- Tourist Attractions in Bangladesh -

Bangladesh, a beautiful surprise! Evergreen Bangladesh - the largest and the youngest delta of the world - with its world's largest mangrove forest, the single largest Buddhist Monastery, the longest unbroken beach, hundreds of mighty rivers, sunset with soft red glow, is a great attraction to the eco-tourists, who love nature, culture and heritage. 

In the beginning of this year six young men and six young women from Estonia visited twelve Asian countries. On their last leg they came to Bangladesh. They found Bangladesh the most attractive among the twelve countries they visited. According to a senior Japanese tourist, who visited almost all the countries in the world, some of the countries more than once, the sunset in Bangladesh is the most beautiful sunset in the world.  

In last year about three hundred thousand foreign tourists visited Bangladesh. The number may increase manifold with proper tourism marketing of the country's tourism attractions. 

A few of the tourist attraction in Bangladesh

Paharpur Mahavihara - the great Buddhist monastery at Paharpur

Paharpur Mahavihara, a world heritage designated by UNESCO, is the single largest Buddhist monastery ever built on earth. The Monastery was built on 11 hectares of land in the later half of the 8^th century AD by Emperor Dharmapala, who was a Buddhist by faith. Being inspired from the grandeur of Paharpur Monastery, the Sylendra king of Java built the Borobodur Monastery after the previous one had been built.

Fire-brick and mud mortar were used as the building materials to build the monastery. The quadrangular Monastery measures 922 feet from north to south, and 919 feet from east to west. It was a multistoried monastery, having 177 monastic cells on each floor. The thickness of the outer wall of the monastery is 16 feet, and the walls have gone forty feet deep under the ground. An archaeological ruin, the central temple of the monastery stands 72 feet high from the surrounding ground level.

A thick jungle grown over it kept the monastery hidden from the eyes of the human being till it was discovered in late nineteenth century. Archaeological excavation at the site of the monastery started in 1923, and ended in 1934. A site museum is there to exhibit the findings of the excavation.

Distance from Dhaka (capital): 310km by road, six hours drive. Accommodation available at Bogra town, 81km from the monastery.

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Mahasthangarh--the ancient capital

The ancient name of Mahastangarh is Pundranagara - the city of Pundras. What can now be seen at Mahastangarh are the ruined citadel or fortified part of Pundranagara, and a few Buddhist structures around that citadel. The archaeological ruins discovered and excavated till now at this place belong to 4^th century BC. In the beginning of 5^th century BC, Gautama Buddha visited Pundranagara and spent six months in a monastery of this city known as Vasu Bihara. It proves that the city is much older than it is said.

The area of the citadel of Mahasthangarh is about 3 sq. km, and it stands 4 and a half meters or 15 feet above the surrounding ground level. The extension of the semi-circled suburbs of the city was 7 km in radius from the citadel.  

A great fire destroyed the city in 15^th century AD. Pundranagara was not rebuilt after its destruction by that fire.

Distance from Dhaka (capital): 240km by road, four and half hours drive. Accommodation available at Bogra 12km from the site.

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The Sundarbans Mangrove Forest

The Sundarbans Forest is the largest mangrove forest in the world; and also the largest home to the wild Royal Bengal Tiger now numbers around 450 in the Bangladesh part of the forest. The second largest mangrove forest in the world is in Malaysia, which is one tenth of the size of the Sundarbans. The area of the Sundarbans is 10,000 square kilometers. Two-third of the forest belongs to Bangladesh; the rest one third, to India. The Sundarbans is a world natural heritage site designated by the UNESCO.

To protect the wildlife in the Sundarbans, three wildlife sanctuaries in the forest-- east, west and south have been established by the Government in 1973. The total area of the sanctuaries is 325 sq. kilometers.

The bees of the forest are migratory. Every year they come from the Himalayas to make beehives in the Sundarbans. The bees produce more then one hundred tones of honey every year. Turtles of the Sundarbans swim as long as 3500 kilometers from the Indian Ocean to find nesting ground in this forest.

Estuarine crocodiles in the rivers of the forest, more than one hundred and fifty thousand spotted deer, Monkeys are other attractions of the forest. 

Distance from Dhaka (capital) to the entry point of the forest: 375km by road, seven hours drive; twenty four hours by river by paddle steamer; by air: Dhaka - Jessore, half an hour flight, from Jessore to entry point 100km, two and half hours drive. Accommodation available at Mongla entry point, and also in Khulna town 40km from the entry point.

