Maldah, Pt. 2 - Gour, Series: Bengal before 'Calcutta'

nitishb
Apr 12, 2022
15 min read

Updated: Aug 7, 2022

' The monuments of the nations are all protests against nothingness after death; so are statues and inscriptions; so is history.' - Lew Wallace

Maldah is situated on the northern section of West Bengal. It share boundary with Bhagalpur and Purnia division of Bihar. As a result, some of its traditions are influenced by the Hindi heartland of India, like celebration of Holi instead of Dol. Generally in Bengal, the main celebration of color happens on the day of Dol-Utsav, one day before Holi in rest of India. But, Maldah celebrates Holi and not Dol with more grandeur. We went there skipping the day of Dol and on the day of Holi. As, on that day arranging any local transport in Bengal is troublesome. But, unfortunately at the time I didn't know about Maldah's Holi. Hence, on the it 19th March '22, the day of Holi we could only manage a 2.5 hrs. long trip to Pandua. No car was agreeing to trip Gour. Fortunately we had one more day. I had planned this to be a two days trip anyhow. So, we managed.

On the 20th March'22 we started really early by 7:25 AM. As Gour in comparison to Pandua has almost 4 times the number of historical places.

The Itinerary

18/03/2022, Friday: In Kolkata; travel ~350 KM by train.

~10:15 PM - train from Sealdah station, Gour Express (13153).

~11:40 PM - Diptesh boarded train in Bandel Junction (BDC).

19/03/2022, Saturday: In Maldah; travel ~35 KM by reserved car.

~06:20 AM - reached Maldah Town (MLDT) station.

~07:45 AM - stay @Maldah Town tourist lodge/Amrapali Lodge.

~09:40 AM - sightseeing trip to Pandua.

~12:30 PM - back to hotel.

~04:30 PM - walk about 5.75 KM to search for Nima Sarai.

~06:45 AM - back to hotel.

20/03/2022, Sunday: In Maldah; ~50 KM by reserved car.

~07:20 AM - sightseeing trip to Gour.

~01:00 PM - back to hotel.

~07:30 PM - walk about 2.5 KM to search for Pabna Sweets.

~09:35 PM - train from Maldah Town (MLDT) station, Gour Express (13154).

21/03/2022, Monday: In Kolkata; travel ~350 KM by train.

~02:30 AM - Diptesh gets down in Barddhaman Junction (BWN).

~05:20 AM - reached Sealdah station, back home.

The Background

Approximately 32 KM south of Pandua is Gour, another ruined erstwhile capital city of Bengal Sultanate. Though that is not the first time when the name 'Gour' gets associated with Bengal's history.

'Kingdom of Gour' Vs. 'City of Gour'

I first read about Gour in our history books back in class nine. The king of Gour Shashanka, was mentioned due to his famous three-way wars with the Pushyabhuti king Harshavardhan (Thanesar, Haryana) and Chalukya king Pulakeshin II (Badami, Karnataka).

But, that was the Kingdom of Gour - comprising the northern part of western Bengal, most of north Bengal and the city of Gour. That kingdom was an independent entity in the late 6th and early 7th century, under Hindu king Shashanka.

Limelight on ‘Gour, the city’: from the pages of history

From the 12th to the 16th century (except ~114 years of Pandua ) Gour served as Bengal's capital during the Islamic reign period of Bengal. After Shashanka, the mentionable Bengal's rulers were the Buddhist (disputably Hindu Yadav) Pal empire, during 8th-12th century. Following Ram Pal's death in ~1130, the Sen dynasty took over. Vijay Sen (reign. 1096-1159, 3rd generation) married a princess of the Rarh region of southern Bengal and brought all of Bengal under his rule. His grandson, Lakshman Sen (reign. 1178–1206) re-laid the foundations of the city of Gour and made it his major capital (his minor capital was in Nadia).

He renamed Gour as, Lakshmanavati (also called Lakhnauti). In late 12th century, Turkic raiders under Mohammed Bakhtiyar Khilji attacked Bengal in Nadia. As, I have written this in details in Murshidabad blog and mentioned about it in the Pandua blog. It took only 18 of his riders to take over the minor capital with Lakshman Sen fleeing the palace. Thus the Islamic rule over Bengal began with Gour serving as the capital city for the Khilji dynasty, the Mamluk Sultanate, the Balban dynasty and the Tughlaq Sultanate.

