Bangladesh -
the land of tranquility. It's of about 113
Million people and located in South-East Asia.
It's surrounded by the Bay of Bengal, Gangetic
planes of India and the hills & forests
of Myanmar. The country is primarily a low-lying
plane of about 144,000 square kilometers,
crises-crossed by in numerable brooks, streams
and rivers including the Padma, Meghna, Jamuna,
Kornophuli etc. it's a fertile, deltaic land,
mostly flat except Chittagong Hill Tracts.
Although Bangladesh emerged as an independent
county in 1971, it's history stretches back
thousands of years and it has long been known
as an cross roads of history and culture.
Here, you will find the longest sea beach,
a repertoire of enchanting cultures and equate
temples, largest mangrove forest & indigenous
people holding a wealth of wild life, rivers
and most of all, the friendliest people you
have ever met. It is amusing that our packages
are very much economic and attractive. A large
number of foreign tourists visit Bangladesh
with us every year. We invite you individual
or in a group to visit Bangladesh to enjoy
the unspoiled paradise.
General Information
about Nepal
Full country name
: People's Republic of Bangladesh
Location : Between
India and Bay of Bengal.
Area : 143,998 sq kms
Population : Around 138.44
million
Capital city :
Dhaka
People : 98% Bengali, 250,000
Bihari, tribals less than 1 million
Political-System : Peoples
Republic
Religion :
88.3% Islam, 10.5% Hindu, 1.2% other
Popular Tourist Destinations of Bangladesh
Dhaka : The
capital city of Bangladesh sits on the north
bank of the bustling Buriganga River, roughly
in the centre of the country. If you've arrived
in Dhaka from South-East Asia, you'll probably
be struck by the lack of hype and commercial
activity. If you arrive from Delhi or Kathmandu,
you're sure to notice the relatively clean
air. If you've flown from Kolkata you might
find it clean and orderly and if you've come
overland through rural Bangladesh, it will
seem like Babylon. Here the lights are as
bright as they get in Bangladesh, and there's
a range of goods and services lacking elsewhere
in the country.
The oldest section of the city runs along
the north bank of the waterfront and was developed
when Dhaka was a significant Moghul trading
centre. A must-see in the Old City is the
area between the two main water transport
terminals, Sadarghat and Badam Tole, where
the panorama of river life on the Buriganga
is particularly fascinating. This area is
always crowded with people and watercraft
of every type. Along the waterfront is the
old baroque-style palace, Ahsan Manzil, which
has been painted bright pink.
Dhaka's premier attraction is Lalbagh Fort,
an unfinished fort dating from 1678 located
in the Old City. The area also contains a
couple of attractive mosques, including Hussain
Dalan. The National Museum is north of the
Old City in the old European zone known as
Modern City. It has fascinating displays of
Bangladesh's Hindu, Buddhist and Moghul past
and an extensive collection of fine folk art
and handicrafts.
Most of the cheaper accommodation and restaurants
are in the Modern City of Central Dhaka. This
area also contains the Motijheel Commercial
Area, the business district where most of
the banks, travel agents and airline offices
are located. Dhaka is the rickshaw capital
of the world, with over 300,000 colourfully
painted rickshaws in operation. Taking a ride
in one is as essential as catching a red double-decker
bus in London.
Chittagong
: The second largest city in Bangladesh sits
on the bank of the Karnapuli River and has
an interesting old waterfront area known as
Sadarghat which reflects the importance of
river trade to the city's growth. Nearby is
the old Portuguese enclave of Paterghatta
which remains mostly Christian. The Shahi
Jama-e-Masjid and Qadam Mubarak Mosqueare
two of the most impressive buildings in the
city. It's also worth visiting the Ethnological
Museum in the Modern City, which has interesting
displays on Bangladesh's tribal peoples. There
are good views and cooling breezes from Fairy
Hill in the British City, which lies in the
north-western sector of the city.
Flights between Dhaka and Chittagong leave
three to four times a day, as do the trains,
which can take up to seven hours to reach
Chittagong. The Dhaka-Chittagong highway is
one of the better roads in the country, and
there are several bus lines that use it, but
the trip can be hairy at times and takes almost
as long as the train trip, which is more comfortable
and less nerve wracking. Chittagong is 264km
(164mi) southeast of Dhaka.
