Maldah district General information

Malda district is a district of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies 347 kilometres north of Kolkata, the state capital. This district is notable for the production of mango and silk. The folk culture of gombhira is a feature of the district, being a unique way of representation of joy and sorrow of daily life of the common people, as well as the unique medium of presentation on national and international matters.

History

The gateway of North Bengal, Malda, once the capital of Gour-Banga with its 3456 sq kms lay of the land classified into Tal, Diara, and Barind awaits the advent of tourists and people of archeological interest with its wealth to be enjoyed and its huge potential to be explored.

This portion of the Earth is washed by the waves of the rivers Ganges, Mahananda, Fulahar, Kalindri and had been the witness of different empires raised, flourished and cast down near oblivion by a successor kingdom built up on the relics of its predecessor. Panini mentioned a city named Gourpura, which by strong reason may be identified as the city of Gouda, ruins of which are situated in this district. Examples are legion of the relic of a predecessor kingdom being used in the monuments of the successor kingdoms.

It had been within the limits of ancient ‘Gour’ and  ‘Pandua’(Pundrabardhana). These two cities had been the capital of Bengal in ancient and medieval ages and are equidistant, north and south, from English Bazar town (once known as Engelzavad established by the British rulers).

The boundary of Gour was changed in different ages since 5th century BC and its name can be found in Puranic texts. Pundranagar was the provincial capital of Maurya Empire.

Gour and Pundrabardhana formed parts of the Mourya empire as is evinced from the inscriptions, Brahmilipi on a seal discovered from the ruins of Mahasthangarh in the Bogura District of Bangladesh. Hiuen Tsang  saw many Asokan stupas at Pundrabardhana.

The inscriptions discovered in the district of undivided Dinajpur and other parts of North Bengal along with the Allahabad pillar inscriptions of  Samudragupta clearly indicate that the whole of North Bengal as far east as Kamrup formed a part of the Gupta empire.

After the Guptas in the beginning of 7th century AD Sasanka, the king of Karnasubarna as well as the king of Gour ruled independently for more than three decades. From the middle of 8th century to the end of 11th century the Pala dynasty ruled Bengal, the kings were devoted to Buddhism. It was during their reign that the Jagadalla Vihara (monastery) in Barindri flourished paralleling with Nalanda, Vikramshila and Devikot.

The Pala Dynasty yielded to the emergence of Sen Dynasty, the Sen rulers were Hindus, and in the habit of moving from place to place within their kingdom. At the time of Lakshman Sen Goud was known as Lakshmanabati. The Sen kings ruled Bengal till Bakhtiyar Khilji conquered Bengal in 1204 AD.

Thereafter the Muslim rule lasted for about five hundred years before Sirajuddaulah was defeated by Lord Clive at the battle of Plassey in 1757 whence the British rule started. From ancient period different rulers with assorted origin, religion, and dynasty had left the imprints of their kingdom /dynasty on the earth in this district, most of them have failed to win over the tide of time as history has lifted one kingdom and later cast it down, sometimes into total oblivion.  Those, which still stand on the earth in the form of ruins and relics, nevertheless reminds the past pomp and grandeur and are able to make the tourists and people of archeological interest sneak in.

This district was formed out of some portions of outlying areas of Purnia, Dinajpur and Rajshahi districts in 1813. At the time of Dr. B. Hamilton ( 1808 - 09 ) ,the presents thanas of Gazole, Malda,  Bamongola, and part of Habibpur were included in the district of Dinajpur and the thanas of Harischandrapur, Kharba, Ratua, Manikchak, and Kaliachak were included in the district of Purnia. In 1813, in consequence of the prevalence of serious crimes in the Kaliachak and Sahebganj thanas and also on the rivers, a Joint Magistrate and Deputy Collector was appointed at Englishbazar with jurisdiction over a number of police station centering that place and taken from the two district. Thus the district of Malda was born. The year 1832 saw the establishment of separate treasury and the year 1859 the posting of a full - fledged Magistrate and collector.

Upto 1876, this district formed part of Rajshahi Division and between 1876 & 1905, it formed part of Bhagalpur Division. In 1905, it was again transferred to Rajshahi Division and till 1947 Malda remained in this division. In August, 1947, this district was affected by partition, between the 12th & 15th 0f August. 1947, the fate of the district as to which side it should go, to Pakistan or to India was undecided, because the announcement of the partition award of Sir Radcliffe did not make this point clear. During these few days the district was under a Magistrate of East Pakistan, when the details of the Radcliffe award were published, the district came over to West Bengal on the 17th of August. 1947.

Geography

 The District is situated between the Latitude and Longitude figures of 24040’20”N to 25032’08”N and 88028’10”E to 87045’50”E respectively and surrounded by Bangladesh and South Dinajpur in the east, Santal Parganas of Jharkhand state in the west, Uttar Dinajpur in the north and Murshidabad in the south.