Timeline of ‘Gour as a capital’ under the reigns of different dynasties

** {(‘1203-1338’ = 135 years) + (‘1453-1564’ = 111 years) + 1575 – 1 year} = 247 years

1203-1225/27: Khilji dynasty of Bengal

1203, Md. Bakhtiyar Khilji, Turko-Afghan military general of the Ghurid Empire, founder of the Khilji dynasty of Bengal, under Delhi Sultanate (Mamluk dynasty). He chooses Gour as his capital.

- Seven rulers from this dynasty ruled Bengal from Gour till 1225/27.

1225/27-1290: Mamluk Sultanate of Delhi ruling Bengal using proxy

1225, Delhi Sultan Iltutmish (Mamluk dynasty) sent forces under his son, Nasir-ud-din Mahmud, to bring Bengal under the direct control of the Delhi Sultans and declared Bengal as a province of Delhi.

1225-1290, The Delhi Sultans attempted to govern Bengal through appointed governors, mostly troublesome administration with ambitious governors frequently rebelling and declaring independence, only to be suppressed militarily by the Delhi Sultanate.

1290-1320: Independent Balban dynasty of Bengal?

1291–1300, Rukunuddin Kaikaus, independent Sultan of Bengal from Balban Dynasty.

1301-1322, Shamsuddin Firuz Shah, independent ruler of the Lakhnauti (Gour) Kingdom. He may or may not belong to the Balban dynasty.

1320-1338: Tughlaq Sultanate of Delhi ruling Bengal using proxy

1325, Delhi Sultan Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq reorganized the province into three administrative regions, with Sonargaon ruling eastern Bengal, Gour ruling north & Satgaon ruling south.

1338, this arrangement broke down. Three administrative regions had separatist Sultans, including Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah in Sonargaon; Alauddin Ali Shah in Gour and Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah in Satgaon.

1339-1453: Ilyas Shahi dynasty of Bengal shifting capital to Pandua

1352, Ilyas Shah emerged victorious among the Bengali triad. Capital transferred totally to Pandua (starting from 1339).

1453-1487: Ilyas Shahi dynasty of Bengal shifting capital back to Gour

1453, Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah of Ilyas Shahi dynasty moved the capital of Bengal back to Gour from Pandua due to the course change of river Mahananda.

1487, Jalaluddin Fateh Shah(son of Mahmud Shah)was killed by his Habshi (eunuch) commander of the palace guards, Shahzada Barbak, who took over the throne. He is known as the last ruler of this dynasty.

1487-1494: Habshi dynasty of Bengal, capital Gour

1487, Barbak ascended the throne under the title, Sultan Barbak Shah.

1487, Barbak was murdered by Saifuddin Firuz Shah/ Malik Andil Habshi another eunuch commander. He became the second ruler of Habshi dynasty.

He completed the 5-storeyed tower Firuz Minar in Gour (its making started before his

reign).

1494-1538: Hussain Shahi dynasty of Bengal, capital Gour

1494, Sayyid Hussain, the wazir (chief minister) of Sultan Shamsuddin Muzaffar Shah (Habshi dynasty), killed him, assumed throne and founded the Hussain Shahi dynasty as Alauddin Hussain Shah. He also forced all Habshis out to Bengal.

1538, Ghiyasuddin Mahmud Shah, the 4th and last Sultan of the Hussain Shahi dynasty was defeated by Sher Shah Suri (6th April 1538).

1538-1553: Sur Empire of north India ruling Bengal using proxy

1538 (November) - 1539 (April), Sher Shah Suri burnt down Gour.

1539, Mughal emperor Humayun came, named it “Jannatabad” (meaning paradise city) and repaired Gour to make it fit for habitation again.

1553-1564: Muhammad Shah dynasty of Bengal, capital Gour

1553, Shamsuddin Muhammad Shah (renamed himself from Muhammad Khan Sur), then governor of Bengal under Sur Empire, declared his independence from Delhi as the Sultan of Bengal and founded the Muhammad Shah dynasty.

1564, Sultan Ghiyasuddin Bahadur Shah III was this dynasties last ruler for Gour.

1564-1564: Karrani dynasty of Bengal, END OF Gour

1564, Taj Khan Karrani, a former employee of Sher Shah Suri, founded the Karrani dynasty in Bengal after assassinating Sultan Ghiyasuddin Bahadur Shah III (from Muhammad Shah dynasty).

1565, Sulaiman Khan Karrani, the then Afghan lord of Bengal abandoned Gour for a place called Tanda.

