Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Shovolong Waterfall & Kaptai Lake,Rangamati.



Bangladesh is a wonderful country in the world. There are many tourist spot in Bangladesh. Rangamati district is one of them. Rangamati is in the Chittagong division. Shuvolong Waterfalls is a beautiful waterfall in Rangamati. It is the attactive place of Rangamati. The only available path to reach at the waterfall is through water, through the lake. People visit there by boat. It is a famous place with the tourists for the waterfall, high hills and the natuarl surrounding it offers.This waterfall is just before the Shubholong Bazaar. Means from the waterfall, it will take around 5 minutes to reach at bazaar.So that Shuvolong is easily accessible by speed boat or motor boats from Rangamati.


Kaptai lake is one of the beautiful place in Rangamati. This beautiful blue watery lake was produced by man. The size of Lake is approximately 11000km2, which was maked as a reservoir when the Kaptai dam was built during the 1960. This wonderful Lake was created by flooding valleys and plain lands between numerous hills all around the Lake. It has Bangladesh’s only hydro-electric project. The Kaptai Dam on the Karnaphuli River maked for this purpose resulted in the Kaptai Lake. This created a charming view as forested hills and plateaus rise from beneath the wonderful Lake water. A stretch of road connects the tourist spots of Kaptai and Rangamati. The road goes deep into the hill tracts and displays the natural beauty and wildlife of the district Rangamati. The government of Bangladesh run many private operators offer Kaptai Lake Cruise Tours, which is worth of it. Other scenic spots are also accessible through the waterways. Cruising on the Kaptai Lake is an pleasurable way of observing the landscape as many great picnic spots, natural landmarks and historic monuments are accessible only by boats.

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Shat Gombuj Mosque,Bagerhat.



In mid-15th century, a Muslim colony was founded in the unfriendly mangrove forest of the Sundarbans near the coastline in the Bagerhat district by an obscure saint-General, named Ulugh Khan Jahan. He was the earliest torch bearer of Islam in the South who laid the center of an affluent city during the reign of Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah (1442-59), then known as 'Khalifalabad' (present Bagerhat). Khan Jahan aborned his city with numerous mosques, tanks, roads and other public buildings, the spectacular ruins of which are focused around the most imposing and largest multidomed mosques in Bangladesh, known as the Shait-Gumbad Masjid (160'X108').


The stately fabric of the monument, serene and impressive, stands on the eastern bank of an unusually vast sweet-water tank, clustered around by the heavy foliage of a low-laying countryside, characteristic of a sea-coast landscape. So in the year 1459 the great Azam Ulugh Khan Jahan established this mosque, which called Shat Gambuj Mosjid. In Bengali Shat means the number 60. Though it is called Shat Gambuj Mosjid, actually the numbers of Gamboj in the mosque are 81. The mosque roofed over with 77 squat domes, including 7 chauchala or four-sided pitched Bengali domes in the middle row. The vast prayer hall, although provided with 11 arched doorways on east and 7 each on north and south for ventilation and light, presents a dark and somber appearance inside. It is divided into 7 longitudinal aisles and 11 deep bays by a forest of slender stone columns, from which springs rows of endless arches, supporting the domes. Six feet thick, slightly tapering walls and hollow and round, almost detached corner towers, resembling the bastions of fortress, each capped by small rounded cupolas, recall the Tughlaq architecture of Delhi.

The general appearance of this noble monument with its stark simplicity but massive character reflects the strength and simplicity of the builder. This mosque is 160 ft long and 108 ft. in its width. This is one of the most beautiful archeological and historical Mosque in Bangladesh made by red burn mud.

The archeological beauty of this Mosque enchants the tourist till now. Besides this Mosque an archeological museum is there where you can find that times archeological and historical materials.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Bangabandhu Bridge,Sirajgonj.


Bangabandhu Bridge, also called the Jamuna Multi-purpose Bridge , is a bridge opened in Bangladesh in June 1998. It connects Bhuapur on the Jamuna River's east bank to Sirajganj on its West Bank. It was the 11th longest bridge in the World when constructed in 1998 and currently the 6th longest bridge in South Asia. It was constructed over the Jamuna River, one of the three major rivers of Bangladesh, and fifth largest in the world in terms of volumetric discharge.

The bridge established a strategic link between the eastern and western parts of Bangladesh. It generates multifarious benefits for the people and especially, promotes inter-regional trade in the country. Apart from quick movement of goods and passenger traffic by road and rail, it facilitated transmission of electricity and natural gas, and integration of telecommunication links. The bridge is located on the Asian Highway and the Trans-Asian Railway which, when fully developed, will provide uninterrupted international road and railway links from South-east Asia through Central Asia to North-west Europe.

