Gour (West Bengal)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.