Tanda/ Tandah/ Khwaspur Tandah, literally means high ground. It was a historic 16th-century city of Bengal. It was located ~19.31 KM west of Teliagarhi (Jharkhand), 1.6 KM away from Lakshipur (Jharkhand) and southeast of Maldah by ~24.14 KM, on the western banks of the Ganges where the river historically used to split into two. From 1586 onward, Tanda started decaying due to the Ganges' course changing. By 1826, Tanda had been destroyed by floods, thus disappearing into the river. Presently, Tanda is a heap of dusts.

1575, Battle of Tukaroi, Mughal emperor Akbar’s general Munim Khan drove the Afghans or Pathans out of Bengal. When he left the marshy terrain around Tanda and reached Gour to re-establish it as capital. He found it as a hollow, abandoned shell of a city. Plague killed Munim Khan’s men by the thousands, Munim Khan died on the 23rd of October, 1575.

- THIS WAS THE END FOR GOUR. The city was reclaimed by nature till Maldah came into being.

First the locals, then the colonist British vandalized the ruins of Gour. The rare blue marble from these runs were put in to the buildings of colonial Calcutta (marble tiles on the floor of St. John’s Church near Dalhousie Square). Almost nothing is remaining in Gour from its Hindu period. There are however some fine specimens of pre-Mughal architecture.

The TRIP

I have written below about the list of places we visited in Gour as per the order of our visit.

Cluster #01

Tamaltala

Relative address: near Piyasbari Lake, in Ramkeli Village, West Bengal - 732103.
GPS location: 24°53'20.4"N 88°07'43.8"E
Completion?

Half a KM ahead of Piyasbari lake in a village named Ramkeli lies a large statue of Mahaprabhu (born Vishwambhar Mishra, 1486) and a small temple containing a rock with a pair of his footprints. This may not be original. As Mahaprabhu was supposed to be a very tall man, but the footprints are rather small.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu?
During the reign of the founder of Husain Shahi dynasty Sultan Alauddin Husain Shah (1494–1519), Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (Bengali spiritual leader and founder of Gouriya Vaishnavism) met with Rupa and Sanatan Goswami. Rupa and Sanatan were high-level officials in Alauddin’s court. They became followers of Mahaprabhu. At the spot where they met, the statue was put up.

Madan Mohan Jiu's Temple

Other names: Sona Masjid
Relative location: Behind Tamaltala.
GPS location: 24°53'21.5"N 88°07'42.3"E
Completion?

Behind Tamaltala is the larger Madan Mohan Jiu temple. It has a Natmandir added to it in May of 1938, on the site of an older temple built under Sanatan Goswami in 1515. In the sanctum sanctorum are idols of Radharani (probably made with Ashtadhatu, alloy of 8 metals) and Krishna in his Madan Mohan avatar, made of black stone. The temple is active.

Cluster #02

Baro Duari Masjid

Other name: Boro Sona Masjid.
Address: Boro Sona Masjid Rd, Gour, Ramkeli, West Bengal - 732103.
GPS location: 24°52'58.6"N 88°07'40.6"E
Completion: 1526.
Reign: Sultan Nasiruddin Nasrat Shah.
Closed at: 5 PM.

The name means the masjid with twelve gates, though we found only 11 at the entrance. This rectangular mosque has a large courtyard at front. It is mostly in ruins today.

It had three large entrances once, only the eastern one remains intact now with 11 gates. The main complex is said to had 33 of the domes above it. Now all of them are gone. A dome above the eastern entrance still exists. There are three aisles in the main prayer room, along with the ruins of a ladies’ gallery. The Choto Sona Masjid is in modern day Bangladesh. Flower motifs may be found all over the Boro Sona Masjid and even from the ruins. Decorations on the stone walls are still visible. The mosque is built using both stone and brick and mortar.

The large entrance gateway to the complex is built of brick and mortar, with stone cladding, only a part of which remains intact today.

Daakhil Darwaza

Other Names: Salami Darwaza
Address: unnamed road, Gour, Mahadipur, West Bengal - 732216.
GPS location: 24°52'43.9"N 88°07'30.4"E
Completion?
Reign?
Closed at: 6 PM.

It literally means 'entrance gate'. Situated some 0.5 KM south-west of the Boro Sona Masjid, it was the main gate of the citadel of Gour. When a victorious king returned to the city through this gate, he received a guard of honor here. Hence, it was called Salami Darwaza too. Examples of terracotta can be found on the walls and interiors of this Darwaza. There is a colony of bats living here. I have read there were once 12 towers mounted with guns but, could only found the ruins of 2 remaining now.

