Introducing Bandarban

Locate merely there is no better place in which to experience the magic of the Hill Tracts than in the hilly small town of Bandarban, which fabrication on the Sangu River, 92km from Chittagong. The river is the centre of local life: bamboo rafts up to 500m long, steered by a single solitary boatman, float leisurely downstream, while country boats make slow trips to neighboring villages. A good number residents belong to the Buddhist Marma tribe. The town itself, which has a couple of appealing sights, isn’t overly attractive, but the surrounding countryside is some of the finest in Bangladesh and offers one of the few opportunities to really escape the masses. Instead of the honking of horns and awe-struck stares of the masses you’ll have nothing much to listen to but birdsong and the only things likely to be fluttering about you will be bright, droopy winged butterflies. All up this is not a town to rush through in a hurry.
At the checkpoint before coming into town, officials may request that you call upon the district commissioner. His office is just around the corner from the Hotel Purabi.
There is an internet café (per hr Tk 40) under Hotel Greenhill.

Introducing Lowacherra National Park

Lowacherra National Park

Around 8km east of Srimangal, on the road to Kamalganj, Lowacherra National Park (known to locals as Shaymoli) is a wild and mysterious patch of tropical semi-evergreen forest extremely crawling with life. Not only is this 1250-hectare park (which forms part of a 2740-hectare protected zone known as the West Bhanugach Reserve) one of the premium wildlife venues in the country, but it’s also one of the easiest to visit. Though the forest may look like a primeval jungle, it has been greatly influenced by the activities of humans, and as recently as 1920 it was managed as a timber-production plantation. Since then the forest has been largely allowed to revert to a natural state, and after years of unprofessional conduct the government has finally got its act together and given the park firm protection, established a number of sightseer walking trails and is in the process of training up ‘eco-guides’.

The unquestionable highlight of the park is the gravely endangered hoolock gibbon –the subcontinent’s only ape genus and one that you have a pretty good chance of seeing crashing through the trees. A further 19 mammal species have been recognized including capped langur, the delightful slow loris, orange-bellied Himalayan squirrel and barking deer. The bird-watching here is equally superb and so far some 246 species have been recorded, with the blue-bearded bee-eater and the red-breasted trogon being big stars. Another highlight are the orchids, of which there are more than 20 varieties (the wet season is the best time to see them).

Keep in mind though that this isn’t the open African savanna but a dense forest, and despite the exciting number of animals you would have to put in a good deal of effort to get anything other than a transitory glimpse. One thing you won’t miss though are the insects, and rather than concentrating on the bigger mammals you will find your visit more worthwhile if you focus instead on the bugs and birds. Of these bugs, the most visible are the ropelike columns of destructive ants, the flamboyant butterflies and, maybe less welcome, the enormous orb spiders (also called banana spiders). You won’t be able to miss these black, red and yellow monsters hanging from spiderman-sized webs between trees, but don’t worry, they might look like the devil incarnate but they are in fact harmless – or so we’re told!
There are three marked walking trails taking anything from half an hour to three hours, and the visitors centre has printed booklets with walking maps and some pointers on things to look out for. You can also hire ‘eco-guides’ from here, but try and chat to them first as many don’t speak much English and have very little real knowledge of the plants and animals contained within the forest.

To admittance the reserve from Srimangal, take the paved road east towards Kamalganj. The poorly marked turn-off to your left (north), which is easy to miss, is about 4.75km past the Tea Resort multifaceted and another 2.75km beyond the well-marked turn-off for the Nurjahan and Madabpore tea estates. The dirt road into the forests, which crosses the railroad tracks, is less than 1km long and an easy walk. A bus from Srimangal costs Tk 15.

Bangladesh ::: Flora and Fauna

Flora & Fauna

Profusion of Bangladesh's bird life makes it an ornithologist's ecstasy. Of the 525 recorded species, 350 are resident. Among them are bulbul, magpie, robin, common game birds, cuckoos, hawks, owls, crows, kingfishers, woodpeckers, parrots and myna. A wide variety of warblers are also found. Some of them are migrants and appear only in winter. The migratory and seasonal birds are pre-dominantly ducks.

Of the 200 species of mammals, the arrogance of place goes to the Royal Bengal Tiger of the Sunderbans, the largest block of littoral forests dispersal over an area of 6,000 sq. km. Next comes the elephants found mainly in the forests of the Chittagong Hill Tracts districts. South Himalayan black bear and the Malayan bear are also seen here. Six types of deer are found in the hill tracts and the Sunderbans. Of them the spotted deer, barking deer and sambar are the most recognizable. Clouded leopard, leopard cat, mongoose, jackal and rhesus monkey are also found.

