Page:Report of a Tour Through the Bengal Provinces of Patna, Gaya, Mongir and Bhagalpur; The Santal Parganas, Manbhum, Singhbhum and Birbhum; Bankura, Raniganj, Bardwan and Hughli in 1872-73.djvu/54

30 and ornamented with battlements. Over the other entrances are also battlements and slight projections to give them value. The corners are ornamented by octagonal towers.

The roof consists of one large central dome with two smaller domes on each side; the domes are all flattish, without bulge, and are crowned by small foliated caps and gilt spires with numerous gilt discs and balls alternating, as is the usual custom at the present day. The façade has not much play of light and shade, being, with the exception noted at the centre entrance, almost a dead flat, hardly relieved at the four side entrances; but this want of real beauty is in some measure made up for by a profuse use of glazed coloured tiles along the entire front over the archways, the walls below being perfectly plain. This great band of coloured tiles along the top represents leaves, flowers, scroll-work, &c., in a free style. The towers also at the corners are similarly ornamented by glazed tiles all the way up from the level of the glazed tiled band of the masjid face. It is possible that at the towers, if not elsewhere, glazed coloured tile ornamentation extended down to the floor level, but having got broken, has been repaired or rather replaced by plain plaster.

The towers are terminated by small bulbous domes, also covered with coloured glazed tiles. The back of the masjid externally is quite plain.

Internally a broad band of glazed coloured tiles run along the walls all round, passing over the mehrâbs. This band contains a long inscription running right through from end to end, but it is much injured. I was not permitted to go in or copy or read them. Besides this band of glazed tiles the mehrâbs are also ornamented with glazed tiles, and the central one is a remarkably fine piece of glazed coloured tile-work, though unfortunately now much injured. At the springing of the southernmost entrance arch, on the jamb an inscription in glazed tile-work reads—

This inscription apparently, if complete, would have given us the name of the builder and the date; at present it breaks off just as it proceeds to speak of the building.

The pendentives on which the domes rest are corbelled and plastered as in the Khirki Masjid of Delhi, but are not quite plain.

In front of the masjid is a wide pavement, running time entire length of the masjid. It is of brick, but divided into