Cluster #03

Firoz Minar

Other Names: Firoza Minar
Address: Kadam Rasul Rd, Gour, Kanakpur, West Bengal - 732216.
GPS location: 24°52'25.3"N 88°07'49.3"E
Completion: 1487-89
Reign: Sultan Saifuddin Firuz Shah
Closed at: 6 PM.

What peaked my interest about this Minar is its two name suggesting different gender, 'Firoz' and 'Firoza'. I was wrong. Although 'Firoz' may stand for 'Saifuddin Firuz Shah' a male name, 'Firoza' means 'blue' in Arabic.

About half a KM east of Daakhil Darwaza stands Firoz/Firoza Minar, a lookalike to Delhi’s Qutub Minar and was even taller than it at some point. Later, the topmost levels and a dome was levelled to increase the tower’s stability, making it ~84 feet tall. More later, 73 steps were added leading to the top. Access this top is now restricted except a special permission from the ASI. It may have been intended as a victory tower. Currently it is surrounded by a lawn.

Firoz or, Firoza

There are three probable reasoning, i.e. backstories with probable influence - 
One says, once the entire tower was covered in blue/ Firoza colored tiles, but we couldn't find a single piece of blue tile left. Hence, this story seems concocted.
Some locals, refer this tower as Pirusha Mandir. A certain Muslim holy man, Pir Shah once took residence inside the tower. 
The third and the most likely story is, the tower was named after the Sultan Saifuddin Firuz Shah of the Bengal’s Habshi dynasty. As it was constructed during his reign (1487-89).

Cluster #04

Ballal Baati

Address: V4CF+3X9, Gour, Gani Bahadurkhan Arazi Inlish, West Bengal - 732216.
GPS location: 24°52'12.7"N 88°07'29.6"E
Excavated on: 2003
Reign: Ballal Sen?

According legends this is the remains of Sen dynasty king Ballal Sen’s palace. It was unearthed through an excavation in Gour in 2003. Excavations revealed foundations of a large building. A contradicting theory is - it is the remains of a Buddhist 'vihar' (monastery).

Jahaj Ghata

Relative location: A few meters from Ballal Baati.
GPS location: 24°52'09.8"N 88°07'23.8"E
Excavated on?
Reign?
Closed at?

‘Jahaj’ in Bengali means ‘ship’ and ‘Ghata’ means wharf or, quay. Which is a structure on the shore of a harbor or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. This excavation of Gour may have been an ancient port. As, river Ganga flowed right through this place once. The place has been repeatedly vandalized. Currently a part of an old chain (used to tie ships may be) is visible. According some, the inhabitants of Gour might had used this as their principal port.

Baish Gwajer Prachir

Relative location: adjacent to Ballal Baati.
GPS location: 24°52'15.0"N 88°07'30.8"E
Completed on: ~ (1459-74)
Reign: Sultan Rukunuddin Barbak Shah.
Closed at?

Very near to Ballal is a wall expansion of height 22 yards. In Bengali, 22 is called “Baish” and yard translates to “Gawj”. So this wall is known as “Baish Gwajer Prachir” (wall == Prachir). Rukunuddin erected this as the boundary wall of the royal palace inside the citadel.

Parts of the wall are well maintained even now. But, rest is eroded on a brick by brick level.

Cluster #05

For this cluster of places the entry is disputed. We found a notification stating that entry is paid. But, the ticket counters were empty and no officials were to be found. The labors working in some places like Qadam Rasul masjid tried to stop us from entering without ticket whereas in Chika Bhawan and Gumti Darwaza, people were helpful saying that tickets have ended, we should quickly visit the places and leave. Taking pictures near Qadam Rasul was challenging as they were trying to stop us. We were ready to buy tickets but the issue was with absentee officials and not us. It will remain a mystery why it was so.

Chika Bhawan

Other Names: Chamkan Bhawan.
Address: Unnamed Road, Gour, Chandannagar, West Bengal - 732216
GPS location: 24°52'03.4"N 88°07'52.0"E
Completed on: 1475? / 1435-1459
Reign: Sultan Yusuf Shah?/ Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah (expert guess)
Closed at: entry disputed.

