tomb of Fateh Khan, son of Diler Khan and a general of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. The tomb measures externally and has three doorways on the west, north, and southern side. The tomb is constructed of stucco over brick, the tomb features a do-chala roof style.