Bangladesh
The Land of Rivers twists and winds through history and I suspect that if I were to go there, I would get very lost and just when I thought there was no way forward, I’d find myself right where I started again. The seventh most densely populated country in the world, Bangladesh is jam packed into a delta of rivers emptying into the Bay of Bengal. Flooding and cyclones are continual challenges in a country where traveling by boat is a way of life. Roughly the size of the state Iowa in the US, with emerald rice paddy fields, lush rainforests, Bengal tigers, ship graveyards, and tea gardens, Bangladesh is a country at the top of a lot of world’s largest categories. World’s largest mangrove forest. World’s largest river delta (Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta). World’s longest uninterrupted sand beach. Bangladesh shows up repeatedly at the top of the list of most polluted countries of the world as well
In Bangladesh, 3.5 million workers in 4,825 garment factories produce goods for export to the global market, principally to Europe and North America, where 85% of garment workers are women who work 14-16 hour days, 7 days per week in unsafe, cramped and hazardous conditions.
Predominately a Muslim country, there are Buddhist, Hindu, and Christian people and historic sites. The country strives to remain open to all religions, however, a man was recently killed for stepping on the Quran and the country is currently protesting and calling for the boycott of French products after the President of France denounced the terrorist beheading of a French teacher who displayed caricatures of the prophet Muhammed.
The region of now known as Bengal has been controlled by many different groups over the centuries ultimately ending up under British rule. When Pakistan was established, Bengal was divided, West Bengal became part of India and East Bengal became East Pakistan. Pakistan expected the distant new arm of its country to speak Urdu and that did not go over well. In 1971, Bangladesh fought for its independence from Pakistan, with some help from India. Since that time, the country has been in political turmoil with assassinations, coups, and counter-coups. Out of this turmoil, emerged some great literature.
Rabindranath Tagore became the first Asian to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. In addition to writing the national anthems for two countries, India and Bangladesh, Tagore prolifically wrote poetry, novels, short stories, plays, and painted later in life. To read about the house where Tagore lived along the Padma River, select Shilaidaha Rabindra Kuthibari: A gorgeous tourist attraction and Tagore’s ‘abode of peace’: An opportunity lost.
From a letter Tagore wrote while at Shilaidaha Rabindra Kuthibari: “If I do nothing but write short stories I am happy, and I make a few readers happy. The main cause of happiness is that the people about whom I write become my companions: they are with me when I am confined to my room in the rains. On a sunny day they move about me on the banks of the Padma.”
Tagore traveled the world and befriended the British poet William Butler Yeats, who wrote the introduction to the book of poems that resulted in achieving the Nobel Prize for Literature. To read more about Yeats and Tagore, select W.B. Yeats on the poetry of Rabindranath Tagore.
Kazi Nazrul Islam, the “Rebel Poet,” is the national poet of Bangladesh. Imprisoned in 1923 for writing critical of the British Empire. He told the court, “I have been accused of sedition…I am a poet; I have been sent by God to express the unexpressed, to portray the unportrayed. It is God who is heard through the voice of the poet…I am an instrument of God. The instrument is not unbreakable, but who is there to break God?” Kazi Nazrul Islam‘s most famous poem is Bidrohi (The Rebel).
There are many kinds of music in Bangladesh. To listen to a sampling of music, select Top Bengali Classical Songs by Various Artists.
Although cricket and football (soccer) are Bangladesh’s most popular sports, the game the farmers played in the villages is its national sport. To read more, select Kabaddi is Bangladesh’s national sport but you’d never have guessed. A contact sport a bit like playing freeze tag while holding your breath, read the rules by selecting Kabaddi Rules.
Each March, the people of Bangladesh participate in the Hindu festival of colors that celebrates the triumph of good over evil. To read more, select People celebrate Holi with fervour, festivity.
Following are the regions of Bangladesh with some highlights:
RANGPUR is the northernmost region and could be the source location for the intriguing Rangpur limes: Rangpur Limes – The Story Behind the Fashion Darling of Citrus
Kantaji Temple (also known as Kantajee and Kantajew) south of Birganj was built in 1752 and has exquisite terracotta plaques.
RAJSHAHI is known for silk production.
Rajshahi: the city that took on air pollution – and won
Somapura Mahavihara, in Paharpur Bihar, is a Mahayana Buddhist 8th century archaeological site in northern Bangladesh.
To read about the play based on Bangladesh’s archaeological artifacts, select ‘Sompur Kathan’ brings to life the Buddhist heritage of Ancient Bengal.
Mahasthangarh was the capital of Pundra in the 3rd century and Mahasthangarh is the oldest archaeological site in Bangladesh.
Govinda Bhita includes remnants of two Buddhist temples, one from the 6th century and the other from the 11th century.
Gour (or Gaur or Gauda) are medieval ruins with a number of stunning mosques with sites in both India and Bangladesh.
Within Bangladesh there are the following Gour sites:
Tahkhana Complex
Choto Sona Masjid (Small Golden Mosque) was built in the early 16th century and has twelve domes.
Darasbari Masjid was built in 1470 by Sultan Yusuf Shah.
Khania Dighi Masjid from the 15th century
Dhunichak Mosque from the 14th century
Continue north into West Bengal, India for many more medieval masjids (mosques).
Puthia (or Putia) Rajbari has many Hindu terracotta temples, the complex has 14 total structures to visit including:
Puthia Shiva Temple (also called Bhubaneshwar), built in the five-spire style (Pancha Ratna) in 1830 AD, is the largest Shiva Temple in Bangladesh.
Rancharatna Gobinda Temple (also called Gopal) five-spire style (Pancha Ratna), dedicated to Lord Krishna, has terracotta ornamentation depicting the divine romance between Krishna and Radha from the Hindu epics.
Dol Temple (also called Dol Mandir), built in 1778 AD, has four storeys and a pyramid shape.
Jagannath Temple (aka Roth Temple) overlooks a big pond called Shiv Sagar.
MYMENSINGH is a region to the northwest and the city Mymensingh is a major financial center and educational hub on the Brahmaputa River.
SYLHET in the northeast is the land of water and lakes on the banks of the Surma River with a number of tea gardens.
Ratargul Swamp Forest
Madhabkunda Waterfall
Srimangal is the tea capital of Bangladesh in the north-eastern part of country.
Lawachara Rain Forest and Lawachara National Park
DHAKA, the sixth largest city in the world, crawls with color, ruins, water, and rickshaws (cycling carts for passengers). It is estimated that around 600,000 rickshaws run per day in Dhaka. Select Can Bangladesh’s rickshaw artists survive to read more.
Following are some sites to visit in Dhaka:
Lalbagh Fort was constructed but never completed by a Mughal prince and includes gardens, mosque, and secret underground tunnels not accessible to the public.
Ahsan Manzil is the pink palace built in 1872.
Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, National Parliament House built in 1982 and featured in many photographs of Dhaka.
Dhakeswari National Temple is a Hindu Temple built in the 12th century.
Shakharai Bazar
Baldha Gardens
Saat Gombuj Jame Masjid is a mosque built in 17th century in Mughal style.
There is, amazingly, an Armenian Church in Dhaka from the 17th and 18th centuries; Persian was a common language for both countries during the Mughal Empire.
Sonargaon is the historic old town of Dhaka and was the capital of Bengal in the 13th century and includes the abandoned merchant city Panam Nagar.
Mainamati is an area of about 50 Buddhist archeological sites from the 8th to 12th centuries.
Salban Vihara is the most massive monastery in the Mainamati complex.
Other Mainamati sites are:
Kutila Mura
Ananda Rajar Badi
Charpatra Mura
Rupban Mura
Trirantna Stupa
KHULNA is a region to the southwest and the city of Khulna is one of the most polluted in the world.
Sundarbans West Wildlife Sanctuary is the world’s largest mangrove forest and home of the Bengal Tiger.
The Sixty Dome Mosque (Shait Gambud Mosque) in Bagerhat district is made of brick with at least 81 domes and was built in 1459 by Muslim Saint Khan Jahan Ali.
BARISAL is the south-central region known as the Venice of Bangladesh.
Barisal City Tour in Bangladesh
CHITTAGONG (also called Chattogram) is the region to the southeast along the border of Myanmar.
Chittagong is the second largest city in Bangladesh, largest port, and the trade capital of Bangladesh.
The Chittagong Ship Breaking Yards are where ships go to die.
Chittagong Hill Tracts are home to twelve tribal groups in the beautiful hills.
To find out more about the people who live in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, select Indigenous (Tribal/Ethnic) People of Bangladesh: Their Belief, Lifestyle and Culture.
And From jumia to Jumma: Shifting cultivation and shifting identities in Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts
Though scenic, there has been conflict in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. To learn more, select the following articles:
Hidden Bangladesh: Violence and Brutality in the Chittagong Hill Tracts
Life is Still Not Ours: A Story of Chittagong Hill Tracts
Rangamati in the northern part of Chittagong is called the land of romance and includes manmade Kaptai Lake, tribal bazaars, and Rajban Bihara monastery.
Saka Haphong is the highest point in Bangladesh at 3,491 feet (1,064 meters).
For more about the mountains of Bangladesh, select Top 10 Mountains in Bangladesh.
Cox’s Bazar is the world’s longest sandy beach (120 km) and can be very crowded.
Cox’s Bazar Sea Beach Is the Longest Beach in the World
Notes on Cox’s Bazar – the Longest Beach in the World
In 2017, a deadly crackdown against Royingya Muslims in Myanmar caused thousands to flee to Bangladesh. To read more, select A trip to Cox’s Bazar, as Rohingya mark two years in Bangladesh.
St. Martin’s Island is a coral island in the Bay of Bengal.
Select the titles below for more about Bangladesh:
Top 15 Islands in Bangladesh
Bangladesh Travel: 30 Things to Know Before You Go (2020)
The Top Stunning Places in Bangladesh You Don’t Want to Miss
Beautiful Bangladesh
Attractions of Bangladesh
About Bangladesh
The People of Bangladesh
