Posted on: 3 November 2011

The interior of the Qadam Rasul mosque enshrining the Prophet's footprint at Gaur - 1817

Watercolour of Qadum Rasul mosque at Gaur from 'Views by Seeta Ram from Malda to Gunga Pursaad Vol. II' produced for Lord Moira, afterwards the Marquess of Hastings, by Sita Ram between 1817-21. Marquess of Hastings, the Governor-General of Bengal and the Commander-in-Chief (r.1813-23), was accompanied by artist Sita Ram (flourished c.1810-22) to illustrate his expedition to Bengal in 1817 and his convalescent tour in the Rajmahal Hills in the winter of 1820-21.

Idealised view of the interior of the Qadam Rasul mosque enshrining the Prophet's footprint at Gaur. The ruined city of Gaur is located on the India-Bangladesh border in the Malda district of Bengal. The Qadam Rasul, a single-domed square edifice, was built by Sultan Nusrat Shah in 1530 to enshrine a stone reproduction of an impression of the Prophet's foot. It has a verandah forming a barrel-vaulted corridor on three sides which is elaborately decorated on the eastern side. Arched entrances pierce the north, south and east sides. Inscribed below: 'Kuddum Russool in the Interior of the Musgid.'

Source : British Library


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I have serious doubts about the authenticity of such relics but one can not argue about matters of faith. I hope it is still there as I would like to check it myself some day.

Isnt this such a beautiful painting !!

Agree. The painting is nice; I hope the monument is nice too.

I have seen an impression of the prophets foot at the great mosque in Dhilli...I was also shown a hair from his beard....of course I had to pay for this privilege...do I believe they are real...of course not...just as I dont believe that the christian relics I have also seen are real..

I agree it is a matter of faith only as kadam rasool as the imprint is known as is much too large for a human foot.

And funnily, all these 'divine footprints'... are convex in shape and not concave...as a real footprint would have been. They could atleast carved it rightly. But then for the faithful...this detail hardly matters since this is a symbol of what they revere.

During the middle ages in Europe,relics became big business because having one..eg,a nail from the tru cross or a bone of a saint,gave your cathedral great status and made it a centre for pilgrimage.This brought great economic benefit to you town or city.Because of this there was alarge market in fake relics......As an athiest I find all this very very difficult to understand..

Gibbon writes that no less than 36 churches in Europe claim to possess a relic of the holy circumcisson. Then he adds "One marvels at the size ......" etc.