SRINAGAR: More than thirty years after it was submerged in a dam, a mosque in Bihar has resurfaced. While the experts say the re-emergence of the mosque is a key indicator of the drought-like situation in Bihar, the faithful see it as no less than a miracle and throng the site.
The mosque remained underwater for thirty years with barely its domes visible from a distance. Now the praying space is fully visible and even accessible.
A submerged mosque is located at Chiraila village of Rajauli block in Bihar’s Nawada district. It got submerged after the area comprising around 40 hamlets was depopulated and converted into the Phulwaria Dam reservoir.
Reports quoting senior citizens from the area said it was named Noori Masjid, which submerged after the reservoir became operational in 1985. It existed before 1979 when the work on the dam started. After the government acquired the entire area and relocated the population of Hardiya village of Nawada district elsewhere, the mosque was left untouched and it eventually submerged and remained under the water. What is interesting is that the mosque is almost 120 years old structure and still survived. Its architecture suggests the mosque was built in the latter part of Mughal India.
“Earlier, when the water level used to decrease, only a part of the dome of the mosque was visible and people were unable to place what it was all about. Now when they see the mosque out in the open when the earth is completely dry their curiosity is at rest,” a report published on a Muslim news-related portal said. “Now they can easily walk to see the mosque and relish the architecture of this building. The height of the mosque from the ground to the upper dome is about 30 feet.”
People who got into the mosque said it is completely intact. The submergence of thirty years has no or little impact on the structure. The mosque’s main entrance is damaged but the ruins remain. The people are visiting the site continuously even though a snake was located in the mosque by a blogger.