Cox's
Bazar : Bangladesh's only beach resort
is near the Myanmar border in an area where
Rohingya refugees have settled to escape persecution
in Myanmar. It has a Burmese Buddhist flavour
and few amenities to service the visitors
attracted by its enormous expanse of shark-free
beach. Even modestly clad bathers, especially
females, should expect to be gawked at by
locals and Bangladeshi holidaymakers. Bangladeshi
women who swim (they are a rare breed) do
so in a flowing shalwar kameez. South of Cox's
Bazar are more secluded beaches where having
a swim can still be a private experience rather
than a public spectacle. They include Himacheri
Beach and Inani Beach. Note that the beaches
are not considered entirely safe at night.
At the moment the road from Chittagong to
Cox's Bazar is one of the worst in the country
and still unfinished, but you can avoid it
altogether by making your way from Dhaka to
Chittagong, and then doing a short 20 minute
flight from there. Alternatively buses go
straight from Dhaka to Cox's Bazar, a distance
of 370km (230mi).
Mainimati
Ruins : Famous as an important centre
of Buddhist culture from the 7th to 12th centuries,
the buildings excavated here were made wholly
of baked bricks. There are more than 50 scattered
Buddhist sites, but the three most important
are Salban Vihara, Kotila Mura and Charpatra
Mura. Salban Vihara was a well-planned, 170sq
m (182sq ft) monastery facing a temple in
the centre of the courtyard. Nearby is a museum
housing the finds excavated here, which include
terracotta plaques, bronze statues, a bronze
casket, coins, jewellery and votive stupas
embossed with Buddhist inscriptions. Kotila
Mura comprises three large stupas representing
Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, the 'Three Jewels
of Buddhism'. The most important discovery
at Charpatra Mura were four royal copper-plate
decrees, three belonging to Chandra rulers,
the other to Sri Viradhara Deva, a later Hindu
king. Note that some of the major ruins are
within a military cantonment and cannot be
visited without permission from military officers.
The ruins are about 70km (43mi) southeast
of Dhaka.
Somapuri
Vihara : The 8th-century Somapuri
Vihara at Paharpur was formerly the biggest
Buddhist monastery south of the Himalaya.
It's by far the most impressive archaeological
site in Bangladesh, and covers some 11 hectares
(27 acres). Although in an advanced state
of decay, the overall plan of the temple complex
is easy to figure out and includes a large
quadrangle with the monks' cells forming the
walls and enclosing a courtyard. From the
centre of the courtyard rises the 20m (66ft)
high remains of a stupa which dominates the
surrounding countryside. The monastery's recessed
walls are embellished with well-preserved
terracotta bas-reliefs, and a small museum
houses a representative display of the domestic
and religious objects found during excavations.
To get to the archeological site from Dhaka,
take a bus or train to Bogra, and another
bus to Jaipurhat. From Jaipurhat there are
two options: either take a rickshaw to the
crossroads, and then a tempo to Paharpur village;
or walk, or take a rickshaw, to Jaipurhat
station, a train to Jamalpur, and then another
rickshaw to Paharpur. It's also possible to
reach Paharpur from Rajshahi, although more
difficult than the Bogra-Paharpur trip, and
involves an 8km (5mi) trek on the final leg.
Paharapur is 260km (161mi) from Dhaka.
Sundarbans
National Park : The Sundarbans are
the largest littoral mangrove belt in the
world, stretching 80km (50mi) into the Bangladeshi
hinterland from the coast. The forests aren't
just mangrove swamps though, they include
some of the last remaining stands of the mighty
jungles which once covered the Gangetic plain.
The Sundarbans cover an area of 38,500 sq
km, of which about one-third is covered in
water. Since 1966 the Sundarbans have been
a wildlife sanctuary, and it is estimated
that there are now 400 Royal Bengal tigers
and about 30,000 spotted deer in the area.
The park is also home to sea gypsy fishing
families who catch fish using trained otters.