Surrounded by the bovine animals, three species- buffalo, ox and gayal- are found. There are about 150 species of reptiles of which the sea turtle, river tortoise, mud turtle, crocodiles, gavial, python, krait and cobra and common. About 200 species of marine and freshwater fish are also found. Prawns and lobsters are available in plenty for local consumption and export.

In the shallow water of the floodplains, ponds and swamps of the country various hydrophytes and floating ferns grow in great quantity. Tall grasses present a picturesque site near the banks of the rivers and the marshes. Around 60% of the Gangetic plain is under rice paddy and jute farming. The village homes are usually concealed by the verdant green flora of a wide variety of trees, thickets of bamboo and banana plants. A characteristic trait of the landscape is the presence of a variety of palm and fruit trees.

Each season produces its special variety of flowers in Bangladesh; among them, the productive Water Hyacinth flourishes. Its carpet of thick green leaves and blue flowers gives the notion that solid ground lies beneath. Other decorative plants, which are widely spread are Jasmine, Water Lily, Rose, Hibiscus, Bougainvillea, Magnolia, and an incredible diversity of wild orchids in the forested areas.

Lying close to the Himalayas, the Sylhet area has widespread natural miserable lands locally called 'haors' (pronounced 'howers', wetlands). During the winter season they are home to huge flocks of wild fowl. Outstanding species include the rare Baer's pochard and Pallas' Fish Eagle, along with a great number of ducks . Other important habitats are the outstanding fragments of evergreen and teak forests, especially along the Indian border near the Srimongal area.

The Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Redheaded Trogon and a wide variety of forest birds, including rare visitors are seen in these forests. One of two important coastal zones is the Noakhali region, with prominence on the islands near Hatiya, where migratory species and a variety of wintering waders find suitable refuge. These include rare viitors like Spoonbilled Sandpiper, Nordman's Greenshank and flocks of Indian Skimmers.

The forest cover of Bangladesh is only about 9 percent. The thickest forests are in the coastal Sunderbans and the hill tracts in the northeast. General areas of Rajshahi, Dinajpur and Kushtia are under mango, litchi, sugarcane and tobacco cultivation.

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BANGLADESH: HOLIDAYS and FESTIVALS

Bangladesh: Holidays and Festivals

There are as many festivals in Bangladesh as there are days in the year. Fairs and festivals take part in an important role in the social life of Bangladeshis. The two Eids, Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Ajha are the largest festivals in the Islamic calendar. Major Hindu festivals are Durga Puja and Saraswati Puja. Buddha Purnima, which marks the birth of Gautama Buddha, is one of the most important Buddhist festivals while Christmas, called ‘BoroDin’ (Great day’ in Bangla) is celebrated by the minority Christian inhabitants. The most important secular festival is Pohela Boishak or Bengali New Year, the beginning of the Bengali calendar.

Eid-ul-Fitr : the biggest Muslim festival pragmatic throughout the world, is held on the day following the Ramadan or the month of fasting. After a first glimpse of the moon of the month of Ramadan the fasting starts. For the whole month, the Muslim community fasts from dawn to dusk.

Eid-ul Azha : the second most important festival in Islam is held marking the Hajj in Mecca on the 10th Zilhaj, the lunar month. Animals are sacrificed in reminiscence of Hazrat Ibrahim's preparedness for the supreme sacrifice of his beloved son to Allah.

Eid-e-Miladunnabi marks the birth and death day of Prophet Muhammad. He was born and died the same day on 12th Rabiul Awal (lunar month). The day is a national holiday. Special food is served in orphanages, hospitals and jails. At night, important public buildings are illuminate and milad mahfils are held.

Durga Puja : the major festival of the Hindu community, continues for ten days, the last three days culminating with the idol being wrapped up in rivers. In Dhaka the big celebrations are held at Dhakeswari Temple and at the Ram Krishna Mission.

Kali Puja is a Hindu religious festival, particularly of the Shakta community. Kali is the first of the ten female energies of Shiva (the third god of the Hindu Triad). Much information about her is given in different Puranas. She is shown as dark, four-armed and wearing a string of human heads with blood still dripping from them. Usually male goats, sheep or buffaloes are sacrificed during Kali Puja.