Malda, the southern most of the North Bengal district is comprised within the Jalpaiguri Division. The district consist with two subdivisions, that is Sadar and Chanchal, and Englishbazar is the headquarters station of the district as well as the Sadar subdivision

Flora and Fauna

 The flora of Malda district is merely a small portion of that extending form Kose to the Brahmapurtra, and alteration of beels and village shrubberies with the drier jungle of the Barind region, where the ground is not occupied by the usual crops, it is covered by and abundant Natural vegetation excepting the sandy beds of rivers. Old river beds, ponds, marshy land etc. have a copious vegetation of vallisneria and other plants. The areas which are subject to frequent inundation usually cover themselves with seedy grasses and in marshy parts with Rosainvolucrata is plentiful. Some portions of "Barind" area are covered by jungles, which consist chiefly of thorny scrub bush jungles mixed with Pipal, Bat, Simul and Pakur trees and Nepal Bamboos. Species of thorny bamboos are also seen in Pandua areas near villages and embankment areas of Gour thickets or shrubberies, ordinary Neem, Jack-fruit trees, Tamarind, Bamboo, Pipul and Mango trees are seen in plenty. The soil of the western region of the district is particularly suited to the growth of mulberry and mango, for the production of both of which Malda has become famous.

Though about a century ago Malda was great place for the unusual quantity of large games" at present the district has lost its charm in this respect, Earlier, the breeding ground of the animal were the thorny jungles of the "Barind' area and jungles covering the Gour and Pandua ruins.

But the jungles have mostly been cleared and their inhabitants exterminated by the Santals and Paharias, who have crossed the Ganges in large number to settle in "Barind" and other areas. It is high time that the people become aware of the dangers of ecological imbalance.

The rivers, beels, and ponds of Malda produce considerable quantities of various categories of fishes mention may be made Rohu, Katla, Chital, Boal , Magur, Shol, Hilisha, Pabda and varieties of Crabs , Prwans, Tortles etc. Pisciculture has been undertaken under various projects according to modern scientific methods.

Climate

The climate of the district is rather Extreme-very hot and sultry during summer season, with plentiful rains and moisture in the air throughout the year. Basically, there are four seasons in the year. The cold season start about the middle of November and continues till the end of February. The period from March to May is the summer season. The rainy season starts in June with the coming of south - west monsoons and continues till the middle of September. October and the first half of November constitutes the post monsoons season. The normal rainfall is 1453.1 mm. The maximum precipitation occurs during the period from June to September.

Topography

The district consists mainly of low - lying plains, sloping towards the south with undulating areas on the northeast. The river Mahananda divides the district into two regions-the eastern region., consisting mainly of old alluvial and relatively unfertile soil, is commonly known as "Barind". The western region is further subdivided by the river Kalindri into two areas, the northern area is known as "Tal " - it is low laying and vulnerable to inundation during rainy season, the southern area consists of very fertile land and is thickly populated, being commonly known as " Diara ". The river Ganges flow along the south-western boundary of district. Other important rivers are Kalindri, Tangoan , Punarbhaba, Pagla and Bhagirathi.

Economy

 The economy of the district is basically an agrarian one and ranks as one of the most underdeveloped district in West Bengal. The backwardness is characterised by low per capita income, low yield per acre of land, backwardness in industrialisation, shortage of capital and entrepreneurship, and also the lack of infrastructure and large labour surplus.

The district has no known mineral resources and agriculture remains the main stay. The main agricultural products are paddy, Wheat, jute and Rabi-crops.

Despite this backwardness, Malda occupies and important place in the map of the State for the production of raw-silk yarn. The annual estimated production of raw-silk yarn in this district is about 85 % of the total output of the State which, if taken in terms of money amounts to approximately rupees 4 crores. Production of mango is another important aspect of Malda's economy. About forty five thousand acres of land are covered by mango orchards which, in normal years., bear fruit to the extent of 3,60,000 tonnes the value of which in money terms comes to about Rs. 5.5 crores.

It will not be out of place to put in a few words about the mango production of Malda district, which has earned fame for this district. Mango is abundantly grown Over the whole district with the exception of "Barind' area. Englishbazar is by far the highest and the best mango-growing thana. It is followed by other thanas namely. Ratua, Manickchak, Kaliachak, Chanchal, Malda and Harischandrapur in that order . There are mainly two varieties of mangoes (i) the 'gooti' or the ordinary varieties of mango grown from 'seed' and (ii) 'Kalam' which is grown from grafting .The latter is of superior-quality and fetches higher price. The finest variety is the Gopalbhog, though there are other varieties namely , Brindaboni, Langra, Kshirshapati, kishanbhog and Fazli.

The mango trade is one of the most important feature of the economy of this district and one which leaves important impact on the economy of this district. The price of mango varies according to its class and the effect of weather on the crop, for hail and heavy rains are most injurious to the formation of a goods fruit. In recent years, there have been several failure of crops and there seems to be a cycle of good and bad years. A bumper crop usually comes once in four years and is followed by a bad year in which the production may come down to 25% 30% of the average production. Then comes a moderate crop with production ranging between 45-50% followed by a second bad year. The only consolation for such a bad year is that the price rises in proportion to the extent of failure of crop. Such fluctuation in the total product and price make it very difficult to reach an accurate estimate of the annual value of the mango trade.

