Gour (West Bengal)
Gour (Bengali: গৌড় Gauṛ) is a historical city in the northern plains of West Bengal. Gour is a medieval citadel complete with fortification walls and gateways. Fractions of the wall and a handful of gateways still stand along with the remains of several mosques and a tower. The ruins of Gour are best explored along with its twin citadel of Pandua with Malda as the base. The ruins of Gour also extend into the neighboring country of Bangladesh and are known as Gaud.
Understand
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Gour (gourr) is the medieval capital of Bengal. Variously referred to as Lakshmanabati, Lakhnauti and Jannatabad, the area saw three eras of glory–the Buddhist Palas, the Hindu Senas and the Muslim Sultans. The Senas, the last Hindu kings of Bengal, were displaced by the Muslims at the beginning of the 13th century. Their capital was initially at Pandua but was moved to Gour in 1453. After the Mughal invasion of Bengal in 1576, the capital of Bengal was shifted to Dhaka, then Murshidabad. The Nawabs continued to rule Bengal till the Battle of Plassey in 1757.
Gour has long lost its former glory. There is no trace of any shrine or structure from the Buddhist or Hindu periods and even those of the Muslim period are virtually in ruin. Whatever has survived is still enough to turn Gour, alongside Pandua, into a leading tourism destination, but sadly the place lacks proper tourist infrastructure. Still, Gour-Pandua along with Bishnupur and Murshidabad are the three important historical tourist destinations of West Bengal.
Get in
[edit]By plane
[edit]The nearest airports are Siliguri (IXB IATA) and Durgapur (RDP IATA).
By train
[edit]- 1 Gour Malda ER . Only a handful of trains stop at this station. The station also lacks basic services like hotels and transport connectivity. So it is advisable to get down at Malda.
By car
[edit]Gour is 14 km (8.7 mi) south of Malda. The normal route is to take NH 12, which links Dalkhola with Kolkata, but the longer route via Durgapur Expressway (part of NH 19) from Dankuni, NH 19 from Palsit to Panagarh bypassing Bardhaman city, and then taking the Panagarh-Moregarm Expressway up to Morgram and on to NH 12 is a more comfortable and enjoyable option.
Get around
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Since Gour has no hotels it is best explored from Malda. Hired cars are the best option to explore Gour. The hotels in Malda can arrange for cars. A whole day is enough to major sites of Gour. Covering Gour along with the nearby twin citadel of Pandua in a single day may be a bit hectic. Tourists looking out for more details need to stay at least two days in Malda, this will provide the opportunity to explore other places like Nandadirghi Vihar in Jagjibanpur, Nimasarai Minar and Old Malda Jami Masjid.
See and do
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A whole day trip (from 8AM-2PM) is enough to cover all the sites of Gour in detail.
- 1 Two Stone Pillars. If you are approaching Gour from Malda these two pillars will be the first historical site of Gour. The two ornate pillars have similarities to those of the Baro Sona Masjid (Baraduari) and are most likely removed from there.
- 2 Ramkeli. Ramkeli marks the meeting point of the Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the great spiritual leader, with Rupa and Sanatana Goswami, high officials of the court of Sultan Alauddin Husain Shah. They became devoted followers of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the sultan also paid respect to the spiritual leader. The statue of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu stands at the meeting point. Behind it is a small temple containing the footprints of Sri Chaitanya on stone. Further behind stands the Madanmohan Jiu temple along with a nat mandir. The temple houses the statue of Radha Krishna. The Radha idol is built of asta dhatu (alloy of 8 metals) and the Krishna idol is made of black stone.
- 3 Baro Sona Masjid ((Baraduari)) (500 m south of Ramkeli). The construction of Baro Duari Masjid (literally meaning the Big Gold Mosque) was started by Allaudin Husain Shah and completed by his son, Nasiruddin Nusrat Shah in 1526. The Indo-Arabic style of architecture and the ornamental stone carvings make Baroduari a special attraction for tourists. The 168 ft x 76 ft structure is said to have 44 gilded domes and hence the name Baro Sona Masjid. Today only 11 of the 44 domes exist, that too without the gold cover. The mosque is popularly known as Baraduari, literally meaning 12 doors, but contrary to the name the mosque has 11 arched entrances. The mosque lies in an enclosed area and has two gateways on the east and north. Baro literally means big and chota literally means small, so the Chota Sona Masjid lies in Gaud in Bangladesh.
