Sundarban Bangladesh - World Biggest Mangrove Forest

The Sundarbans are the largest littoral mangrove belt in the world. In Bangladesh tourism, Sundarban plays the most vital role. A large number of foreigners come to Bangladesh every year only to visit this unique mangrove forest. Besides, local tourists also go to visit Sundarban every year. The area of great Sundarban is approximately 6000 sq. km.

General Information about Sudarban:

Sundarban

AREA:

Nearly 2400 sq. miles or 6000 sq. km. FOREST LIMITS: North-Bagerhat, Khulna and Sathkira districts : South-Bay of Bengal; East-Baleswar (or Haringhata) river, Perojpur, Barisal district, and West-Raimangal and Hariabhanga rivers which partially form Bangladesh boundary with West Bengal in India.

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.

CLIMATE:

Rainfall is heavy and humidity high (80%) due to the proximity of the Bay of Bengal. About 80% of the rain fall in the monsoon, which lasts from June to October. Mean annual rainfall varies from about 1,800mm at Khulna, north of the Sundarbans, to 2,790mm on the coast. There is a six-month dry season during which evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation. Conditions are most saline in February-April, the depletion of soil moisture being coupled with reduced freshwater flow from upstream. Temperatures rise from daily minima of 2-4°C in winter to a maximum of about 43°C in March and may exceed 32°C in the monsoon. Storms are common in May and October-November and may develop into cyclones, usually accompanied by tidal waves of up to 7.5m high (Seidensticker and Hai, 1983). Climatic data for Khulna are summarised by Christensen (1984).

Royal Bengal Tiger

MAIN ATTRACTIONS:

Wildlife photography including photography of the famous Royal Bengal Tiger, wildlife viewing, boating inside the forest will call recordings, nature study, meeting fishermen, wood-cutters and honey-collectors, peace and tranquility in the wilderness, seeing the world's largest mangrove forest and the riverine beauty.

FAMOUS SPOTS:

The main tourist spots in Sundarban are Karamjol, Katka, Kochikhali, Hiron point and Mandarbaria. Hiron Point (Nilkamal) for tiger, deer, monkey, crocodiles, birds and natural beauty. Katka for deer, tiger, crocodiles, varieties of birds and monkey, morning and evening symphony of wild fowls. Vast expanse of grassy meadows running from Katka to Kachikhali (Tiger Point) provides opportunities for wild tracking. Tin Kona Island for tiger and deer.

 CULTURAL HERITAGE:

There is archaeological evidence of earlier human occupation on the deltaic islands. The human settlements are indicative of the former presence of abundant freshwater, both from the Ganges and from non-saline ground water. Human occupation ceased in the 17th century, reportedly due to pirate attacks (Christensen, 1984).

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND FACILITIES:

Considerable research has been carried out on the Sundarbans ecosystem and its wildlife. Hendrichs (1975) undertook a three-month field study of tiger, concentrating on the problem of man-eating, and other vertebrates and invertebrates, in 1971. Other fauna1 surveys include those of Gittins (1981) and Khan (1986) for rhesus macaque, Khan (1986) for spotted deer, Sarker and Sarker (1986) for birds, and Sarker (1985a, 1985b) and Sarker and Sarker (1985) for birds of prey. About 500 foreign tourists visited the area in 1996 plus 5000 domestic tourists, the majority at the South Wildlife Sanctuary.

Mahasthangarh (City Of Pundravardhan) – One Of The Tourist Attraction In Bangladesh

Mahasthangarh (Physical setup) so far the oldest archaeological site of Bangladesh, lies on the western bank of river karatoya, about 12 km north of Bogra town, and is connected by a good metalled road.

This 3rd century archaeological site is still held to be of great sanctity by the Hindus.

Mahasthan, the present name of the ancient city known as "Pundurunagar (Pundranagar)". The word ‘Mahasthan’ means a place that has excellent sanctity and ‘garh’ means fort. The extensive ruins of Mahasthangarh presents a glorious past of about two thousand and five hundred years of Pundranagar, the capital city of ancient Pundra Vardhan Bhukti. About four thousand years ago Pundurunagar was an affluent and strong settlement.

The mighty Maurya, Gupta and other rulers had their provincial capital there. Even the initial capital of the Pal dynasty was Pundurunagar. The ruins of this great ancient city is situated on the western bank of river Korotoa, which is indeed a past glory not only of Bogra but also of whole Bangladesh.