 Tourist Place

Baroduari / Boro Sona Mosque

Baroduari mosque is half a kilometre to the south of Ramkeli. A gigantic rectangular structure of brick and stone, this mosque is the largest monument in Gour. Though the name means Twelve Doors, this monument actually has eleven. The construction of this huge mosque, measuring 50.4 m. by 22.8 m., and 12 m. in height, was started by Allauddin Hussein Shah and was completed in 1526 by his son Nasiruddin Nusrat Shah. The Indo-Arabic style of architecture and the ornamental stone carvings make Baroduari a special attraction for tourists.

Dakhil Darwaja

Dakhil Darwaza, an impressive gateway built in 1425, is an important Muslim monument. Made of small red bricks and terracotta work, this dominating structure is more than 21 m. high and 34.5 m. wide. Its four corners are topped with five-storey high towers. Once the main gateway to a fort, it opens through the embankments surrounding it. In the south-east corner of the fort, a 20-m. high wall encloses the ruins of an old palace. In the past, cannons used to be fired from here. Hence the gate also came to be known as the Salaami Darwaza

Firoz Minar

A kilometre away from the Dakhil Darwaza, is the Feroze Minar. It was built by Sultan Saifuddin Feroze Shah during 1485-89. This five-storey tower, resembling the Qutb Minar, is 26 m. high and 19 m. in circumference. The first three storeys of the tower have twelve adjacent faces each, and the uppermost two storeys are circular in shape. A spiralling flight of 84 steps takes one to the top of the tower. Built in the Tughlaqi style of architecture, the walls of Feroze Minar are covered with intricate terracotta carvings. This landmark is also known as the Pir-Asha-Minar or the Chiragdani.

Chika Mosque

Sultan Yusuf Shah built the Chika Mosque in 1475. The name originated from the fact that it used to shelter a large number of chikas, or bats. It is a single-domed edifice, almost in ruins now. The beautifully ornate carvings on the walls and the images of Hindu idols on the stonework of doors and lintels are still partly visible. The mosque also bears traces of Hindu temple architecture

Luko Churi Gate

The Lakhchhipi Darwaza or Lukochuri Gate is located to the south-east of the Kadam Rasool Mosque. Shah Shuja is said to have built it in 1655 in the Mughal architectural style. The name originated from the royal game of hide-and-seek that the Sultan used to play with his begums. According to another school of historians, it was built by Allauddin Hussein Shah in 1522. Situated on the eastern side of the royal palace, this double-storeyed Darwaza functionally acted as the main gateway to the palace. The innovative architectural style makes it an interesting place to visit.

Kadam Rasul Mosque

Half a kilometre away from the Feroze Minar is the Kadam Rasool Mosque. Aptly named Kadam Rasool, which means Footprints of the Prophet, the mosque contains the footprints of Hazrat Muhammad on stone. On the four corners there are four towers made of black marble, with the spires on top covered with intricate artwork. Sultan Nasiruddin Nusrat Shah built the mosque in 1530.

Opposite the Kadam Rasool Mosque stands the 17th century tomb of Fateh Khan, a commander of Aurangzeb's army. This interesting structure was built in the Hindu chala style.

A short distance away is the elegant Tantipara Mosque, with its intricate terracotta decoration.

Lattan Mosque

Lattan Mosque, legend attributes the building of this mosque to a dancing girl of the royal court. However, historians believe it was built by Sultan Shamsuddin Yusuf Shah in 1475. Traces of intricate mina work in blue, green, yellow, violet and white on the enamelled bricks lining the outer and inner walls are still visible. The splendour of colours has also led to the Mosque being called the Painted Mosque. Another interesting feature of this mosque is its arched roof, supported by octagonal pillars.

Gumti Darwaza

Standing to the north-east of the Chika Mosque, the Gumti Darwaza was built in 1512 by Allauddin Hussein Shah. Made of brick and terracotta, the once brilliant colours woven into the artwork are still partly visible. It is said that real gold was used in the decorations. The Darwaza, however, is closed to the public now.

Adina Mosque

Adina Masjid, built in 1369 by Sultan Sikander Shah. One of the largest mosques in India, it also typifies the most developed mosque architecture of the period, the orthodox design being based on the great 8th century mosque of Damascus. Carved basalt masonry from earlier Hindu temples is used to support the 88 brick arches and 378 identical small domes.

Kutubshahi Masjid     

Qutb Shahi Mosque, locally known as the Chhoto Sona Masjid, built to honour saint Nur Qutb-ul-Alam. The ruins of his shrine are nearby, along with that of Saint Hazrat Shah Jalal Tabrizi, collectively known as the  Bari Darga.

Eklakhi Mausoleum

The Eklakhi Mausoleum is the most elegant monument in Pandua. One of the first square brick tombs in Bengal, with a carved Ganesh on the doorway, it is the tomb of the convert son of a Hindu Raja.