West Bengal (PART-IX)
Malda(2)
Pandua
or Adina
Pandua is a ruined city in the Malda
district. Pandua is now almost synonymously known as Adina, a small town located about 18 km North of Malda Town. The
city was probably founded by Sams-ud-Din Firuz Shah. In 1339, Ala-ud-Din Ali
Shah transferred his capital from the nearby (and now ruined) town of Lakhnauti
or Gaur (32 km from Pandua) to Pandua. Later, Haji Shamsuddin Iliyas Shah,
the first independent Sultan of Bengal, made the city the capital of his
(unified) Bengal Sultanate. However, Pandua's glory was short-lived. In 1453,
the capital was transferred back to Gaur by Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah, perhaps
necessitated by a change in the course of the river on which Pandua stood.
Places
to visit in Pandua or Adina:
Adina Masjid
Adina Masjid built in 1369 by Sultan
Sikander Shah; the second sultan of the Ilyas dynasty. It was one of the
largest mosques in India. The Adina mosque is one of the largest mosques
to be built in the subcontinent and the only hypostyle mosque in Bengal.
Located twenty kilometers North of the town of Malda and along a major road
leading to north Bengal, the sultan probably built it as a visual proclamation
of his victory over the Delhi ruler, Firuz Shah Tughluq. The mosque is mostly
in ruins today following the damages sustained during the earthquakes in the
19th and early 20th centuries.
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| The prayer hall |
Similar in plan to the Great Mosque of Damascus, it is a rectangular,
hypostyle structure, with an open central courtyard. Externally it measures
524' x 322' (154.3 x 87m) with the longer side running north-south, while the
courtyard measures 426'-6"x147'-7"(130 x 45m). The prayer hall is
located to the west, and is divided into two symmetrical wings by a central
nave (78'x 34' and 64' high) that was originally covered by a pointed barrel
vault. The high central vaulted nave may be traced to Persian antecedents,
Taq-i-Kisra, a pre-Muslim monument at Ctesiphon. The prayer hall is five aisles
deep, while the north, south and east cloisters around the courtyard consist of
triple aisles. In total, these aisles had 260 pillars and 387 domed bays. The
interior of the courtyard is a continuous façade of 92 arches surmounted by a
parapet, beyond which the domes of the bays can be seen.
Eklakhi
Mausoleum
The Eklakhi Mausoleum one of the
best preserved brick-built monuments is situated in Pandua area near the Adina
Mosque and was probably built in c. 1412-1415 A.D. by Raja Ganesh or Kans whose
son Jadu converted to Islam faith and became the Sultan of Bengal under the
name of Jalaluddin Mohammed Shah. This is a brick building, with a single lofty
dome. Its interior is an octagon which is only lighted through the four small
doors.
There are three graves inside. One tomb is that of Jalaluddin, and the others
belong to his wife and son.
The Eklakhi Tomb at that time is known to have cost Rupees One Lakh, and hence
the name "Eklakhi".
Qutb Shahi Masjid (Mosque)
Qutub Shahi Masjid is situated in Pandua about 25 Kms. from
malda Town in Malda District of West Bengal, India. It was erected in 1582 A.D.
in the honor of Sufi Saint Nur- Qutub-Alam by Makhdoom Shaikh who was both a
descendant and a follower of the Sufi Saint.The Masjid (Mosque) is also known
locally as "Sona Masjid"(Golden Mosque) probably due to the fact that
gold gilding was used in the carvings on the wall as well as on the crown of
the turrets, but no evidence is visible now. It has been built using red bricks
and stone slabs. Intricate carvings are still seen on the stone slabs in the
walls and pillars.
More places to see in Malda:
Ramkeli
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| Lord Krishna and Radha |
Lord
Chaitanya Temple is situated in a small village of Ramkeli about 14 Km south
from Malda on the way to Gour. Ramkeli is famous for being the temporary home
of Lord Sri Chaitanya, the great religious reformer of Bengal, where he had
stayed for a few days on his way to Brindaban.The place still features two
Kadamba and two Tamal trees, which is believed to be the meditation site of Sri
Chaitanya.
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| The temple where is housing the
footprints of Sri Chaitanya on stone |
A temple has been constructed beneath these trees, housing the
footprints of Sri Chaitanya on stone. Celebrations are held at the site on
every Jaishthya Sankranti (in the month of May-June) to commemorate the arrival
of Sri Chaitanya. A week-long fair also starts on this day when devotees from
far off places arrive to participate in the various programmes.
Maa Johura Temple
Maa Johura Temple is situated on
the outskirts of Malda Town, West Bengal, India. It is surrounded by lush green
fields on one side and Mango Orchards on the other side, and is very near to
Bangladesh border. The original temple is stated to have been built in
c1500A.D.(?),however, there is another view that the original temple was built
by Raja Ballal Sen in 1159-1179 A.D. who was the third ruler of Sena Dynasty
of the then Bengal .
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| Maa Johura |
It is a renowned temple of Adishakti in Malda and the deity
is represented by three faces of Goddess Kali .It is said that the three faces
represent the three goddesses Maha Kali, Maha Laxmi and Maha Saraswati. The
unique feature of this temple is that it opens only on Tuesdays and Saturdays
when thousands of people come to offer their prayers, rest of the days the
temple remains closed.
Farakka Barrage
Completed in 1974-75, the Farakkah Barrage is a dam on the Ganges River
located in the Indian state of West Bengal. The dam was built to divert the
Ganges River water into the Hooghly River during the dry season, from January
to June, in order to flush out the accumulating silt which in the 1950s and
1960s was a problem at the major port of Kolkata on the Hooghly River.
Bangladesh and India have had many debates about how the Farakka Barrage cuts
off Bangladesh’s water supply. This is the longest barrage in the world and has
recently been entered into the Guinness Book of World Records. The barrage was
constructed by the Hindustan Construction Company Limited.
