Pabna

Pabna lies north of the Padma in a region of rivers and wetlands. The waters of the Chalan Beel spread across the country to its north, where seasonal flooding joins numerous smaller bodies of water. In the sixteenth century, the nearby town of Chatmohar became a centre of the Afghan leader Masum Khan Kabuli during the struggles for control of Bengal.

A mosque at Chatmohar bears witness to that troubled age. A Persian inscription records its construction in 1582 under Masum Khan, who had broken with Mughal authority. The brick building, with its three arched entrances, has three domes and stands as a reminder that commanders and local patrons continued to endow religious monuments even while competing for power in Bengal.