The river Jamuna (Brahmaputra), along with the lower stretch of the Padma (Ganges) divides Bangladesh into nearly two equal halves. Until now all road and rail communication between the two parts of the country has had to rely on time-consuming ferry services that were often disrupted because of navigability problems. The need for a bridge over the Jamuna River was felt, especially by the people living in northwestern Bangladesh, for a long time. This perceived need did not go unnoticed by the policy makers. The people and successive governments always longed to bridge the mighty Jamuna and thereby integrate the communication systems of the region.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Cholon Beel: A blend of life with water and boat

Chalan Beel is a series of wetlands connected by channels of water in the lower Altrai basin. During the rainy season, these wetlands become a single body of water with dense aquatic vegetation supporting diverse  wildlife. The banks of Chalan Beel are covered in a variety of fauna, which is inhabited by at least twenty-seven species of mammals, and thirty-four species of reptiles, with amphibians including seven species of frogs and toads. Reptiles include turtles, tortoises, lizards and a number of snake species.


Chalan Beel is an extensive lowland area in the lower Atrai basin, and spreads across singra and Gurudaspur thana on Natore, chatmohor  of pabna and ullahpara , Raiganag and Tarash upazilas of Shirajgong . It consists of a series of  beels connected to one another by various channels to form a continuous water body during the rainy season.

International research has revealed that wetlands around the world serve a critical role in maintaining biodiversity, contributing to the overall health of the planet. Unfortunately, lack of knowledge regarding the role of wetlands has led to humans encroaching on these areas in one way or another. The major problem facing Chalan Beel is the silt carried by the more than forty rivers that empty into it. While it is estimated that Chalan Beel initially covered an area of more than 1000 square kilometers, a survey in 1909 noted that it had been reduced to 368 square kilometers, and a more recent survey noted that it had shrunk to a mere 26 square kilometers.




Developments around the rivers that empty into Chalan Beel, such as the construction of the east bengal railway in the early 1900s and numerous dams, roads and railways since then, have caused the rivers to redirect and gather silt along the way. Although the silt provides fertile soil for agriculture, taking over wetlands for agriculture and habitation has taken away the livelihood of those who fished for a living, and has impacted negatively on the environment in a number of ways.

Saturday, January 4, 2014

The Adventurous Island Sandwip

Sandwip Island may not be everybody’s idea of a great holiday destination but the more adventurous might want to seek it out and discover its many hidden treasures. The island is located in southeastern Bangladesh and is quite different from other parts of the country.


Sandwip Island in Bangladesh has a great historical legacy. The island itself is about 3000 years old and it has been ruled by many different people over the centuries, including Delwar Khan. It was a Portuguese and Arakanese pirate stronghold during the 17th century and even today some of the architecture on the island reflects this part of the island’s history.

                                                        
One of the nice things about Sandwip Island in Bangladesh is that it has been formed by silt deposits from the Meghna river. This makes it an incredibly fertile island – something which the people of the island have been exploiting for years. Today the main crops are melons, mangos, pineapples, gaab, jam, coconut and various crops. Sandwip has also gained a reputation for being a premier ship manufacturer. There are a lot of different things to see on this incredible little island – why not visit it and discover them for yourself?

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Lalmai Moinamoti And Shalbon Bihar

 They are famous historical and archeological places around Comilla. These are a series of hillocks, where the Northern part is called Moinamoti and the Southern part is called Lalmai; and Shalbon Bihar is in the Middle of Lalmai and Moinamoti, which the was established in 8th century by King Buddadev.


Salban Vihara, almost in the middle of the Moinamoti-Lalmai hill range consists of 115 cells, built around a spacious courtyard with cruciform temple in the centre facing its only gateway complex to the north resembling that of the Paharpur Monastery. Kotila Mura situated on a flattened hillock, about 5 km north of Salban Vihara inside the Comilla Cantonment is a picturesque Buddhist establishment. Here three stupas are found side by side representing the Buddhist `Trinity’ or three jewels i.e. the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Charpatra Mura is an isolated small oblong shrine situated about 2.5 km. north-west of kotila Mura stupas. The only approach to the shrine is from the East through a gateway, which leads to a spacious hall.



If you are in Comilla and already visited Lalmai, Moinamoti then don’t miss to go Moinamoti museum  where you will find the historical things found in Lalmai & Moinamoti of 7th & 8th centuries. The Mainamati site Museum has a rich and varied collection of copper plates, gold and silver coins and 86 bronze objects. Over 150 bronze statues have been recovered mostly from the monastic cells, bronze stupas, stone sculptures and hundreds of terracotta plaques each measuring on an average of 9" high and 8" to 12" wide. Mainamati is only 114 km. from Dhaka City and is just a day's trip by road on way to Chittagong.