Gour was an ancient city in Bengal. It had been under the rule of the Palas,Senas & the sultans. Gour,once known as Lakshmanavati,is now situated in Malda district. It's more or less 12 km.s away from Malda town. One can take cars & buses to reach the ruins of Gour & medieval Bengal.
FEROZE MINAR
Bengal was blood-stained in sultani era. That era was characterized by greed,betrayal & revenge.
Feroze minar was built by sultan Saifuddon Feroze Shah in 1485. Feroze started his life as a slave. But he didn't want to live that life. His target was to make a gigantic leap from slavery to sultanat! So, he killed his master,sultan Barbak Shah & ascended the throne of Bengal. Feroze wanted to make his victory memorable. So he built the minar.
The minar is a 25 m. high 5- storeyed structure. The lower 3 dtoreys are 12 sided while the upper 2 are circular. The wall has terracotta embellishments. There's a flight of 84 stairs inside that used to take one to the top. The tower was used by the soldiers for light-signalling.
Feroze Shah wanted the minar to tell his success story across the ages. It is still obeying his master's order.
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| FEROZE MINAR |
BORO SONA MASJID (GREAT GOLDEN MOSQUE) / BARO DUARI
Boro sona masjid was created by the father-son duo. Construction was started by Nawab Alauddin Hussain Shah & completed by his son Nasiruddin Nusrat Shah in 1526. There were 44 domes overlayed with gold-like material. Hence the name Golden mosque. Now only 11 domes are present. Reason behind the other name, Baro(12)duari is not known. The mosque has 11 doors.
Boro Sona masjid, made of both stone & bricks is now in ruins. Only the eastern part,consisting of arched doors,corridor & domes has survived. The prayer chamber still has the mark of aisles. There is a dilapidated mihrab on the western side. Mihrab is a niche or a small chamber on the wall of a mosque which indicates the direction of Mecca. People face that direction while praying.
Baro Sona masjid has lost almost everything it had. The bright,golden domes which would reflect the glory of the Nawabs came down to dust. The existing ones are naked, peeled off their gild. Still the mosque has an aura. It takes us back to Hussain Shah.
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| BORO SONA MASJID |
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| CORRIDOR OF THE MOSQUE |
RAMKELI
Ramkeli is a village in Gour. Two Brahmin brothers, Roop & Sanatan lived in this village. They worked as ministers to Nawab Hussain Shah. Wealth, honour, power,they earned everything. They earned Nawab's love & affection also by means of their erudition, efficiency & honesty. Still they were not happy. Their hobnobbing with the Muslim community was looked down upon by the Hindu community. Brahmins asked them to leave the job & return to Hinduism undergoing a process of expiation. Roop & Sanatan didn't pay heed to them. As a result they were banished from the Hindu society.
Roop & Sanatan wrote to Sri Chaitanya Dev seeking His advice. He appreciated their decision & advised them to continue as Nawab's ministers keeping faith in the holy feet of Lord Krishna. Later, on request of two disciples Chaitanya Dev visited Ramkeli in 1506. People rushed to Him. Ramkeli resonated with Hari bol & danced to the tunes of kirtan. Roop & Sanatan were initiated by Chaitanya Dev. His 3 day-stay in Ramkeli created history.
Roop & Sanatan built a temple where Chaitanya Dev used to sit under a tamal tree. Unfortunately that temple was destroyed & a new one came up which is still there. Chaitanya Dev's visit to Ramkeli is celebrated in a grand way in the month of jaishthya (mid May-mid June).
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| TEMPLE WHERE CHAITANYA DEV USED TO SIT & SING |
