Yusuf Pathan’s photo from a century-old mosque sparks BJP claim it was a temple

Trinamool Congress MP and former cricketer Yusuf Pathan’s visit to the Adina Mosque in Malda has drawn political attention after the West Bengal BJP began to claim that the centuries-old mosque was originally the ‘Adinath Temple’, while Hindu groups claimed that it was built over a temple where some priests had held rituals last year.

Pathan visited the 14th-century mosque on October 16, sharing several photos of the site and describing its architectural and historical significance in a social media post, the Indian Express reported.

The Adina Mosque, built between 1373 and 1375 CE by Sultan Sikandar Shah of the Ilyas Shahi dynasty, once stood as the largest mosque in the Indian subcontinent and remains a prominent example of Bengal’s medieval Islamic architecture.

Soon after Pathan’s post, the West Bengal BJP responded online, referring to the mosque as the “Adinath Temple” and reviving a narrative that has fuelled communal disputes in the region.

The Adina Mosque’s design blends Bengali, Arab and Persian influences, with its vast hypostyle hall and arched façade bearing resemblance to the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. However, over the years, several Hindu groups have asserted that elements within the structure suggest pre-Islamic origins and that the mosque was constructed after a temple was demolished.

In 2024, a group of Hindu priests reportedly conducted rituals inside the mosque complex, claiming to have identified carvings and symbols resembling Hindu deities. The incident led to tensions in Malda, prompting authorities to step up security around the protected monument.

While the Archaeological Survey of India maintains that the Adina Mosque is a monument of Islamic heritage built under the Bengal Sultanate.