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Shat Gambus Mosque

The Sat Gombus Mosque in Bagherhat, along with other pre-Mogul mosques at this place, is a world heritage. This seventy seven-dome plus four turrets mosque was built in 1457 AD. Seven domes in the middle are of hut shape, the rest look like upside down tumbler without any finial on its top. The mosque has sixty pillars to hold the domes. The walls of the mosque are made of fire-brick, and the pillars, of black sand stones.

Distance from Dhaka (capital): 355km by road, seven hours drive. Accommodation availalbe in Khulna 20km from the site.

Kantaji Temple

Kantaji is a Hindu temple in Dinajpur. The temple is an epic in terracotta. The construction of the temple started in 1704 AD, and ended in 1752 AD. The whole building looks like a chariot of the type driven by Lord Krishna in Kurukshetra battle, whose story has been narrated in the Mahavarata.

Kantaji is a three storied 'Nava Ratna' or nine-jewel temple. The walls of the Kantaji Temple are embellished with terracotta plaques. These plaques tell stories from Ramayana, Mahabharata, and events from contemporary social life.

Distance from Dhaka (capital): 430km by road, eight hours drive. Accommodation available in Dinajpur town 16km from the temple.

Sangsad Bhaban - National Assembly House

Located in Dhaka, Sangsad Bhaban is one of the most modern pieces of architectures in the world. 22 years was taken to build this building. The construction ended in 1982. Concrete and marble were used as building materials for this building.

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Ethnic minorities

45 (forty five) ethnic minorities live in Bangladesh. They are one per cent of the total population. Chakma, Marma, Garo and Shaotal are the big ethnic minority groups among them. The first three groups are of Mongoloid origin, the last one of Austro-Asiatic.

Some small minority groups number a few thousands only, live in complete harmony with the nature. Chakma and Marma live in the hill districts of the country namely, Rangamati, Bandarban and Khagrachori. This hill region with lash green vegetation has extreme scenic beauty. R. H. S. Hutchinson, Superintendent of Chittagong Hill Tracts wrote almost hundred years back in 1909 about the majestic natural beauty of the region, The scenery through out the district is very picturesque, the mixture of hills and valley densely covered with forest and luxurious vegetation, yields the most beautiful and varied effects of light and shade. To be viewed at the best it should be seen from the summits of the main ranges, where the apparently boundless sea of forest is grand in the extreme. The cultivated area of the valleys, dotted here and there, appear as islands, carpeted with emerald green, cloth of gold, or sober brown according to the season of the year. The rivers slowly meandering on their way to the sea, now shimmering like liquid gold, and again reflecting in heavy dark shadows every object within reach, all combine to make a picture not easily forgotten.

Most of the ethnic minorities of Bangladesh are Buddhist by faith, some are Hindus, and thirteen percent of them are Christians; and most of them live in three hill districts of the country: Rangamati, Bandarban and Khagrachchari

Distance from Dhaka (capital) to Ranganati: 340km by road, eight hours drive. Accommodation available at Rangamati, and Chittagong Port city 76km from Rangamati.

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Other attractions 

Other renowned tourist attractions in Bangladesh are: Portuguese Church in Dhaka, built in 1677 AD; Lalbagh ford, also in Dhaka and built more than four hundred years ago; 14^th century Chhoto Sona Mosque in Chapai Nababganj, Kusumba and Bagha Mosque in Rajshahi; tea gardens in Sylhet and Srimongol; Buddhist archaeological ruins at Moinamoti; Living Buddhism in Bandarbans and other hill districts; Kaptai lake in Ranagamati etc.

The most valued tourist attraction in Bangladesh is its hospitable people.

Location of the country      South Asia

Standard Time: GMT +6 Hours

Climate variation in Bangladesh:

Winter           11°C - 20°C (November - February)

Summer         21°C - 34°C (April - June)

Rainfall 1100mm - 3400mm (June - August)

Humidity        Highest 99% (July), lowest 36% Dec & Jan)

Currency      Taka

Exchange rate   US$ 1.00 = Tk 68.00 (as on August 11, 2008)

(Floating rate)

Best time to visit Bangladesh: October - March

Language: Bangla (Bengali), English is widely understood and spoken

Airlines operate to Dhaka

Biman Bangladesh Airline

British Airways

Emirates

Gulf Air

Air India

Indian Airlines

Dragon Air

Kuwait Airways

Malaysia airlines

China Eastern Airline

Pakistan International Airline

Saudi Arabian Airline

Singapore Airlines

Thai Airways International

Qatar Airways 

Visit the page Bangladesh to know about the country.

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Copy right: BangladeshPositive