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"Bangladesh?
Cyclones, floods, famine and less-than-democratic changes of government-
at least that's the impression the world's press gives.
What this image doesn't reveal is that Bangladesh offers a variety
of attractions quite unusual for a country its size.
It
is a country richer than most in natural beauty; it offers magnificent
sunsets, majestic buildings, exquisite handicrafts and a cultured
and warm-hearted people. -
Nestled
in the crook of the Bay of Bengal and braided by the fingers of
the Ganges delta , Bangladesh offers the adventurous traveler verdant
tropical forests, one of the national parks so dense they are only
accessible by boat (unless you happen to be a Royal Bengal tiger),
and remains of cultures dating back to the time of Ashoka's Buddhist
Empire
.the
countryside of Bangladesh is lush and beautiful and the air is clean,
perhaps as India once was before industrialization.
. Rural Bangladesh feels relaxed, spacious and friendly
the
answer to why Bangladesh? Can only be why ever not?
..
come to Bangladesh ....
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| WHERE
IT IS? |
|
Bangladesh
is situated on the north-eastern side of the South Asian Subcontinent.
It lies between 200 34' and 260 36'
North Latitude and 880 01' and 920 41'
East Longitude. It is surrounded by India on the West, North
& East. To the South it has Bay of Bengal. In the Southeastern
corner, it has a common border with Myanmer. On the North
of Bangladesh lies Nepal, Sikim and Bhutan and to their north
sprawls vast territory of Tibet and China.
|
|
|
| Climate |
|
The
climate of Bangladesh is subtropical and tropical with temperature
ranging from 100C in the winter and to 360C in the summer. Annual
rainfall varies from 1000 mm in the west, to 2500 mm in the Southeast
and up to 5000mm in the northeastern part.
|
Winter:
|
Average
maximum temperature: 290C / 840F
Average minimum temperature: 110C / 520F
Low humidity
Low rainfall
|
| Summer: |
Average
maximum temperature: 34.50C / 940F
Average minimum temperature: 210C / 700F
Humidity: 90-95% |
|
|
|
| Best season |
|
October
to march, when the sun is mild and pleasant, is the best season
for a visit. "Monsoon" season (June to August ) offers
special attractions.
|
| What to Bring |
|
The
weather is warm year round. Light, cotton clothing for in summer;
rainproof jacket in the monsoons; woolen pullover and Jackets in
winter An umbrella can be useful at any time of the year, essential
during the monsoon. Sandals or thongs are more comfortable than
shoes.
|
|
BANGLADESH:
SOME FACTS AND FIGURES
|
| AREA |
| Approximately
144,000 sq km |
| POPULATION |
124,300,000
(1997 estimate )
64,000,000 male
60,000,000 female
|
| |
88%
Muslim
10% Hindu
0.6% Buddhist
0.2% Christian |
|
| ADMINISTRATIVE
UNITS
|
| Divisions: |
6 |
| Districts: |
64 |
| Thana: |
497
(460 rural, 37 metro ) |
|
| CAPITAL
|
| Dhaka |
|
|
| Area
|
400sq
km |
|
|
Population: |
8,000,000(1997
estimate) |
|
|
| OTHER MAJOR
TOWNS
|
Chittagong
Khulna
Rajshahi
Maymensing
Comilla
Sylhet
|
| LANGUAGE
|
| Bangla but English
is widely spoken in Dhaka and larger towns.
|
| RELIGION
|
| The state religion
is Islam . However there is freedom of worship.
|
| CURRENCY
|
| Notes:
|
Taka
|
1,2,3,4,5,10,20,50,100,500 |
| Coin: |
Taka
|
1,5 |
| One
taka is equal to 100 paisa. |
Paisa |
1,5,10,25,50 |
|
| TIME
|
| GMT + 6 hours
|
| MAIN SEASONS
|
| Winter:
|
November
to February |
| Summer: |
March
to June |
| Monsoon: |
July
to October |
|
| BEST SEASON
|
| (To
visit) |
October
to March |
|
| PRINCIPAL
RIVERS
|
Padma, Meghnam,
Jamunam, Brahmaputra, Teesta, Surma and Karnaphuli.
