Rukn Khan Mosque

Rukn Khan Mosque is situated near the tomb of Shaikh Ata at Devikote (devkot) in West Dinajpur. Rukn Khan, the builder of the mosque, was a well-known general of Sultan Alauddin husain shah of Bengal, who is credited with having conquered Kamrup, Kamta, Jajnagar and Orissa.

This is a square mosque with a verandah in the front. The prayer hall, covered with a large hemispherical dome, has five entrances, three in the east and one on each of the north and south sides. The qibla wall is provided with three mihrabs corresponding to the three entrances in the east. The verandah also has five entrances- three in the east and one on each of the north and south sides. There are six octagonal towers. Four on the four exterior angles of the prayer hall and two in the two corners (northeast and southeast) of the verandah. The mosque resembles closely the sura mosque and the khania dighi mosque of Gaur.

An inscription tablet, discovered by Westmacott, records the erection of a mosque and a minaret by Rukn Khan during the reign of Alauddin Husain Shah in the year 918 AH (1512 AD). It was actually found fixed over the main entrance of the tomb of Shaikh Ata. The epigraph consists of four lines of writing and is carved on a stone slab. The language of the inscription is a mixture of Arabic and Persian. [Sultan Ahmad]