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Nine-Dome Mosque is located on the western bank of the Thakurdighi, less than half a km away to the southwest of the tomb-complex of Khan Jahan. The mosque is now a protected monument of the Department of Archaeology, Bangladesh.

It is a brick-built square structure measuring about 16.76m externally and 12.19m internally. The 2.44m thick walls on the north, south and east sides are pierced with three arched-openings on each side; the central one, set within a rectangular frame, is larger than the flanking ones

The interior of the mosque is divided into three aisles and three bays by two rows of stone pillars, two in each row, thus creating nine independent square bays, each of which is covered with an inverted cup-shaped dome. All the nine domes are internally carried on four intersecting arches springing from stone pillars and brick pilasters attached to the side walls. The phase of transition for each dome is achieved by means of traditional Bengali pendentives.

The qibla wall is internally recessed with three engrailed arched-mihrabs, which correspond to the three archways on the eastern facade. Here also the central mihrab is larger than the side ones and has an outer projection.

The stone pillars, supporting the domed roof, have stepped square pedestals and capitals. Their shafts are octagonal and are separated from the pedestals and capitals by raised bands. The engaged brick pilasters have also stepped square bases and capitals with stone imposts on the top. The corner towers emphasising the four exterior angles of the building are circular in the Khan Jahani style. All these towers, having moulded bases and plain tops, do not rise above the roof level. The cornices are gently curved.

The decoration, wrought in terracotta, is now confined to the archways, mihrabs, corner towers and cornices. On the exterior surface the rectangular frames, enclosing the archways, are enriched with net patterns. The narrow vertical sunken panels between the archways depict at their bases a pair of mouldings with lozenges. The space between the mouldings are decorated with rosettes alternating with diapers and sometimes with running scrolls containing small rosettes. Inside the building the spandrels of all the entrance arches depict large full-blown lotus flowers, while the faces of the arches at the key-point are embellished with large lozenges containing bordered rosettes. Three moulded bands ornamented with rows of small rosettes and lotus petals crown each of these archways. The narrow sunken spaces in between the bands depict necklaces, scrolls, tendrils and flowers of varying designs.

All the mihrabs are very richly decorated. The spandrels of the central mihrab arch are enriched with flower motifs. The space between the two moulded bands on top of the mihrab arch is docorated with vine scrolls containing bunches of grapes. The semi-circular mihrab niches are marked with decorated horizontal sunken panels, each being separated from the other by a raised decorated band. The motifs of ornamentation vary from panel to panel and consist of necklace designs, lotuses, palmettes and different types of interlocking patterns. Dividing the semi-circular mihrab niche a chain hangs down from the apex of the half-domed top and ends in a rectangular pendant, now bare. The rectangular frame, which encloses the mihrab arches, is filled with interlocking designs with rosettes. Above the frame are two boldly projected bands decorated with a row of rosettes. A frieze of ornamental crests crowns the whole composition.

The curvature of the cornice gives the building a pleasing appearance. The two cornice bands, running all round the building are enriched with rows of lozenges, while the sunken space in between them still depicts ornamental square panels at several places. The corner towers, divided by moulded bands, depict such decorative motifs as lozenges, lotus petals and pellets.

The mosque is stylistically dated to the time of khan jahan. Local tradition ascribes the building to one of Khan Jahan’s officers who had his residence nearby on the same bank of the Thakurdighi.

Ramsagar  man-made water tank located at the village of Tejpur about 8 km south of Dinajpur town. It is considered to be the biggest man-made tank of Bangladesh. It can be approached from the town by a metalled road, which was once known as the ‘Murshidabad Sarak’.

The tank was named after Raja Ram Nath who excavated it on the eve of the battle of palashi. At that time Alivardi Khan was the nawab of Bengal. The tank was excavated to supply drinking water to the people living in the surrounding villages. It is said that there was a continuous drought and famine in this part of the country from 1750 to 1755 AD. Perhaps Ram Nath initiated to dig the tank on the basis of ‘food for work’ and help to survive the famine-stricken people. About 1.5 million labours worked for digging the Ramsagar and the total expense amounted is about 30,000 Taka.

The water area of Ramsagar measures 1079m along north-south and 192.6m along east-west. Approximate depth of the tank is 9.5m. There was a ghat on the middle of the western bank and the remains of it still exist. Made of sandstone slabs of different sizes, the structure measured about 45.8m by 18.3m. The tank is surrounded by 10.75m high embankments. Beyond the embankment the surrounding is a large plain area having some undulating landscape.

Ramsagar is now a famous tourist spot under the care of Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation. Parjatan Corporation has taken some initiative for the beautification of the area. A resthouse has been constructed on the western side of the tank and some small recreation spots have been made for the children on the four sides of the huge water body. The name of Ramsagar is pronounced with that of the famous temple of Kantanagar, the other historical edifice of Dinajpur.