In all, 230 rivers including tributaries and rivulets.
|
| PRINCIPAL
CROPS AND LIVESTOCK
|
| Rice, wheat,
jute, tobacco, sugarcane, pulse, oilseeds, spices, vegetables, fruits
(including bananas, mangoes, coconuts, jackfruit, pineapples ), cattle,
goat, buffalo, sheep.
|
| PRINCIPAL
EXPORTS
|
| Ready-made garments,
textiles, labour, fertilizers, leather and leather goods, jute, jute
products, tea, hides and skins, newsprint, fish, shrimp, and frogs
legs.
|
| LITERACY
|
| About 43.3% (1995
estimate, age 7 and over )
|
| ELECTRICITY
|
| 220 volts (AC),
50 Hz
|
| WORKING HOURS
|
|
Banks:
|
Thursday
Sunday to Wednesday
|
9.00
am to 1.00pm
9.00am to 3.00pm |
| Government: |
Sunday
to Thursday |
9.00am
to 4.00pm |
| Shops: |
Sunday
to Thursday |
10.00am
to 8.00pm |
|
| Friday is a general
holiday. Many multinational and local offices keeps their close in
Saturday also .
|
| THE NATIONAL
FLAG
|
| A red circle
on a bottle green background.
|
| THE NATIONAL
EMBLEM
|
| The Shapla or
water-lily, which has an ear of paddy and a star on each side and
three jute leaves on top.
|
| HISTORICAL
SITES OF BANGLADESH
|
| There are many
historical sites in Bangladesh which are fascinating to visit- the
following provides a brief outline of these.
|
| ASOKA , BUDDHISM
AND THE GUPTAS
|
| Bogra: |
Ruins
of a pala emperor's magnificent monastery at Paharpur, 56km
west of Bogra, built in the eighth century AD. Also here is
a museum, a Buddhist temple (Somapura Vihara), the Paharpur
Temple or namented with terracotta plaques of Brahmanical
and Buddhist deities and numerous stupas
|
| Chittagong: |
Tomb
of the Sufi saint, Bayazid Bostami, who died in 874AD is 7km
north-west of the city.
|
| Comilla: |
Ruins
of Mainamati, 8km west of Commilla. This was the centre of
Buddhist culture from the eighth to the twelfth centuries
.
There is a shrinfe (Charpatra Mura ), a monastery (Salban
Vihara ), and stupas (Kotila Mura)
|
| Dinajpur: |
Ruins
of a Hindu temple with lovely terracolla tiles.
|
| Rajshahi: |
A
perfect example of a Hindu temple built during the Sena rule
in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries AD is at Puthia, near
Rajshahi
|
| Sonargaon: |
Some
pre-1200AD artifacts and ruins can be found. |
|
| PRE-MOGHUL
MUSLIMS
|
| Bagerhat: |
Bagerhat:
Shait Gumbad (60-domed) Mosque, located near Khulna, built
in 1459. The mosque , in fact, has 77domes.
Khan Jahan Museum built in the early fifteenth century.Anine-
domed mosque built in the early fifteenth century.
|
| Dhaka: |
Binat
Bidi's mosque in Narinda (old Dhaka)and dated 1457.It has
come examples of excellent calligraphy.
Stone inscription fixed over the entrance of an old pre-Moghul
mosque located in Narinda (old Dhaka) and dated 1457.
Shrine of Shah Ali Baghdadi who was buried in Mirpur in 1498.
|
| Rajshahi:
|
Kushumba
Mosque located north of Rajshahi.
|
| Sonargaon:
|
Tomb
of SultanGhis uddin Azam Shah (of the llyas Shahi dynasty)located
in Mograpara locality and built in 1410. This is the earliest
surviving Muslim monument in Bangladesh .
Fatehshah's Mosque built in 1484.
Panch Pir Dargah, a group of five tombs.
Haji Baba Sahib's tomb built in 1505.
Goaldih Mosque , built in 1519 in Husain Shah's reign by Hizabar
Akbar Khan.
|
|
| MONGHUL PERIOD
|
| Chittagong: |
A
three-domed mosque built in the early seventeenth century in
the Moghul style.
|
| Dhaka: |
The
Eidgah (used for Eid gatherings) in Dhanmondi , the earliest
Moghul monument in Dhaka.