From the archaeological evidence it is proven that the site was provincial capital of the Mauryans, the Guptas, the Palas, and the fudal Hindu kings of later period. Beyond the citadel, other ancient ruins found within a radius of 7/8 km in a semi-circle in the north, south, and west which testify the existence of extensive suburbs. It is worth quoted that Yuen Chwang, the famous chinese pilgrim visited the Pundra Vardhana in between 639-645 A.D. Sir Alexandar Cunningham rightly identified the current Mahasthangarh as Pundranagar at 1879 following the description left by Yuen Chwang.

The whole area is rich in Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim sites. The Buddhists were here until at least the 11th century. Their most glorious period was the 8th to the 11th centuries, when the Buddhist Pala emperors of North-Bengal ruled. It is from this period that most of the visible remains belong. The citadel was probably first constructed under the Mauryan empire in the 3rd century B.C. It fell into disuse around the time of Mughal invasions. Most of the visible brickwork dates from the 8th century, apart from that added during restoration. Outside the citadel, there is a remaining of a 6th-century Govinda Bhita Hindu Temple, which looks like a broken-down step pyramid.

After the Muslim conquest of Bengal in the early 13th century, the city lost its role of capital. It was nevertheless occasionally occupied through the centuries, as attested by the mosque and the tomb of Shah Sultan Mahisawar (17th century).

Sylhet - One of the Source of Natural Beauty in Bangladesh

Sylhet has also a very interesting and rich history. Before the conquest by the Muslims, it was ruled by local chieftains. In 1303, the great Saint Hazrat Shah Jalal came to Sylhet from Delhi with a band of 360 disciples to preach Islam and defeated the then Raja Gour Gobinda, Sylhet thus became a district of saints, shrines and daring but virile people.

Tea Garden of Sylhet

The Sylhet valley has a good number of haors which are big natural depressions. During winter these haors are vast stretches of green land, but in the rainy season they turn into a turbulent sea. These haors provide a sanctuary to the millions of migratory birds who fly from across the Himalayas to escape the severe Siberian winters.

Greater Sylhet is virtually one broad valley, fringed by the Khasi and Jaintia hills to the north and the hills of Tripura to the south. Just to the north is Tamabil, the border outpost with Meghalaya of India. There exists a convenient route to make travel to this part of India through Tamabil border and we organise regular tours to Shillong and adjoining areas both for the local and foreign guests. Cherrapunjee, the wettest place on earth is in Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya. Jafflong, with picturesque surrounding, lies just adjacent to Tamabil and the area is also famous for stones and boulders. Every day hundreds of people are found collecting stones and boulders from this area, which are exported to other districts as quality construction materials. The Surma and the Kushiara rivers, which are fed by innumerable hill streams from the north and the south, form the Sylhet valley. There are good numbers of haors, which are big natural depressions. During the winter these haors are vast stretches of green land but in the rainy season they turn into turbulent seas. These haors provide a sanctuary to millions of migratory birds that fly from Siberia across the Himalayas to avoid severe cold there. This region is famous as tea growing area and the majority of the tea estates belong to Srimongol. For miles and miles around, visitors can see the tea gardens spread like green carpets over the plain land or on sloping hills. The region has very high precipitation and its rainforests are habitat of primates and other rare species of wild animals and birds. Added attraction is the high percentage of ethnic people, belonging to the colourful Monipuri, Khasia, Garo and Tripura living in this region. Near Lawacherra Forest in Srimongol, the movie 'Around the World in 80 Days' was shot.

Cox's Bazar - A largest resource of natural beauty in the world

Cox's Bazar, the world's longest natural sandy sea beach with its wonderful 125 km length, & most visited tourist destinations in Bangladesh. It is as well as a contemporary town; widely known fishing port as well as a district headquarter in Bangladesh.It is a district in the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh near the border of Myanmar. The town is located 150 kilometer south of Chittagong. Due to lack of development, publicity & mismanagement; the spot has so far to become a most desirable international tourist location in Asia.


Alternative Name: "Panowa" means "yellow flower".
Elderly Name: "Palongkee".


Modern Cox's Bazar: The modern Cox's Bazar gained its name from British-Indian Captain Hiram Cox in the 18th century. They was an officer of British East India Company. They did several social works here as the Superintendent of Palongkee outpost before they died in 1799. The works they had done made him a place in the hearts of the locals. As a result, to commemorate Cox's role in social work a market was established here & named after him as "Cox's Bazar" ("Cox's Market") with time it turn as Cox's Bazar.