Rathayatra or chariot journey is an significant Hindu festival, referring primarily to the journey of the god Jagannath or Vishnu to the sea. The Rathayatra at Dhamrai was famous because of a towering 60-foot chariot built by the zamindars of Saturia Baliyati towards the middle of the 19th century. During the War of Liberation, the chariot was burned by the Pakistan army. A newly built chariot has now replaced the old one. A month-long fair is held at Dhamrai on the juncture of the Rathayatra in the month of Ashar (June-July).

Rash Mela is the major festival of the Manipuris and a major Hindu celebration observed at different places in the country on the night of the full moon in Kartik-Agrahayan. Thousands of devotees visit the places during the fair, which concludes with a holy bath in the sea at dawn. The fair signals the opportunity of the fishing season in Sundarban.

Christmas is celebrated with pomp in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country. Several day-long large gatherings are held at St. Mary's Cathedral at Ramna, Portuguese Church at Tejgaon, Church of Bangladesh (Protestant) on Johnson Road and Bangladesh Baptist Sangha at Sadarghat Dhaka. Functions include illumination of churches, decorating Christmas trees and other Christian festivities.

Buddha Purnima  the main religious festival of the Buddhist community, is observed on Baishakhi Purnima , the day of the full moon in Baishakh (mid-April to mid-May). Three important events in the life of Buddha are believed to have occurred on this day: his birth in 623 BC, his gaining enlightenment in 588 BC, and his death in 543 BC. On Buddha Purnima, Buddhists organize collective prayers and various other religious ceremonies, recite stories of the Buddha and his disciples, and organize social and cultural events. Many Buddhist Monasteries (vihara) organize three-day celebrations. The day is observed as a public holiday. Fairs are held on the day at different villages and viharas.

Prabarana Purnima is a Buddhist festival, also known as Ashvini Purnima. Prabarana means both adopting wholly and forbidding. In the first sense it means dedicating oneself to the ideal of a life of modesty; in the sense of frightening, it means avoiding all acts contrary to the ideals of Buddhism. Prabarana is observed on the day of the full moon in the month of Asvin. At the end of Prabarana, every vihara celebrates the festival of Kathin Chibar Dan, when robes are given to the monks (viksus). According to Buddhist scriptures, on this day Lord Buddha went to the abode of the gods, and, after blessing his mother, returned to earth. To mark this event, the Buddhists send special hot-air balloons called ‘Fanush’ as a symbol of illumination up the sky.

Pahela Baishakh the first day of the Bangla year, is celebrated in a festive approach in both Bangladesh and West Bengal. In Bangladesh Pahela Baishakh is a national holiday on April 14. The most colorful New Year's Day festival takes place in Dhaka. Large numbers of people gather early in the morning under the Banyan Tree at Ramna Park where Chhayanat artistes open the day with Tagore's famous song, Eso he Baishakh eso eso (Come O Baishakh, come), welcoming Baishakh. A parallel ceremony welcoming the New Year is also held at the Institute of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka Students and teachers of the institute take out a colorful procession and parade round the campus. In the rural areas farmers' wives prepare ‘amani’ by soaking green mango and rice in a large earthen vessel on the last day of Chaitral. A leafy mango twig is also placed in the vessel. At dawn everybody eats the soaked rice while the water in the vessel is dotted on the bodies with the help of the mango twig. This keeps the body cool in the hot summer. Families prepare special dishes in the belief that a good meal at the start of the year will set the trend for the whole year.

March 26 marks the Independence of Bangladesh. On this public holiday the citizens of Dhaka wake up early in the morning to the booming of guns herald the day. Government leaders, sociopolitical organizations and freedom fighters place floral wreaths at the National Martyrs Monument at Savar. Bangla Academy, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy and other socio-cultural organizations hold cultural functions. Similar functions are arranged in other parts of the countryside.

On 21 February 1952 (8 Falgun 1359 in the Bangla calendar) a number of students campaigning for the recognition of Bangla as one of the state languages of Pakistan were killed when police fired upon them. All subsequent movements including the struggle for independence owe their origin to the historic language movement. The Shahid Minar (martyrs monument) is the symbol of sacrifice for Bangla, the mother tongue. After liberation, the day became a national holiday. Colorful Alpana designs are painted on the ground, and Bangla verses and prose passages are written on the walls facing the Shahid Minar. Ekushey February (21 February) played a significant role in making Bengalis aware of their cultural and national heritage and ultimately led to the creation of Bangladesh in 1971. Since 2000 this day is also observed as International Mother Language Day in tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for their mother tongue.

