CHOTO SONA MOSQUE
CHOTO SONA MOSQUEChoto Shona Mosque is situated in the Chapai Nawabganj district, Rajshahi division in Bangladesh.
The mosque was built of brick and stone during the reign of the Sultan of Bengal Alauddin Husain Shah, between 1493 and 1519. The fifteen domes of the mosque were once gilded, giving the mosque the name of Choto Shona Masjid (Small Golden Mosque). The gilding that gave the building its name does not exist anymore. Stone carving, brick-setting, terracotta, gilding, and glazed tiles were used in decorating the building, and of them the former played the dominant role. The interior of the domes and vaults are decorated with terracottas, those of the vaults being copies of the bamboo frames of local huts. All the frontal archways and those of the mihrabs are cusped.
The important architectural feature is the high quality of stone carving done in shallow relief on the inside and outside walls. These are stone reproduction of highly developed traditional terracotta art of Bangladesh closely resembling woodcarving or filigree work. Many of the stones used for casing this mosque are of Hindu origin. This is evident from an architectural fragment taken and now kept in the British Museum which shows the image of Buddha on one side and shallow diaper design of Muslim workmanship on the other showing traces of gilding. According to local legend, this mosque was once richly decorated with gilding and gold paint in the tile decoration.