- 4 Dakhil Darwaza ((Salami Darwaza)) (500 m south of Bara Sona Masjid). Dakhil Darwaza is a grand gateway marking the northern entrance of the citadel of Gour. The gateway is also known as Salami Darwaza as gun salutes were fired to welcome guests into the citadel. The gate was probably built by Barbak Shah in 1425 and measures 102.5 m by 22.5 m along with a 4.5 m passageway through the middle. The gate towers to a height of 15 m, with the entrance arches having a height of 10.35 m. Both sides of the gate are flanked by guard rooms and the corners are flanked by octagonal towers. The brick-built structure follows the Indo-Islamic style of architecture. The walls are decorated with beautiful floral and geometric motifs.
- 5 Firoz Minar (1 km south of Dakhil Darwaja). Firoz Minar (also called Firuz Minar) is a five-storeyed tower built by Firoj Shah II in 1489 to mark his triumph over Barbak Shah. According to legend Firoj Shah II threw the chief architect from the topmost storey as the unfortunate man claimed that he could build a higher tower. The 26m high tower has a diameter of 19 m at the base. It resembles the Qutb Minar at Delhi. The lower three stories are 12-sided polygons while the upper two were circular. The top was once crowned with a dome and was subsequently changed into a flat roof after it was damaged in an earthquake. The minar stands on a 3-m-high mound and the arched entrance is approached by a flight of stairs. A 73-step spiral staircase leads to the top of the minar but visitors are not allowed inside. The minar, at the centre of the Gour citadel, was probably used for azan (call of prayer) and is locally referred to as Pir Asa Mandir and Chiragh Dani.
- 6 Kadam Rasul Masjid (500 m from the Feroze Minar). This mosque was built by Sultan Nasiruddin Nusrat Shah in 1530. It contains the footprints of the Prophet, Hazrat Muhammad on stone. It was brought from Arabia by Pir Shah Jalal Tabriji. The huge dome mosque has a single central dome and the four corners have slender octagonal minarets. The entrance is through a triple-arched entrance from the east. Above the arches is a foundation plaque mentioning the year of construction and crediting it to Sultan Nasiruddin Nasrat Shah. The tomb of Fateh Khan is located inside the Kadam Rasul Complex. The 17th-century tomb of a commander of Aurangzeb's army is an interesting structure, built in the Hindu chala style.
- 7 Lukochuri Darwaja ((Sahi Darwaza)). Lukochuri Gate, also known as the Sahi (royal) Gate, is south-east of the Kadam Rasul Mosque and was probably used for royal private entrance. The word lukcochuri, literally means hid and seek and legends had it that the sultans played hide and seek with the begums. Another opinion is that the word originated from “Lakh Chhippi”, which refers to the lakhs, or hundreds of thousands of tiles which once covered the gate. Probably built in 1655 the gate still houses traces of the intricate stucco work that once covered the entire outer surface of the gate. It is three stories in height and has flanking doorways on the first floor. The roof is flat and once functioned as a naqqar khana (drum house).
- 8 Gumti Darwaza (near Kadam Rasul Masjid). This small decorated structure with a dome, near the Lukochuri Darwaja, probably served as a private entrance from the eastern side. The entire exterior of the Gumti Darwaza was once covered in colourful enamelled tiles, some traces of which still remain.
- 9 Chika Masjid (near Kadam Rasul Masjid). Chika Masjid stands just west of the Gumti Darwaza. It stands on a square base and is crowned with a massive dome. Nothing much is known about the history of the structure. According to some Chika Masjid was built by Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah between 1435 and 1459 CE. The interior reveals that it was probably not a mosque but a tomb. while some historians suggest that it was used as a prison. Some of the stones used for the construction contain images of Hindu gods and goddesses in obliterating condition. Probably materials from old Hindu temples were used in the construction. The word chika means bat and bats are still there.
- 10 Baisgazi Wall (22 Yard Wall). Near Chika masjid is a mango orchard and beyond it, the Bais Gazi wall, was built in 1460 by Barbak Shah to protect his palace. The palace has vanished but small fractions of the wall remain. The wall is 42 ft (13 m) (22 gaz as per local unit). The thickness at the base is 15 feet while at the top is 9 feet. Near the wall is an archaeological site excavated in 2003.