The name in entry board is Chika Masjid. Externally it does look like one. But, on the inside there is no 'Mihrab' in the western wall. So it couldn't have been one. To its west are a series of pillars (may have been part of a large structure once). According the book (1879-80) of Major General Alexander Cunningham (of the Royal Engineers) this may have been a 'chor khana' (prison). The name changed to 'Chika' due to the bats living here.

Gumti Darwaza

Address: Unnamed Road, Gour, Chandannagar, West Bengal - 732216
GPS location: 24°52'04.2"N 88°07'55.2"E
Completed on?
Reign?
Closed at: entry disputed.

‘Gumti’ in Bengali means ‘small hut’. This word is a Persian import in Bengali vocabulary. The original word in Persian is ‘Gumbad’ meaning ‘guard house’. This is one of the small doors to Royal Palace of Gour on the east of Chika Bhawan. Once its exterior was covered with colorful enameled tiles, some traces of which still remains.

Qadam Rasul Masjid Complex

Other names: Qadam Sharif.
Address: near Gumti Darwaza, Gour, Chandannagar, West Bengal - 732216
GPS location: 24°52'08.9"N 88°07'53.9"E
Completed on: 1531.
Reign: Sultan Nasiruddin Nasrat Shah.
Closed at: entry disputed.

It is a mosque complex. ‘Qadam-E-Rasul’ in Arabic means the footprint of Prophet Mohammad. It hosts a white marble which is supposed to be the Prophet’s footprint. Legends say it was brought from Arabia by Pir Shah Jalal Tabrizi. This may be the local influence of Hinduism or, Buddhism on Islam as orthodox Islam do not support this sort of veneration. The main entrance of mosque is from the east, and the wall there contains 3 arches. The walls have extensive terracotta ornamentation and above the central arch is a stone tablet containing the date of construction and it credits it to Sultan Nasiruddin Nasrat Shah.

Unlike most mosques, there is no Mihrab in the wall. Instead, there is a chamber hosting a platform of black stone. This stone contains the footprint of the Prophet. The room is kept locked on most days, and the footprint is only displayed to the public on special days. On the exterior, the 4 corners of the mosque contained four fluted columns made of stone, rest of the mosque is made of brick. Unlike the Mughal mosques, no mosque in Gour has any slender Minaret, no onions domes, no scalloped arches. These mosques are short and squat.

Bath?

Located opposite to the entrance to Qadam Rasul mosque is the assumed designated bath, although there was no signs of a bathtub or similar enclosure for water.

Cemetery

At the immediate north of Qadam Rasul is a small cemetery, with several completely dilapidated tombs. This could have been a royal burial ground. A tomb is located to the south west of Qadam Rasul as well. No information on who is buried in here.

Fateh Khan's Tomb

Next to the bath is the tomb of Fateh Khan. This is an architecture in ‘Hindu Chala style’, resembling a Bengali village hut.

Fateh Khan?

The younger son of Aurangzeb’s general Diler Khan. Diler Khan was dispatched subdue Aurangzeb’s younger brother Shah Shuja (then governor of Bengal). When Diler reached Gour, Fateh Khan vomited blood and died.

Lukochuri Gate

Other names: Shahi Darwaza.
Relative location: To the south-east of Qadam Rasul Masjid.
GPS location: 24°52'07.1"N 88°07'55.0"E
Completed on: ~1655.
Reign?, Created by Shah Shuja (brother of Aurangzeb)

The most magnificent gate of the Gour. ‘Shahi Darwaza’ means Royal Gate. ‘Lukochuri’ means hide-and-seek in Bengali. Some say ‘Lukochuri’ is a corruption of the ‘Lakh Chippi’, referring to the lakh of tiles which once covered the gate. Other says the Sultan used to play hide and seek with his begums. Hence this name. This was the principal entrance to the royal palace. Some stucco work on the gate still survives. The arched gateway extends inwards.

Cluster #06

Tantipara Masjid

Address: Gour Road, Gour, Maldah, West Bengal - 732216.
GPS location: 24°51'38.6"N 88°08'14.2"E
Completed on: 1474-80.
Reign: Hussain Shahi dynasty.
Closed at?

This Masjid contains the fine examples of terracotta decoration. The roof collapsed in an earthquake back in 1885 and its 10 domes have thus vanished. The walls are 6 ½ feet thick. The interior contains terracotta panels with vegetative patterns. 4 stone pillars divide the brick mosque into two aisles. To the east of the mosque are two tombs, which probably contain the remains of Mirshad Khan (the builder of this mosque) and his daughter. ‘Tanti’ in Bengali means weaver, the mosque got its name from a settlement of weavers in the area.