Water festival is the biggest festival of the Marma community, akin to Boisabi of the Tripuras and Biju of the Chakmas. In mid-April, this celebration of the New Year falls around the same time as Bengali Pahela Baishakh and Assamese Bihu. Apart from songs and dances Sangrai is marked by the water festival and magic charm competitions. Water festival is a game of splash water from two sides of a marked arena by unmarried boys and girls.

Nobanno or “new rice” is the festival of harvest in Bengal, taking place in the Bengali month of Augrahayon. Festivities include the making of traditional cakes named "pitha". The most common ingredients of pitha are rice or wheat flour, molasses or sugar, coconut and oil. Meat, vegetables and fruits are also used in preparing some pithas. Date juice and molasses – both important ingredients of pithas - are readily available in the winter.

The birth anniversary of the Nobel Laureate and writer of the national anthem Rabindranath Tagore on 25th Baishakh (early May) and that of the national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, famous as ‘Rebel Poet’ for his burning writings, on 11th Jaistha (late May) are observed throughout the country. Big gatherings and songs sessions organized by socio-cultural organizations are the main features of the observance of the days.

Comilla is a one of historical district in Bangladesh

Comilla:  Located about 100 kilometers south east of Dhaka. Established as a district of Bengal by the British in 1790, it included the Sub-divisions of Brahmanbaria and Chandpur which in the end became separate districts in 1984. Comilla is bordered by Brahmanbaria and Narayanganj districts to the north, Noakhali and Feni districts to the south, Tripura of India to the east, and Munshiganj and Chandpur districts to the west.

It is bounded by Burchiganj and Tripura on the north, Laksham and Chauddagram on the south, and Barura on the west. The major rivers that pass through Comilla include Gumti and Little Feni. Green and hazel eyes can easily be found in Comilla than anywhere else in Bangladesh. The people of Comilla are multi-ethnic.Afghan.Mughal and British descenders can be found in Comilla. Comilla district consists of the following upazilas: 1. Barura Upazila 2. Brahmanpara Upazila 3. Burichong Upazila 4. Chandina Upazila 5. Chauddagram Upazila 6. Daudkandi Upazila 7. Debidwar Upazila 8. Homna Upazila 9. Comilla Sadar Upazila 10. Laksam Upazila 11. Monohorgonj Upazila 12. Meghna Upazila 13. Muradnagar Upazila 14. Nangalkot Upazila 15. South Sadar Upazila 16. Titas Upazila

Important landmarks include Kotbari, a cantonment, or military installation and Kandirpar, considered the heart of the Comilla district. Ancient Buddhist Monastery ruins are the major attraction of Mainamati, near Kotbari. There is also a Second World War cemetery located about 3.1 km away from Comilla Cantonment, which was a frontier military base in the fight against the Japanese who had occupied Burma.

British Army soldiers killed during the fight with the Japanese Army at the Burma (Myanmar) frontier were buried here. Kazi Nazrul Islam, the national poet of Bangladesh, passed momentous time of his life in this town. Both his wives, Promila Devi and Nargis, hailed from this district. Comilla Victoria College and Comilla Zilla School are two ancient and famous college and school in the country. Comilla Zilla School was established in the year of 1837.

Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD) is situated in Kotbari. Situated by the bank of the river Ghumti, Comilla is also well-known for some tanks such as 'Dhormo Sagor', 'Ranir Dighi', 'Nanuar Dighi', 'Ujir Dighi' etc.

Cox’s Bazar the most eye-catching sightseer spot in Bangladesh

Cox’s Bazar the most beautiful tourist place of Bangladesh. Cox’s Bazar situated at 152 km south of Chittagong is well connected both by air and road from Dhaka and Chittagong. It is about 3 hours derived from Chittagong. The greatest unbroken natural sea beach of the world is here. 120 km long beach sloping gently down to the water of the Bay of Bengal against the pictures background of chain of hills roofed with deep creak forest. Is one of the most gorgeous tourist spot in the world.

 

The long-established and colorful everyday life of the Rakhine community at Cox’s bazar is a gigantic tourist attraction. The water festival of the Rakhine community is an example of their colorful lifestyle. In Cox’s bazaar there are some beautiful old Buddhist temple of them beautiful temple at Raumuniya cox’s bazar how word seen. Adina temple at Moheskhali of few km way from Cox’s bazar is also word visiting. Beach drive to Ennani about 35 km south is tremendously present experiment.  In Cox’s bazar their ideal tourist resort having comfortable accommodation cataring sightseeing and other facilities of the visitors.

