Bayejid Bostami Tomb and Mosque
Bayejid Bostami Tomb and Mosque are located in the Nasirabad mouza of Ward No.14 of Chittagong city. An old structure of the tomb was found in 1831 on a hill within a walled enclosure of 9.15m square and 4.58m high with battlements, and a pillar rising 0.61m above them at each angle. A sarcophagus, about 3.66m by 2.75m, was in the centre of the area, with some shells and corals deposited at its head. This has now been replaced by a modern structure.
There is an oblong three-domed Mughal type mosque at the foot of the tomb-hill. The central dome is bigger than the side ones. The mosque has four engaged octagonal towers at the four corners, capped with cupolas, and decorated with raised bands. The base of the towers is shaped like a vase.
Of the three doors on the eastern side, the central one is the bigger one and is enlarged into a fronton with two fluted turrets. The mihrab on the qibla wall has identical projection on its back. The doors open under high cusped arches resting on slender tapering nook shafts. The parapet is decorated with two rows of crenellations. The facade has embellishments of niches, recesses, and frames.
The bostami turtle live in a pond locally known as Bayejid Bostami Pukur on the foot of a hill of the shrine. The common people of Chittagong call these turtles Gadali-Madali and believe that they are supernatural creatures that did not obey the order of Bayejid and took this shape after gaining his wrath. There are 300 to 400 turtles in this pond. [Shamsul Hossain]
