East Gate of Fort, Gaur,

This gate is said to have been built in 1655 by Shah Shuja, and was noted by photographer John Henry Ravenshaw as being relatively more modern in architectural style than the rest of Gaur. The city itself was long deserted by then, its decline rooted in the sacking of Gaur by Sher Shah in 1539. The gate is possibly part of Shuja’s failed attempt to revive the city to its former glory.

This photograph was published in Gaur: Its Ruins And Inscriptions by John Henry Ravenshaw in 1878. Ravenshaw was a Bengal Civil Service worker who was stationed as Magistrate and Collector at nearby Maldah. He had the opportunity to explore and photograph Gaur between 1865 and 1867. While Ravenshaw died in 1874, this volume of photographs and notes were arranged to be published thereafter by his widow, Caroline.

To read more about Gaur, as well as view more of Ravenshaw’s photographs from the region, click here.