Malda
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Malda, located 365 km north of Calcutta, was formerly known as English Bazaar.
An English factory was established here in 1771. Malda is a base for visiting
Gaur and Pandua. Gaur, capital to three dynasties of ancient Bengal  the
Buddhist Palas, the Hindu Senas and the Muslim Nawabs  has seen three distinct
eras of glory. Pandua, once the alternate seat of power to Gaur, has the third
largest concentration of Muslim monuments in Bengal. 

Places Of Interest: 
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There is a museum at Malda that houses the archaeological finds at Gaur and
Pandua. 

Gaur: Historical relics of 14th and 15th century Bengal particularly worth
seeing are the Bara Sona Mosque, Dakhil Darwajah (built in 1425), Qadam Rasul
Mosque, Lattan Mosque and the ruins of the extensive fortification. There are
colourful enamelled tiles on the Gomti Gate and Firoz Minar.

Pandua: The impressive Muslim architecture includes the vast Adina Mosque built
in 1369 by Sikander Shah. It was one of the largest mosques in India, built
over a Hindu temple, and has 378 small domes. Nearby is the Eklakhi mausoleum
(built at a princely cost of one lakh rupees) and several smaller mosques. 

Specialities: 
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Malda is now famous for Fajli mango orchards.

Communication: 
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Malda may be reached by road-bus service from Calcutta, Murshidabad and
Siliguri, and train services from Calcutta and New Jalpaiguri. 

Gaur is 12 km south of Malda, right on the Indo-Bangladesh border. Connected by
road, bus, taxi and rickshaw services from Malda. 

Located on the main highway, Pandua is 18 km north of Malda. Adina is another 2
km north of the village of Pandua. Accessible by road from Malda, there are bus
and taxi services. 