Khan Jahan’s Tomb (Bagerhat) stands on a high artificial mound on the northern bank of the so-called Thakurdighi and is surrounded by an outer wall of 67.1 m from east to west and 64.7m from north to south. It is popularly called the dargah complex of khan jahan. The complex consists of the square tomb building of Khan Jahan himself; a sarcophagus of Muhammad Tahir, his diwan; a single-domed mosque and the so-called kitchen. An intermediate wall encircles the tomb of Khan Jahan and the sarcophagus of his diwan.

The Tomb of Khan Jahan, measuring 13.7m a side externally and 9.1m internally, is a brick-built square building and forms the nucleus of the complex. The four exterior angles of the building are emphasised with solid circular towers.

The four walls, with a thickness of 2.4m, have stone casings upto the height of about 0.9m-a technique which was no doubt introduced with a view to preventing the building from being affected by the ground moisture so common in the humid climate of south Bengal.

The interior of the building could originally be entered through four axial archways fitted with stone lintels, but the northern one is now closed with brick fillings. The large hemispherical brick dome which covers the entire building is internally carried on squinches springing from the stone brackets projected out of the walls. The triple cornice bands, running round the corner towers, are curved in a manner typical of the Bengali style.

The sarcophagus, beneath which lie the mortal remains of Khan Jahan, occupies the centre of the floor. It consists of four stepped terraces diminishing upwards and a top designed in the simple pointed barrel form. The three upper terraces of stone are covered with pious expressions in Arabic and Persian, but much of them are now illegible. The two brick-made lower terraces of the sarcophagus and the entire floor are enriched with polychrome encaustic tiles of square and hexagonal designs. Unfortunately, the glazed coatings of many of the tiles have already disappeared due to constant use by visitors.

An inscription on the tombstone records the death of Khan Jahan on 27 Zilhajj 863 AH (25 October 1459 AD). Apparently, Khan Jahan had probably constructed the building before his death.

The building is now well preserved because of a series of restoration work done to it over the years by India, Pakistan and Bangladesh Archaeology Departments. In many of its features, such as the square plan, the Firozian combination of arch and lintel, the curvature of the cornices, the flanking corner towers divided by moulded bands, and the squinches for the support of the dome, the building is a reproduction of the eklakhi mausoleum (early 15th century) at Hazrat pandua. But unlike the octagonal interior of the Eklakhi building, the present tomb, for the first time in Bengal, is square both internally and externally.

This practice, from this point onward was to be found to appear repeatedly in almost all single-domed buildings in Bengal. Unlike the usual octagonal corner towers of Bengali monuments, the corner towers of the present tomb as well as that of all buildings ascribed to Khan Jahan are circular. The circular shape of the corner towers, the bare surface of the walls, and the combination of arch and lintel construction are very similar to the Tughlaq architecture of Delhi. Relying on these Tughlaqian elements in Khan Jahani monuments, some scholars have tried to trace their origins back to Delhi. But it is very likely that the immigrant artists, who perhaps came and settled here during firuz shah tughlaq’s Bengal expedition and the sack of Delhi by Timur in 1398, introduced these Tughlaqian elements in Bengal architecture.

The Tomb of Muhammad Tahir is just to the west of Khan Jahan’s mausoleum. It is merely a cenotaph formed of three stepped terraces of stone. One of the inscriptions on the top terrace records the death of Muhammad Tahir in the month of Zilhajj 863 AH (1459 AD). Local legends indicate that Muhammed Tahir was a favourite high official of Khan Jahan. The location of his tomb beside that of Khan Jahan reinforces this belief.

Mosque The single-domed mosque is the western most building of the complex. It is brick-built, square in plan with three archways in the east and one on each of the north and south sides. The northern and southern archways are now closed. The qibla wall is internally recessed with a semi-circular mihrab corresponding to the central archway in the east. The four corner towers on the exterior angles are circular and the cornices are curved. The hemispherical brick dome that covers the single square room of the building is carried on squinches rising from the stone brackets. In plan and constructional details the mosque seems to be a replica of Khan Jahan’s tomb. It can therefore be conjectured that it was built at the same time as the tomb ie mid-15th century.

The so-called kitchen building, now levelled to the ground, was in quite well preserved condition when the author visited the site in the 1970s. At that time the four walls were found intact and the roof, which was of the chau-chala vaulted type, was in a damaged condition. There were three arched openings on the west wall and one each on the north and south walls. The inner side of the eastern wall had several shelves.

It was a rectangular structure of 12.2m by 8.5m with circular towers on the exterior angles. What the building was actually intended for is not known. A local tradition relates that in the last years of his life Khan Jahan dwelt in the building, where he now lies buried, and used the adjacent building as his kitchen. About a century back the building was known to have been used for the same purpose by two Faqirs, who then looked after the mosque and the tomb.