The desolate pride

Dakhil Darwaja,Malda

The day was hot and humid in Malda, and we began our journey through the National Highway with hackneyed pictures of urban hustles and after few kilometres drive it was a change in the scenario on a left turn. It was a picture of smooth going and within the frame the array of buildings and mosques of medieval time were standing like the reminder for visitors that, the site happened to be the prestigious capital of Bengal or famously known Gaur. The decrepit colonnades and arches of the relics were ready to take us to a journey to its glorious past where different dynasties have left their valuable contributions towards a rich history. Still surviving medieval relics of Malda hark back and invoke the inquisitive to imagine the picture of the desolate structures once hummed with life in their heyday.

medieval mosque in Malda

Terracotta work on the brick structure of Dakhil Darwaja, where series of trident could be clearly noticed or the replica of Ganesha still surviving on the wall of Aadina Masjid invoke series of questions in mind. The roofless relics of the mosque once had gilded walls and turrets, cogitate to fathom out the grandeur of the place. It was truly an expressive example that depicts confluence of culture and impression of different dynasties written on the walls of the architectural relics. Inundated in pride, I could not suppress the wish to recite the lines of Rabindranath Tagore in mind-

                                    ;“The Aryans, the non-Aryans, the Dravida and China
                                                             Sakas, Hunas, Pathans and Mughals
                                                                  All are merged in one body......”

the idol on aadina mosque,Malda

I found Malda truly a place distinctively different to shoulder the responsibilities to represent West Bengal in tourism. A place to experience the enliven history of medieval Bengal in its superb architectural relics. Somewhere the structures like miniature Buddhist stupas invoke curiosity to the History lovers and somewhere mesmeric floral works and inscriptions crafted on the pieces of black stone still display the signature of superb craftsmanship.

Aadina mosque,Malda

The architectural relics of Malda have huge potential in them and promising enough to represent significantly the state of West Bengal in the global map of tourism. Malda has every needed ingredient for a successful tourist destination and could achieve more mileage if its architectural relics could be represented in different local art forms which can act to accentuate the advertisement in the field of tourism.