Lotan Masjid

Address: Gour Road, Gour, Maldah, West Bengal - 732216.
GPS location: 24°51'17.5"N 88°08'22.0"E
Completed on: 1476.
Reign: Sultan Shamsuddin Yusuf Shah.
Closed at?

This Masjid was once completely covered in colored enamel tiles, traces of which still remain. This is a sheer architectural splendor, one of the most beautiful ancient mosques of India.

Lotan?

Why this name was given is not known. Legends ,say it was due to a certain famous dancer of the same name. This remains unconfirmed though.

Offbeat

Our driver initially refused to go to these places, saying it is not within the normal sightseeing route and away from human habitation. Not many tourists visit or know about Gunamant Masjid and Kotwali Darwaza has military restrictions. Hence, we had to convince him with additional tips.

Gunamant Masjid

Address: 1.5 KM west of Lotan Masjid.
GPS location: 24°51'05.2"N 88°07'52.5"E
Completed on: ~1484.
Reign?
Closed at?

The mosque and its setting is beautiful. Located in the middle of a manicured park Gunamant Masjid is massive 157 ft. X 59 ft. All the domes of the mosque’s southern side and 3 domes of the Northern side is still surviving.

At each corner, there exists just about enough evidence to suggest that there were minarets here once. It has a huge vaulted ‘Bangla roof’, the interior of looks like the nave of a church.

Stucco ornamentation can still be seen on the interior walls of the mosque.

Kotwali Darwaza

Address?
GPS location: 24°50'34.3"N 88°08'26.9"E
Completed on: ~1446/ ~(1235 and 1315)
Reign: Mohammed Alauddin Khilji (disputed)

Kotwali Darwaza serves as the border between India and Bangladesh, with the modern road running right through it. Kotwal means 'chief of police' in Persian.

With permission from the local BSF post, and upon submitting photo ID, it is possible to climb to the top of the gate and have a look around.

Last stop in Gour

Chamkati Masjid

Address?
GPS location: 24°52'13.2"N 88°08'09.0"E
Completed on: 1475.
Reign: Sultan Shamsuddin Yusuf Shah.
Closed at?

The mosque contains a joint vault at the entrance and the interiors contain traces of enameled tiles. The single dome looks like it has 5 steps. A part of the mosque has collapsed and is still under repair.

Chamkati?

Theory one - The mosque was built for a class of Muslims professionally in the leather trade. 
Theory two – (most likely) The name comes from the narrow entrance to the mosque. ‘Cham’ means narrow and ‘Kati’ means path.

From Gour to Maldah

After finishing our trip to Gour, we were coming back towards Maldah tourist lodge. Suddenly our driver stopped in road and pointed us towards a pair of Pillars -

Hati Badha Stombho: Pillars

Two stone pillars which may have been brought here from Gour at some point, no information as to when or why. In past, rich local gent used to tie elephants to these pillars. Hence, the name. As 'Hati' in Bengali means 'elephant' and Badha means ‘to tie’; whereas, 'Stombho' means 'pillar'.

One last hurrah...

Roskodombo

Type: Maldah's most famous sweet.
Shop's name: Pabna Sweets, Maldah.
Address: Rabindra Ave, Maldah, West Bengal - 732101.

Roskodombo or, Roskodom is the most famous sweet of Maldah. The ingredients are 'Posto' (poppy seeds) on the outside, a hard round layer of 'Peda'/ 'Khoya'/ 'Mava' (a type of sweet, solidified dried milk) and a small 'Rosogolla' or, 'Sandesh' (another types of sweets) like filling on the inside. Legend says, during the reign of Sultan Alauddin Husain Shah (1494–1519), Chaitanya Mahaprabhu met with Rupa and Sanatan Goswami under a 'Kelikodombo' (common English name - Bur flower or, Leichhardt pine; scientific name: Neolamarckia cadamba) tree. To commemorate this event, this particular sweet was introduced. Out of the many shops that sells Roskodombo, Pabna sweets is the most popular one.

It was our last stop that evening before reaching station to board our Kolkata bound train.

Our small trip to Maldah was over. I had to skip two places viz. Nandadirghi Vihar and Johura Kali temple due to the scarcity of time. I hope to visit again someday to cover these places and taste authentic Roskodombo once again. Till then or, the next place, Sayonara.

<-- Part - 1

References: