Travel at St. Martin's Island in Chittagong

St. Martin's Island, a small island in the northeast part of the Bay of Bengal, about 9 km south of the tip of the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf peninsula. It is the only coral island in Bangladesh. It is about 8 km west of the northwest coast of Myanmar at the mouth of the Naf River. The local name of the island is "Narical Gingira", also spelled "Narikel Janjina/Jinjera", translated from Bangla, meaning 'Coconut Island'. St. Martin's Island has become a popular tourist spot. Three shipping liners run daily trips to the island. They are Kutubdia, Sea-Truck and Keary-Sindbad. Tourists can book their trip either from Chittagong or from Cox's Bazar. The surrounding coral reef of the island has an extension named Chera Dwip. The island is home to several endangered species of turtles, as well as the corals, some of which are found only on this island.

November to February is the main tourist season with the best weather, though keep an eye on the forecast, as the occasional cyclone can strike during this time.

Travel at Chittagong Ethnological Museum

The Chittagong Ethnological Museum, country’s lone ethnological museum, offers the visitors the chance to acquaint with the lifestyles and heritage of various ethnic groups of the country. It was established in 1965. The museum authorities had collected rare elements used in everyday lives of different ethnic groups, of which some had already become extinct while some were on the verge of extinction. The museum contains four galleries and a small hall. Three galleries of the museum feature diverse elements of 25 ethnic groups, including Chakma, Marma, Tongsinga, Khumi, Murang, Sautal, Garo, Chak, Monipuri, Palia, Tipra, Hajang, Lusai, Shimuji, and Bom while the rest gallery displays the lifestyles of some racial groups of India, Pakistan, and Australia. The sculptures of the people of different ethnic communities and a piece of broken Berlin Wall draw the visitors especially the children who can get impression of different festivals, livelihoods, and cultures of the communities from the murals set up at the hall room. These are reminiscent of the museum in the film 'Planet of the Apes'. People between 200 and 300 visits the museum every day in addition to a number of researchers from home and abroad.

Travel at Foy's Lake in Chittagong

Foy's Lake is a human-made lake in Chittagong, Bangladesh. The lake was once just a lake and spillway constructed by Assam-Bengal Railway engineer. It was dug in 1924 and was named after the English engineer Mr. Foy. The lake is next to Batali Hill, the highest hill in Chittagong Metropolitan area. An amusement park, managed by the Concord group, is located here which features usual theme park rides and attractions as well as boat rides on the lake, landscaping, restaurants, concerts with floating stages, scenic walking trails and many other fun activities. The park includes a water theme park, resort and an amusement center. The Chittagong Zoo is next door. Chittagong is known as the land of saints, darwishes and fakirs. Several mosques and shrines bear testimony to their presence in the city.

Travel at Patenga Beach in Chittagong

Patenga Beach is a popular tourist spot. The beach lies approximately twenty kilometers outside the city of Chittagong, and located near to fascinating landmarks including the Shah Amanat International Airport and the BNS Isha Khan Naval Base. It is located at the 'Karnaphuli' River mouth and stretches to the Bay of Bengal which ensures a constant influx of travelers and visitors from home and abroad. The beach width is narrow and swimming in the seas is not recommended. Part of the seashore is built-up with concrete walls. Also large blocks of stones have been laid out to prevent erosion. During 1990s a host of restaurants and kiosks have sprouted out around the beach area. After the sun-down, drug-peddlers start to approach visitors. Also, alcohol peddling is very common. Lighting of the beach area has enhanced the security aspect of visiting in the evening. Vendors from the city flock to Patenga Beach to sell their selection of ice creams, cold drinks and food to the hundreds of tourists who come to Patenga Beach. The beach is lined with massive shady palm trees and fishing boats. It is quite sandy, with a few rocky patches here and there. Most visitors come to 'Patenga' Beach as it is known for having some of the most stunning sunsets and sunrises in Bangladesh.

Travel at Rajshahi

Rajshahi Division is one of the seven administrative divisions of Bangladesh. It has a population of almost 16 million and area of about 18,195 km². Rajshahi division consists of 8 districts (Bogra, Joypurhat, Naogaon, Natore, Nawabganj, Pabna, Rajshahi, Sirajganj), 70 Upazilas (the next lower administrative tier) and 1,092 Unions (the lowest administrative tier). This division is characterized by its cheap labour force. It has an excellent rail and road communication infrastructure. The divisional city Rajshahi is only four hours road journey away from Dhaka, the capital city. However, recently a new division has been curved out of Rajshahi Division namely Rangpur Division. So the given area and population will definitely decrease in the division. Rajshahi was dominated by various Rajas, Maharajas and Zamindars.

•     Mahasthangarh
•     Paharpur Buddhist Monastery
•     Kantajee's Temple
•     Ramshagor Dighi
•     Shopnopuri
•     Choto Sona Mosque
•     Varendra Research Museum
•     Puthia
•     Rani Vabani Place
•     Uttara Ganabavhan

Mahasthangarh

It is considered the oldest archaeological site of the county. It is located at a distance of 18 km north or Bogra town on the western bank of the Karatoa river. The spectacular site is an imposing landmark in the area. having a long fortified enclosure. Beyond the fortified area, other ancient ruins fan out within a semicircle of about 8 km radius. Several isolated mounds, the local names of which are Govinda Bhita Temple, Khodia Pathar Mound, Mankalir Kunda, Parsuramer Bedi, Jiyat Kunda etc. surround the fortified city. This 3rd century B.C. archaeological site is still held to be of great sanctity by the Hindus. Every year (mid-April) and once every 12 years (in December) thousands of Hindu devotees join the bathing ceremony on the bank of the Karatoa river.
A visit to the Mahasthangarh site museum will acquaint tourists with wide variety or antiquities, ranging form terracotta objects to gold ornaments and coins recovered from the site. Also noteworthy are the shrine or Shah Sultan Bulki Mahisawaiy and Gokul Medh in the neighbourhood of Mahasthangarh.

Paharpur Buddhist Monastery

It is treated as the Largest Buddhist Seat of Learning of South Asia. It is a small village, 5 km west of Jamalganj in the greater Rajshahi district, where the remains of the most important and the largest known monastery south of the Himalayas has been excavated. This 7th century AD archaeological find covers an area of approximately 11 hectare. The entire establishment, occupying a Quadrangular court, measures more than 300 meters and varies from 3.5 to 4.5 meters in height with an elaborate gateway complex on the north, there are 45 cells on the north and 44 in each of the other three sides, with a total number of 177 rooms.
The architecture of the pyramidal cruciform temple is profoundly influenced by those of South-East Asia, especially Myanmar and Java. It had taken its name from a high mound, which looked like a Pahar or hillock. A site museum built recently houses a representative collection of objects recovered from the area. The excavated findings have also been preserved at the Varendra Research Museum at Rajshahi. The antiquities in the museum include terracotta plaques, images of different gods and goddesses, pottery, coin inscription, ornamental bricks and other minor clay objects included as world heritage site first in Bangladesh.

Kantajee's Temple

Kantajew Temple is a late medieval Hindu temple in Dinajpur, Bangladesh. Built by Maharaja Pran Nath, its construction started in 1702 C.E. and ended in 1752 C.E., during the reign of his son Maharaja Ramnath. It boasts one of the greatest examples on Terracotta architecture in Bangladesh and once had nine spires, but all were destroyed in an earthquake that took place in 1897.
The temple was built in a nava-ratna (nine-spired) style before the destruction caused by the earthquake of 1897. The 52 feet square temple is centered in an oblong court, 240 × 120 ft (73 × 37 m), covered by a shed with a roof of corrugated tin. Its main fabric pivots around a nuclear square cell (10 ft 3 in (3.12 m)), reaching a height of about 50 ft (15 m) above its 3 ft 3 in (0.99 m) high slab of stone, thought to have been mined from the ancient ruins of Bannagar near Gangarampur in Dinajpur. Three more square outer shells in graded heights have been added to it, to variegate the plan as well as to strengthen the central sanctuary on top of the massive tower.
The curved cornice from the ground floor, which sharply drops at the corners, rises in the middle to a height of 25 ft 0 in (7.62 m) from the plinth, while the first floor cornice rises to 15' and the second floor to 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m). Small square cells are situated at the four corners of the ground and first floors. They serve the purpose of supporting the weight of the octagonal corner towers above. The temple contains four rectangular alleys on the ground floor circling the prayer hall which measure 30 ft 8 in (9.35 m) by 5 ft 0 in (1.52 m) and 15 ft 6 in (4.72 m) by 4 ft 4 in (1.32 m). On the ground floor. Three multi-cusped arched entrances on each side are present, which are separated by two ornate brick pillars. The number of arched doorways in the ground floor in its four shells is 21; on the first floor it is 27. The second floor, reduced in size, has only three entrance doors and three windows. A narrow staircase, only 2 ft 3 in (0.69 m) wide, is built into the western second corridor. It winds up through the dark passage to the first two stories.

Ramshagor Dighi

Ramsagar, located in the village Tejpur in Dinajpur District, is the largest man made lake in Bangladesh. It is situated about 8 kilometers south of the Dinajpur town.
The lake is about 1,079 meters wide from North to South, and 192.6 meters long from East to West. It was created in the mid 1750s, funded by Raja Ram Nath, after whom the lake is named. The excavation cost 30,000 taka at that time, and about 1.5 million labourers took part in the project.

Choto Sona Mosque

One of the most graceful monuments of the Sultanate period is the Chhota Sona Masjid or Small Golden Mosque at Gaur in Rajshahi. Built by one Wali Muhammad during the reign of Sultan Alauddin Husain Shah (1493-1519), it was originally roofed over with 15 gilded domes including the 3 Chauchaiqa domes in the middle row, from which it derives its curious name.

Varendra Research Museum

Varendra Museum is a museum, research center and popular visitor attraction located at the heart of Rajshahi town and maintained by Rajshahi University in Bangladesh.
Varendra Museum was the first museum to be established in erstwhile East Bengal in 1910. The museum started out as the collection for Varendra Anushandhan Samiti or Varendra Investigation Society and got its current name in 1919. The Rajahs of Rajshahi and Natore, notably Prince Sharat Kumar Ray, donated their personal collections to Varendra Museum. Varendra refers to an ancient janapada roughly corresponding to modern northern Bangladesh.

Shopnopuri

It is one of the most beautiful artificial tourist spot in North Bengal.

Travel at Sylhet

Sylhet division has enormous tourism potentials. There is a green carpet of tea plants on small hillocks. Natural reserved forests are great attractions. Migratory birds in winter, particularly in the haor areas, are also very attractive in this area.The major tourist destinations surrounding the city are Jaflong, Sripur, Habiganj, Madhabkunda waterfall, Golapganj Botanical Gardens and Maulvi Bazar.

•     The Shrine of Hazrat ShahJalal
•     Sri Chaitannya Dev Temple
•     Gour Gobinda Fort
•     Madhabkunda Waterfall
•     Lawacherra Rain Forest
•     Handicrafts of Sylhet
•     Manipuri Dance
•     Jointapur's Rajbari
•     Jaflong
•     Tamabil
•     Srimongol (Tea Plantation, Tea Menufacturer and Tea garden)

1. Shrine of Hazrat Shah Jalal Temple 

Shah Jalal is a saint of Bengal particularly in the region of Sylhet, Bangladesh. Jalal's name is associated with the Muslim conquest of Sylhet, for which he is given the most credit. He was buried at Sylhet. Shahjalal International Airport, Bangladesh's main airport is named in honour of this saint.

Born Makhdum Jalal ad-Deen bin Muhammad, he was later known as Shaikh-ul-Mashaikh he was also known as Yamani(R) Hazrat Shah Jalal ad-Din al-Mujarrad (the last name could be related to his lifelong celibacy or performing of prayers in solitary milieu). Shah Jalal's date and place of birth is unclear. Various traditions, folklore and historical documents differ. A number of scholars claim that he was born in 1271 in Konya, Turkey, and later moved to Yemen, either as a child or adult, while vast majority of scholars believe he was born in Quni, Hadramout in Yemen. He was the son of a Muslim cleric, who was a contemporary of the Persian poet and Sufi saint, Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi. He was educated and raised by his maternal uncle, Syed Ahmed Kabir, in Mecca. He excelled in his studies and became a Hafiz (one who has committed the Qur'an to memory) and was proficient in Islamic theology. He achieved Kamaliyat (spiritual perfection) after 30 years of study and meditation.

2. Sri Chaitannya Dev Temple

About 500 years old, this famous temple of Sri Chaitannya Dev is located at Dhaka Dakhin nearly 45 km. south-east of Sylhet town. The place is revered for being the ancestral home of the famous vaishnava saint. An anual fair is organised during the full moon of Bangla month falgun. Hundreds and thousands of devotees from home and abord attend this colorful fair.

3. Madhabkunda Waterfall

Madhabkunda is surrounded by lush tea estates and is full of water lilies. There make an enchanting combination with the largest waterfall in Bangladesh. Every year thousands of tourists are drawn to Madhabkunda because of its natural beauty, especially in winter (Nov-Feb), when they may come for picnics or longer pleasure trips. It is in the district of Moulvi Bazar, about 5 km from Dakhinbagh railway station, and 350 km from Dhaka city. Everywhere a lot of rubber & lemon plantations are seen to form a beautiful landscape.

4. Lawacherra Rain Forest

Lawachara is one of the major national sanctuary in Bangladesh. In 1997 Bangladesh government declared it A National Park. This forest is built by the British, the time of their rule in Indian Subcontinent.

Biological diversity in the Lawachara National Park consists of 460 species, of which 167 species are plants, 4 amphibian species, 6 reptile species, 246 bird species and 20 mammal species.

Different types of plants make the natural view of 'Lawachara' more thrilling and attractive. Trees like Raktan, Erythrina Indica, Shegun, Orchid, Fishtail Palm, Dhootora, etc. are found in plenty in 'Lawachara'. 'Lawachara' consists of a huge bamboo forest. Among the bamboos, 'Jai Bash' is a bamboo which is very thick and very rare. 'Agor' tree is another excellent legend in 'Lawachara'.

5. Jaflong

Jaflong is a natural tourist spot in the Division of Sylhet, Bangladesh. It is located in Gowainghat Upazila of Sylhet District and situated at the border between Bangladesh and the Indian state of Meghalaya. It is just below the mountain range. It is totally a hilly area of real natural beauty where hills are greenish with the forests. Jaflong is famous for its stone collections and is home of the Khasi tribe. Jaflong is also a scenic spot nearby amidst tea gardens and rate beauty of rolling stones from hills.

Attractions: Jaflong attracts tourists for its beautiful scenary, Collection of Rolling Stones Colorful Tribal (Khasia) Life, Khasia Rajbari (king’s palace), Dauki & Piyain Rivers, Tea Garden, Orange & Jackfruit Gardens, Betel leaf & Areca nut Gardens and Dauki Bazar.

6. Tamabil

Situated amidst a splendid panorama, Tamabil is a border outpost on the Sylhet-Shilong Road, about 55 km away from Sylhet town. Besides the enchanting views of the area one can also have a glimpse of the waterfalls across the border from Tamabil. Nearby Jaflong is a scenic spot amidst tea gardens, where one can see stones that have rolled down the hills.

Stone collection from the river at Jaflong is a recent phenomena. The boulders come as stream water loads from the upstream in Indian state of Meghalaya. Stone collection activities generated earnings for thousands of people. The stones are used for road and building construction, household uses and as souvenir. Stone crushing industries have also come up recently. The activities create air pollution, river shifting and bank erosion and land slides in the hill slopes.

7. Srimongol (Tea Plantation, Tea Menufacturer and Tea garden)

Srimongal is famous for having the largest tea gardens in the world. Covered by the lush green carpet of tea plants, it is called "the land of two leaves and a bud". Tourists can have a look at the terraced tea garden and pineapple, rubber and lemon plantations. The visitor to a tea estate is greeted by sweet smells and a pretty landscape that will beguile the imagination. About 80 km from Sylhet town and connected by road and rail. Srimongal is known as the tea capital of Bangladesh. A visit to a tea plantation in Srimongal is a memorable experience

Travel at Khulna

Division of Khulna is considerably influenced by the tributaries of the Ganges, which find their way into the Bay of Bengal through a vast maze of waterways, making two-thirds of Khulna marshland or dense jungle consisting of mangrove swamps, an absolute haven for wildlife. The great tidal forest of the Sundorbons as this lower area is called, an ideal habitat for the Royal Bengal tiger, stretches along the indented coastline of the Bay of Bengal for about 170 miles (276 km) and in places penetrates up to 80 miles (128 km) inland from the sea. The heavy mangrove forest floor of the Sunarbans is intersected by shark- infested rivers with their bewildering maze of evershifting tidal tributaries.

The

In this inhospitable region, the affluent city of Khulna, known in history as Khalifatabad was laid out by a little-known warrior saint Ulugh Khan Jahan, in the mid-l5th century, at the present location of Bagerhat, the "abode of the tigers." Khan Jahan came from Delhi to settle a Muslim colony in this swampland in the early-15th century and was no doubt the earliest torchbearer of Islam in the south. Legend has it that he constructed about 360 mosques and as many freshwater tanks, as well as palaces, mausolea and other public buildings in a very short space of time. He also constructed a network of roads linking important centers in Bengal with his city.

Today, most of these buildings have been swallowed up by the rivers and jungles, although a few spectacular ruins can still be traced, half-hidden in the luxuriant coconut groves and tall palm trees. Only a handful of the mosques still stand. examples of Tughlaq architecture of stark simplicity imported from Delhi - simple brick structures with tapering corner towers projecting like the bastions of a fortress, a form not usually associated with a house of prayer.

Of the surviving mosques, the Shait Gumbad Mosque is the most magnificent, and certainly the largest brick mosque surviving in Bangladesh. Its name, meaning '60 domes', is misleading as in reality, it is roofed over with 77 small domes supported by a forest of slender columns covering a large prayer hall and giving it the appearance of a medieval church crypt. At sunrise when the rays of the sun penetrate the eastern entrances, the Interior comes to life. There is little adornment to this building other than the carved stone decoration to the central mihrah at the western end of the prayer hall. The exterior facades, with slightly 'battered' walls, have discernible curving cornices - a concession to the local style. There is access to the corner turrets from where the faithful were formally called to prayer. Behind the mosque is a large freshwater tank known as Ghora Dighi, adding to the serene ambience of this beautiful rural setting.

Close to the Shait Gumbad are another three mosques, all very similar in style and design. Just across the new highway is the Singar Mosque and on the west bank of the Ghora Dhigi is the Bibi Begni, while the Chunakhola Mosque is surrounded by paddy fields. All of them are single-domed structures with massive brick walls and attached circular corner turrets. The Mausoleum of Khan Jahan, the warrior saint himself, is located along a small road not far from the previous group of mosques. It is an important pilgrimage center for all Muslims. The mausoleum and adjacent mosque are perched on the edge of another enormous tank known as Thakur Dighi, home to some benign marsh mugger crocodiles. The saint's sepulchre follows the typical style of a single-domed brick structure with corner turrets. In the center on a raised platform is the saint's sarcophagus, which is built of stone and beautifully engraved with verses of the Quran, as well as the date of his demise on October 25, 1459.

The mound on which the mosque and mausoleum are set was raised by the excavated earth of the 1.67-million-square-foot (150,000 square-meter) lake. A broad flight of steps leads down to the large expanse of water where a colony of crocodiles lives. Two notable characters, Kala Pahar and Dhola Pahar (meaning 'black and white mountain'), are fed daily with offerings of live chicken by the mutwalli (caretaker) of the tomb a custom not usually associated with Islamic practices.

In the vicinity there are several other mosques in varying stages of decay. At the northwest corner there is a fine domed brick mosque with stone columns supporting the roof and, at the road intersection, there is the mighty Ronvijoypur Mosque, which boasts the largest dome in Bangladesh, spanning over 35 feet (11 meters).The walls are massive, measuring over nine feet (three meters) thick, with simple but small arched openings on three sides, producing little light to the somber interior.

Khulna is a thriving industrial and shipping center. There are some amazing industrial relics to be found - mammoth steam engines abandoned along the tracks, dejected steel hulks of passenger ferries or coasters floundering on the river banks, all mingling with the intense activities of a bustling river port.

One of the most interesting ways of reaching Khulna and subsequently the Bagerhat monuments is to travel there by boat from Dhaka on the 'Rocket Service', a relic of the British Raj . The boats are vintage paddle steamers with accommodation ranging from steerage to First Class. The trip takes anything from 20 hours to 24 hours, depending on the state of the rivers, and is a wonderful way of exploring the Sundarbans, seeing the river life and reminiscing on what travel in India must have been like at the beginning of the century. It is also possible to hire a boat or join a trip through the Sundarbans from Khulna to Kuakata and Heron Point, where there is a guest bungalow and plenty of wildlife to be seen. You may get the chance to see the Royal Bengal Tiger , which grows to enormous size in the Sundarbans and whose propensity for eating humans is legend.