Paragal Khan Mosque and Dighi

Paragal Khan Mosque and Dighi (tank) objects of antiquarian interests within the vicinity of Paragalpur mauja under Mirsarai upazila of Chittagong district. Paragalpur was the political headquarters of paragal khan (16th century), an army officer of Alauddin husain shah. Popularly called Paragaler Dighi, the tank is considered to be the second largest tank dug during the independent Sultanate of Bengal. The tank, still in use and well maintained, is 437.39m in length and 271.58m in breadth over about 29.60 acres of land.

The mosque of Paragal Khan is now in ruins. A large area on the east bank of the tank is found covered with moldering brickbats. A flight of stairs rising from the tank disappears into the ruins. In the Revision Survey Map of the mouja there are indications of three masonry buildings, one on the east bank and two others on the south bank of the dighi which are now missing. The octogenarians of the locality testify that they had seen the remains of a mosque, in their youth, very close to the east bank. [Shamsul Hossain]