Kotwali Gate

Last updated
The contemporary condition of Kotwali Gate Chapai KotowaliDorja 03Jun16 IMG 20160603 113712 01.jpg
The contemporary condition of Kotwali Gate

The Kotwali Gate, commonly known as Kotwali Darja, is a medieval gate on the Bangladesh-India border. The gate was the southern entrance to an ancient citadel of Bengal. [1] [2] It is a former arch and gateway to the former walled city of Gaur, which was the capital of Bengal for 112 years.

Contents

Today, it marks the international border between India and Bangladesh in the northwestern region, dividing the districts of Chapai Nawabganj and Malda. The gate is an official border crossing between the two countries.

Etymology

The name of the gate originates from the term Kotwal. [3]

History

Painting of Kotwali Gate in 1808 Kotwali Gate at Gour, an aquatint by James Moffatt, 1808.jpg
Painting of Kotwali Gate in 1808

According to the Archaeological Survey of India, the structure dates back to the era of the Delhi Sultanate between the reigns of Iltutmish (r. 1211–1236) and Alauddin Khalji (r. 1296–1316). [4] According to the British Library, the gate may have been built after the capital of Bengal was re-established in Gaur by the Sultan of Bengal following the relocation from nearby Pandua in 1446. [5]

Architecture

The central arch, which was 9.15 meters high and 5.10 meters wide, [3] has now collapsed. The gate is part of the southern wall of Gaur. Minor decorative arches are still present on the wall. In addition to the collapsed arch, the gate also had semi-circular towers, battlements and apertures to defend the city. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alai Darwaza</span> Mosque gateway in Delhi, India

Ala'i Darwaza is the southern gateway of the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque in Qutb complex, Mehrauli, Delhi, India. Built by Sultan Alauddin Khalji in 1311 and made of red sandstone, it is a square domed gatehouse with arched entrances and houses a single chamber.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gauḍa (city)</span> Ancient city in India and Bangladesh

Gauḍa is a historic city of Bengal in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent, and one of the most prominent capitals of classical and medieval India, being the capital city of Bengal under several kingdoms. The Gauḍa region was also a province of several pan-Indian empires. During the seventh century, the Gauda Kingdom was founded by King Shashanka, whose reign corresponds with the beginning of the Bengali calendar. Gauda gradually became synonymous with Bengal and Bengalis. It was conquered by Bakhtiyar Khalji, a lieutenant of the Ghurid ruler Muhammad of Ghor in 1203.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indo-Islamic architecture</span> Islamic architecture in Indian subcontinent

Indo-Islamic architecture is the architecture of the Indian subcontinent produced by and for Islamic patrons and purposes. Despite an initial Arab presence in Sindh, the development of Indo-Islamic architecture began in earnest with the establishment of Delhi as the capital of the Ghurid dynasty in 1193. Succeeding the Ghurids was the Delhi Sultanate, a series of Central Asian dynasties that consolidated much of North India, and later the Mughal Empire by the 15th century. Both of these dynasties introduced Islamic architecture and art styles from West Asia into the Indian subcontinent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pandua, Malda</span>

Pandua, also historically known as Hazrat Pandua and later Firuzabad, is a ruined city in the Malda district of the Indian state of West Bengal. It served as the capital city of the independent Sultanate of Bengal for nearly a century, until the capital was moved to nearby Lakhnauti in 1450.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahmud Shah of Bengal</span> First Restored Ilyas Shahi Sultan of Bengal, 1435–1459

Nāṣiruddīn Maḥmūd Shāh was the first Sultan of Bengal belonging to the restored Ilyas Shahi dynasty. Formerly a farmer, he was selected as the next ruler of Bengal by the erstwhile nobility in 1435 CE, and ruled the country for over twenty years. During his peaceful reign, Bengal saw significant architectural development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bagha Mosque</span>

Bagha Mosque is a mosque located at Bagha, 40 kilometres (25 mi) southeast of Rajshahi in Bangladesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Dhaka</span> History of the capital city of Bangladesh

Dhaka (Dacca) is one of the oldest inhabited mega cities of the World. The history of Dhaka begins with the existence of urbanised settlements in the area that is now Dhaka dating from the 7th century CE. The city area was ruled by the Hindu Gauda Kingdom, Buddhist and Shaivite Pala Empire before passing to the control of the Hindu Sena dynasty in the 10th century CE. After the Sena dynasty, the city was ruled by the Hindu Deva Dynasty. Dhaka was successively ruled by the Turkic and Afghan governors descending from the Delhi Sultanate, followed by the Bengal Sultanate, before the arrival of the Mughals in 1608. The city became proto-industrialised and declared capital of the Mughal Bengal and commercial (financial) capital of the Mughal India. The Dhaka natural riverine port has a recorded existence since the 16th century CE. Dhaka's strategic riverine location in Bengal made it a hub for Eurasian traders, including Armenians, the Portuguese, French, Dutch and British. The bustling old city was known as the Venice of the East. After Mughals, British ruled the region for 200 years until the independence of India in 1947. After the independence of Bangladesh in 1971, Dhaka became the capital of the new state.

