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Photo: SAHABUDDIN MOMIN, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
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.
Dakhil Darwaza, also known as Salami Darwaza, is a grand 15th-16th century gateway located in Gaur, Malda district, West Bengal, India. It served as the main northern entrance to the citadel of Lakhnauti, the capital of the Bengal Sultanate. Constructed primarily with red bricks and terracotta, often attributed to the Hussain Shahi dynasty, it exemplifies the Bengal style of architecture, blending Islamic and regional elements. The gateway, also called Salami Darwaza due to cannons fired from it as a salute, remains a significant historical monument protected by the Archeological Survey of India.
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(Baraduari)
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.
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.
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.
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 (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.
(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.
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.