- 11 Ballal Bati ((House of Ballal Sen)). This is part of the archaeological site excavated in 2003. It is called Ballal Bati, literally meaning House of Ballal Sen, of the Sen dynasty of Bengal. There are several other opinions regarding the site some believe it to be the remains of a Buddhist vihar or monastery.
- 12 Jahaj Ghat. A little away from the Ballal Bati is the second excavated site called Jahaj Ghat, literally meaning ship port. The site consists of an arched passageway and strangely the structure stands on dry ground. It is believed that the Ganges once flowed through this area and the structure functioned as a river port. Today the river has long changed its course but the structure remains complete with capstans along with small portions of the iron chain.
- 13 Chamkati Masjid (near Kadam Rasul Masjid). Rast of the Lukochuri Darwaja and is approachable through the gateway. It is built by Sultan Shamsuddin Yusuf Shah in 1475. There are several theories regarding the name of the masjid. The first theory suggests it belongs to the Muslim leather workers, the second suggests the Chamkati means skin cutters and according to legend a fakir made such gashes in his own body in presence of Yusuf Shah, the builder of the mosque. The third theory suggests that the word Chamkathi means narrow passage (chaam = narrow, kaathi = path) and as the mosque is approached and hence the name. The mosque has a small verandah on the east with a triple-arched entrance. The main structure is square with octagonal turrets at the four corners. The structure is topped with a single dome, with clearly marked receding stages.
- 14 Tantipara Masjid. The word tanti in Bangali means weavers, probably the mosque may have some connection with the local weaver community. The Tantipara Masjid has elaborate and intricate terracotta work. The mosque was built by Mirshad Khan in 1480. The mosque once had 10 domes (5 each in two rows) but the domes along with the domes collapsed in the earthquake of 1885. Today the interior of the brick-built mosque houses four pillars under the open sky. On the eastern side of the mosque are two graves probably containing the mortal remains of Mirshad Khan and her daughter.
- 15 Lotan Masjid. Lotan Masjid was built for a royal courtesan by Sultan Shamsuddin Yusuf Shah in 1475. It consists of a square structure with a sloped roof topped with a gigantic dome. On the eastern side is a verandah topped with two small domes and a sloped roofed structure. Initially, the entire mosque was covered with coloured enamel tiles only traces of it could be tracked down to this day. The outer wall of the mosque is covered with intricate floral and geometric terracotta designs.
- 16 Gunamanta Masjid. Gunamanta Masjid is a massive (157 feet by 59 feet) mosque and one of the least visited sites of Gour. It is constructed in 1484 by Sultan Jalaluddin Fath Shah The mosque consists of a central vault and three aisles. The eastern side has eight arched doorways with four each on either side of the nave. The mosque once had a total of 24 small domes.
- 17 Kotwali Darwaza. Located just a few yards on the Indian side of the Indo - Bangladesh border. Kotwali Darwaza once functioned as the southern gateway of the citadel of Gour. The name is probably derived from the Persian word Kotwal, literally meaning police chief. Apart from the rampant walls nothing much remains of the 15th-century gateway. Today it serves as a check post for the Border Security Force (BSF) of India. Oral permission is required to access and photograph the gate. The road travels south to the neighbouring country of Bangladesh where Gour is referred to as Gaud and has several ancient structures.
Eat and drink
[edit]There are no proper eateries in Pandua. During the tourist season, makeshift stalls sell tea and snacks along with soft drinks. Vendors also sell freshly cut seasonal fruits and ice cream. For lunch, there are a few dhabas along the highway connecting Pandua with Malda.
Sleep
[edit]There are no accommodations in Gour, the nearest options are in Malda. Broadly speaking, there are several lodges around Tourist lodge, some around the NBSTC terminus and the private bus stand near it, and some on ABA Gani Khan Choudhury Sarani.
Go next
[edit]- Pandua - The twin citadel of Gour and is usually covered in the same trip
- Malda – virtually all the amenities for travellers visiting this area can be found in Malda
- Murshidabad – about 140 km from Gour
- Siliguri – about 250 km from Gour
- Kolkata – about 347 km from Gour
- Gaud, Bangladesh - The sites of Gour are spread across the border and can be part of cross-border tourism