The Ilyas Shahi dynasty was the first independent dynasty to set the foundations of the late medieval Sunni Muslim Sultanate of Bengal. Hailing from the Sistan region, their rule extended from 1342 to 1487, though interrupted with an interregna by their slaves as well as the House of Ganesha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bengal Sultanate</span> 1352–1576 Islamic state in Bengal

The Bengal Sultanate was a late medieval sultanate based in Bengal region between the 14th and 16th century. It was the dominant power of the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta, with a network of mint towns spread across the region. The Bengal Sultanate had a circle of vassal states in the subcontinent, including parts of Odisha in the southwest, Arakan in the southeast, and Tripura in the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gauḍa (region)</span> Territory located in Bengal in ancient and medieval time

Gauda, was a territory located in Bengal in ancient and medieval times, as part of the Gauda Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gates of Delhi</span>

The Gates of Delhi were city gates at various medieval townships around Delhi, built under dynastic rulers in the period that could be dated from the 8th century to the 20th century. They are the gates in:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Choto Sona Mosque</span>

Choto Shona Mosque is located in Chapai Nawabganj district of Bangladesh. The mosque is situated about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of the Kotwali Gate and 0.5 kilometres (0.31 mi) to the south-east of the Mughal Tahakhana complex in the Firozpur Quarter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hussaini Dalan</span>

The Hussaini Dalan is an Imambara that was originally built during the later half of the Mughal rule in the 17th century in Dhaka. It was built as the Imambara of the Shia Muslim community. Hussaini Dalan serves as the main Hussainiya of Dhaka, or venue for majlis or gatherings held during the month of Muharram, the tenth day religious gathering commemorates the martyrdom of Hussain, the grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singar Mosque</span> Mosque in Bangladesh

The Singar Mosque is a 15th-century mosque that forms a part of the Mosque City of Bagerhat, a designated World Heritage Site in the southwestern region of Bangladesh. This mosque is characterized by its single-domed, square structure constructed with exposed brick and adorned with terracotta decorations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darasbari Mosque</span>

Darasbari Mosque is a historic mosque that was built in 1479 AD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goaldi Mosque</span>

The Goaldi Mosque is a mosque in the historic Bengali capital of Sonargaon. It was built during the Bengal Sultanate under the reign of Sultan Alauddin Hussain Shah. It is one of the few surviving medieval monuments in Sonargaon Upazila, Bangladesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baro Shona Masjid</span> Mosque with 12 gates, build in 1526,West Bengal

Baro Shona Masjid also known as Baroduari Masjid, is located in Gour, West Bengal, India. Completed in 1526, it is situated half a kilometer to the south of Ramkeli, 12 km south from the city of Malda. The mosque with its ruins can be found very close to the India-Bangladesh border. With 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanda, Bengal</span> 16th-century city of Bengal in South Asia

Tanda, also known as Tandah and Khwaspur Tandah, was a historic 16th-century city of Bengal in the eastern part of South Asia, and one of the most prominent medieval capitals; serving the Karrani Sultans of Bengal and the early Mughal governors of Bengal.

Baranagar is a village in the Murshidabad-Jiaganj CD block in the Lalbag subdivision of Murshidabad district in the state of West Bengal, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muazzampur Shahi Mosque</span> Mosque in Bangladesh

Muazzampur Shahi Mosque is a medieval six-domed mosque located in the historic city of Sonargaon, Bangladesh.

References

  1. Siddiq, Mohammad Yusuf (2015-11-19). Epigraphy and Islamic Culture: Inscriptions of the Early Muslim Rulers of Bengal (1205-1494). Routledge. ISBN   978-1-317-58746-0.
  2. Archaeological Survey of India: Reports 1862-1884. Government Press. 1882.
  3. 1 2 3 "Kotwali Darwaza - Banglapedia". En.banglapedia.org. 2021-06-18. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  4. "ASI, Kolkata Circle".
  5. "Kotwali Darwaza, Gaur. 100391". Bl.uk. 2003-11-30. Retrieved 2023-02-22.

24°50′33″N88°08′28″E / 24.8426°N 88.1412°E / 24.8426; 88.1412