Madhave Temple, located in Dhamri, 40km from Dhaka , was built
in the sixteenth century .
Boro Katra (in old Dhaka ), a caravanserai built in 1664 when
Dhaka was the capital.
Choto katra, (in old Dhaka), a caravamserai built in1663 when
Dhaka was the capital.
The three-domed Khwaja Amber tomb, located behind the old
High Court building, was built in1679.
Mymensingh road was built , extending north of Dhaka for many
miles .
Lalbag fort (in old Dhaka), started by Aurangzeb's son , Azam
Shah , continued by Shaista Khan in 1678 but never completed.
The mausoleum of Pari Bano , Shaista Khan's daughter ,is here.
Sat Gumbad (seven-dome)Mosque located at Mohammadpur, built
by Shaista Khan in the seventeenth century.
Hussaini Dalan, located in Old Dhaka, Built in the seventeenth
century . Damaged severely in the earthquake of 1897,it was
then rebuilt on its original site by Nawab Alimullah in 1898.
This building is used for religious purposes by the Shiah
community.
Dhakeswri Temple , built in the seventeenth century , located
in Orphanage Road.
Idrakpur Fort, 24km south-east of Dhaka in Munshiganj, was
built in the seventeenth century to protect the water routes
to Dhaka .
Star Mosque , built in the early eighteenth century .
Portuguese Church, located near the Farmgate area, built in
1677.
Armenian Church, located in Armanitola (old Dhaka),built in
1781.
Anglican Church, located near Vicotri Park, built in 1819.
Greek Memorial, located within Dhaka University campus, built
in the early nineteenth century.
Ruplal House, a nineteenth century mansion originally built
by Armenians, located in Farashganj (in old Dhaka). It was
later bought by a prominent Hindu merchant who completely
rebuilt it in the classic Greek style , and named it after
his son Ruplal Das.
Christian cemetery in Narinda (old Dhaka), which has the tomb
of William Kerkman who died in 1774. This is the only surviving
relic of Dutch existence in Dhaka.
Bhadur Shah Park m located in old Dhaka, where sepoys had
been hanged by the British in 1857. The park was renamed Victoria
Park in 1858 in recognition of Victoria's coronation as Empress
of India.
Ahsan Manzil, located in Sadarghat (old Dhaka), originally
a landowner's town house, then a French factory in 1740, finally
purchased by Khwaja Alimullah in 1838, whose son Nawab Abdul
Ghani erected the present building in 1872 and named it after
his son. Now a museum.
Curzon Hall, built by the British in 1905.
The old High Court building, which was originally built in
1905 to be the residence for the Governor of the newly-created
Province of Assam and Bengal.
|
| Dinajpur: |
Kantanagar
Temple, built in 1752.
Sonali Bank building housed in a beautiful rajbari.
|
| Sonargaon: |
Ahamed
Shah's mosque in Muzzampur locality , built in the sixteenth
century . In Painam locality there are remnants of a lovely
stucco house built by rich Hindu merchants in the nineteenth
and early twentieth centuries. , A beautiful brick made Seventeenth
Century Bridge can be seen.
Abdul Hamid's mosque is built in 1705
The Folk Art Museum housed in a beautiful rajbari , built
in the nineteenth centuries.
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| Nator: |
Dighapatia
Palace built in the mid-eighteenth century.
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| Note:
|
:A
rajbari is a palace built by a wealthy Hindu landlord.
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|
| HISTORICAL
BACKGROUND OF BANGLADESH
|
|
What
is now Bangladesh used to be a region of India called East Bengal.
Before 1947, when East Bengal became the eastern wing of the new
nation of Pakistan, the history of East Bengal was the history of
the Indian sub-continent.
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| ARYANS
AND ALEXANDER
|
|
About
2500BC, there existed in the sub-continent of India a civilization
that had developed arts, agricultural wealth and trade. Archaeological
excavations in the area around the river Indus provided the first
clue as to what the sub-continent was like in ancient times. The
great Aryan invasions between2000 and 1500BC brought to the region
a of the Aryan and the native cultures took place. Even as these
new cultures.
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