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The gateway to North Bengal,
Malda. With its rich history and heritage, is one of the most famous tourist
destinations of West Bengal. Nestled at the confluence of the Mahananda and
Kalindi rivers. Malda town, with all its grace, adds to the beauty of
Bengal.
Malda was previously known as English Bazaar. It got that name from the
English factory that was established here in 1771. From Malda, you can visit
Gaur and Pandua. Gaur was the capital of three dynasties of ancient Bengal -
the Buddhist Palas, the Hindu Senas and the Muslim Nawabs. Pandua, once the
alternate seat of power to Gaur, has the third largest concentration of
Muslim monuments in Bengal. Historical monuments include the mosque Jami
Masjid (1566) and the landmark Nimasari tower across the river. The Malda
Museum has a great collection of the region's architectural and
anthropological specimens.
During the 18th century, Malda was the seat of prosperous cotton and silk
industries. The area grows rice, jute, legumes and oilseeds. Malda is also
famous for its mangoes and mulberries. Malda Mango that is quite popular due
to its warm sweet taste.
Malda is well-connected by both
road and rail. It is the Divisional Headquarters of Eastern Railway's Malda
Division. Malda is on the main rail line between Calcutta and New
Jalpaiguri, served by numerous trains such as the Janasatabdi Express, the
Gour Express, the Kanchenjungha Express, the Teesta Torsa Express, the
Kamrup Express, the Hate Bajare Express and the Darjeeling Mail, to name a
few.
Malda is easily accessible by
road and by train from any part of the rest of the India. It is 347 Km away
from Kolkata towards north and 256 Km from Siliguri towards south. The
National Highway 34 passes through the District. NBSTC, SBSTC, CSTC buses
and many privately operated buses ply between Calcutta and Malda. The buses,
leaving from the Shahid Minar and the Ultadanga bus terminuses, take about
eight hours to complete the journey.
Malda has its own airport,
Malda Airport,
around 3 km from city center and it is currently not operational due to lack
of passengers. The nearest (200 km away) operational airport are
Bagdogra Airport.
Malda Quick Facts
State: West Bengal
Languages: Bengali, Hindi and English
STD Code: 03512
Weather: Summers: 46C - 25C / Winters: 20C - 40C
Best Season: October to March
Famous For: Monuments |