To see this pristine environment, you need
to get a permit from the Divisional Forest
Office in Khulna. With permit in hand, it's
possible to hire a boat from Mongla or Dhangmari
to get you to Hiron Point. From Hiron Point
you will have to hire a guide to take you
into the park.
Chittagong
Hill Tracts : Decidedly untypical
of Bangladesh in topography and culture, the
Chittagong Hill Tracts have steep jungle hills,
Buddhist tribal peoples and relatively low
density population. The tracts are about 60km
(37mi) east of Chittagong, and if it weren't
for the troubles in the region they would
be an idyllic place to visit. The region comprises
a mass of hills, ravines and cliffs covered
with dense jungle, bamboo, creepers and shrubs,
and has four main valleys formed by the Karnapuli,
Feni, Shangu and Matamuhur rivers. Unfortunately,
the region is not entirely safe because of
military operations to subdue the tribes'
Shanti Bahini (Peace Army). The troubles stem
from the cultural clash between the tribal
peoples, who are the original inhabitants
of the area, and the plains people, who have
begun to develop it. Sick of being displaced,
and having their land stolen and encroached
upon, the tribal people took to guerrilla
warfare in the 1980s to preserve their culture.
Getting a government permit to visit the area
takes 10 to 14 days in Dhaka.
Rangamati, a lush and verdant rural area
belonging to the Chakma tribe, is open to
visitors, as is Kaptai Lake. The lake, ringed
by thick tropical and semi-evergreen forests,
looks like nothing else in Bangladesh. While
the lake itself is beautiful, the thatched
fishing villages located on the lakeshore
are what make a visit really special. Boats
that visit the villages leave from Rangamati.
Bring your swimming gear because you can take
a plunge anywhere.
To get to Rangamati, in the middle of the
Hill Tracts, take a train, bus, or plane from
Dhaka to Chittagong, and then a bus from Chittagong
to Rangmati. It's about 314km (195mi) from
Dhaka to Rangmati.
Puthia
: Puthia has the largest number of historically
important Hindu structures in Bangladesh.
The most amazing of the village's monuments
is the Govinda Temple, which was erected between
1823 and 1895 by one of the maharanis of the
Puthia estate. It's a large square structure
crowned by a set of miniature ornamental towers.
It's covered by incredibly intricate designs
in terracotta depicting scenes from Hindu
epics, which give it the appearance of having
been draped by a huge red oriental carpet.
The ornate Siva Temple is an imposing and
excellent example of the five-spire Hindu
style of temple architecture common in northern
India. The ornate temple has three tapering
tiers topped by four spires. It's decorated
with stone carvings and sculptural works which
unfortunately were disfigured during the War
of Liberation. The village's 16-century Jagannath
Temple is one of the finest examples of a
hut-shaped temple: measuring only 5m (16ft)
on each side; it features a single tapering
tower which rises to a height of 10m (33ft).
Its western facade is adorned with terracotta
panels of geometric design.
Puthia is 23km (14mi) east of Rajshahi and
16km (10mi) west of Natore. Catch a bus from
either town. Puthia is 1km (6mi) south of
the highway.
St
Martin Island : This small coral
island about 10km (6mi) south-west of the
southern tip of the mainland is a tropical
cliché, with beaches fringed with coconut
palms and bountiful marine life. There's nothing
more strenuous to do here than soak up the
rays, but it's a clean and peaceful place
without even a mosquito to disrupt your serenity.
It's possible to walk around the island in
a day because it measures only 8 sq km (3
sq mi), shrinking to about 5 sq km (2 sq mi)
during high tide. Most of island's 5500 inhabitants
live primarily from fishing, and between October
and April fisher people from neighbouring
areas bring their catch to the island's temporary
wholesale market. A ferry leaves Teknaf for
St Martin every day and takes around 3 hours.
Getting to St. Martin's is a three-step
program. First you'll need to fly or bus it
down to Cox's Bazar, and then catch a bus
to Teknaf, which is right on the very tip
of Bangladesh, sandwiched up against Myanmar.
From Teknar, ferries run daily to St. Martin
Island. The total distance from Dhaka to the
island is 510km (316mi).