Beautiful Bangladesh - School of life

Peoples of Bangladesh

Peoples of Bangladesh

Vast majorities (98 percent) of the people of Bangladesh are Bengalis and they speak the Bengali language. Minorities include Biharis numbering 250,000 and other tribes numbering about a million, with the Chakma being most numerous in number. About 83% of Bangladeshis are profess Islam as their religion. The next major religion is Hinduism (16%). Other major religions include Buddhism and Christianity.

A part of the Indo-European family of languages, Bangla (sometimes called Bengali) is the official language of Bangladesh. Bangladeshis intimately identify themselves with their national language. Bangla has a rich cultural legacy in literature, music, and poetry, and at least two Bengali poets are well known in the West: Rabindranath Tagore, a Hindu and a Nobel laureate; and Kazi Nazrul Islam, a Muslim known as the "voice of Bengali nationalism and independence." Bangla has been enriched by several regional dialects. The dialects of Sylhet, Chittagong, and Noakhali have been strongly marked by Arab-Persian influences. English, whose cultural influence seemed to have crested by the late 1980s, remained nevertheless an important language in Bangladesh.

Biharis, a group that included Urdu-speaking non-Bengali Muslim refugees from Bihar and other parts of northern India, numbered about 1 million in 1971 but had decreased to around 600,000 by the late 1980s. They once dominated the upper levels of Bengali society. Many also held jobs on the railroads and in heavy industry. As such they stood to lose from Bangladesh independence and sided with Pakistan during the 1971 war. Hundreds of thousands of Biharis were repatriated to Pakistan after the war.
Bangladesh's tribal population consists of about 1 million people, just fewer than 1 percent of the total population. They live primarily in the Chittagong Hills and in the regions of Mymensingh, Sylhet, and Rajshahi. The majority of the tribal population (778,425) live in rural settings, where many practice shifting cultivation. Most tribal people are of SinoTibetan descent and have distinctive Mongoloid features. They differ in their social organization, marriage customs, birth and death rites, food, and other social customs from the people of the rest of the country. They speak Tibeto-Burman languages. In the mid-1980s, the percentage distribution of tribal population by religion was Hindu 24, Buddhist 44, Christian 13, and others 19.

The four major tribes are the Chakmas, Marmas (or Maghs), Tipperas (or Tipras), and Mros (or Moorangs). The tribes tend to mix together and could be distinguished from one another more by differences in their dialect, dress, and customs than by tribal cohesion. Only the Chakmas and Marmas display formal tribal organization, although all groups containe distinct clans. By far the largest tribe, the Chakmas are of mixed origin but reflect more Bengali influence than any other tribe. Unlike the other tribes, the Chakmas and Marmas generally live in the highland valleys. Most Chakmas are Buddhists, but some practiced Hinduism or animism.

The country's inhabitants is almost evenly distributed throughout its 64 districts except for the three Hill Tracts districts, which are rather sparsely inhabited. Regionally, the eastern districts have a to some extent higher density than the western ones. On average, a district has a population of about 1.8 million, a thana 230,000, a union 25,000 and a village 2,000. There are 490 thanas, 4,451 unions and 59,990 villages. The number of households is about 20 million. On average, a household consists of 5.6 persons. The tribal people, who lead a simple life, are generally self-reliant, producing their own food and drinks and weaving their own clothes.

There are 4 metropolitan cities and 119 municipalities in the country. The level of urbanization is low at 20%. This leaves 80% of the country's total population of about 120 million to live in the rural areas, which primarily depend on a poorly developed agriculture for livelihood. The capital city of Dhaka has an estimated population of 8.58 million. The annual growth rate of the populace has come down to 1.75% with the acceptance of family planning practices rising to 48.7%. The crude birth rate per 1000 is 25.6 and the death rate is 8.1. Life expectation at birth is 59.5 years. The rate of child mortality per 1000 has come down to 76.8 and that of maternal mortality to 4.5. About 96.3% families in the country have now access to safe drinking water. The sex ratio is 106 males for every 100 females. The density of population per square kilometer is 800.

Some 44.3% of the people are literate with about 5 million having passed secondary school level and another 1.27 million being graduates. The primary school enrollment rate has risen to 86% and the rate for secondary school enrollment to 33%. To intensify promotion of obligatory primary education, the food-for education programme has been extended to over 16,000 schools. More and more primary schools will be brought under this programme.