Yearly Archives: 2014

Somapura Mahavihara, Paharpur, Bangladesh

The ruins of the massive Somapura Mahavihara in Paharpur, north-western Bangladesh are one of only 3 UNESCO World Heritage sites in the country – the other two are the mosque city of Bagerhat and the natural beauty of the Sundarbans National Park.

Believed to be part of a network of Tibetan Buddhist teaching monasteries, this is the only one of the 5 great Mahaviharas that now sits outside present day India as the rest are just over the border to the west.

After a short but very hot and busy train journey from Rajshahi, we arrived at the ruins late afternoon to find a few groups of Bangladeshi tourists wandering around..

The breath-taking multi-level central shrine at Somapura Mahavihara, Paharpur, Bangladesh

Last used around the 12th century, the Somapura consisted of 177 monk “cells” that surrounded the central shrine or stupa in an almost perfect square wall with the main entrance facing north. The enclosed grounds have foundations for a number of supporting buildings – such as a kitchen and bathing house – and the latrines were outside the walls to the south.

The monks’ cells were all uniform in size, though if I were a monk studying there I would have wanted one of the corner plots because they have an extra little anteroom as well.

Monk cells – fit for a monk in training

Clockwise from top-right: foundations of 4 different shrines inside the grounds; The base of each layer of the central shrine is decorated with terracotta tiles depicting plants and animals; The information board next to the main northern entranceway onto the central shrine

After a good walk around we retired to our room within the monument and museum grounds for dinner and some much needed rest, but not before the museum curator invited me to join him for a conversation about archaeology (thank you, Sir Tony Robinson and Time Team – I knew that Sunday evening TV viewing would come in handy some day!)

Somapura central shrine in the early morning light

The following morning we got up early and had the site to ourselves, save for an early morning jogger and the security guard who probably features in most of our photographs of the central shrine as he did his rounds while trying to keep an eye on us.

We really enjoyed looking around the Somapura Mahavihara. The small on-site museum had some nice statues and terracotta tiles found during the excavations and was just the right size to hold our interest. As explored the ruins, I wondered what it must have been like to study there before it was abandoned.. it must have had quite a feeling of safety and seclusion given the high outer walls that housed the monks’ cells and narrow entranceway.

Rajshahi, Bangladesh

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A day after our Sundarbans tour we took the early morning train 300km north-west to Rajshahi. The 7 hour journey was very picturesque passing through lush green countryside and many small towns and villages before crossing the huge Padma River (you might know it by its Indian name, the Ganges) into Rajshahi Division. The windows in Bangladeshi trains open right up so you can lean out and take photos too. Not something that the health and safety people are likely to approve of perhaps, but it added to the fun for us.

Crossing ‘Harding’s Bridge’ over the Padma River. We were excited to spot signs on the bridge showing that it was built by the Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company from Darlington, England!

Puthia & Natore

On our first day we decided to head out to the village of Puthia, a 30 minute bus ride away which the Lonely Planet describes as

…positively bursting at the seams with dilapidated palaces and bewitching temples, and is one of the shining highlights of this part of Bangladesh. If Puthia were in almost any other counry the ruins here would be seething with camera-snapping tourists, but lost as it is in the remote paddy fields of Bangladesh, you’ll have it all to yourself

I was a little skeptical of such a gushing recommendation but it really was absolutely stunning. We were given a tour by the caretaker, Mr Bishwana, and it was just temple after temple, almost all well preserved and beautifully decorated with terracotta tiles.

The first temple we visited was the five-spired Shiva Temple (right) which stands beside a pond at the entrance to the village

Shiva Temple (clockwise from top left): Carvings over the doorway, many of the exterior carvings were defaced during the 1971 Liberation War, inside the temple is a huge black Shiva lingam, arches in the gallery around the temple

The other five temples that we visited in Puthia varied massively in size and shape but all had similar decoration, covered from top to bottom with terracotta tiles showing characters and stories from Hindu mythology.

Julie in front of a diminutive temple, Andrew with the huge Govinda Temple, both of us in front of the squat but wide Anika Temple

A tiny sample of the terracotta tiles of Puthia’s temples

Having finished our tour of the village’s sights by lunchtime, we decided to move on to Natore, another 30 minute bus ride away where the Lonely Planet assured us that there was a ‘magnificent but dilapidated’ rajbari, basically a decaying Bangladeshi stately home. The buildings of the rajbari are indeed beautiful, unfortunately we hadn’t factored into our planning the fact that it was Friday (aka the weekend) which meant that busloads of schools had descended for picnics, loud music playing, prizegiving and harassment of foreign tourists…

Boarded up rajbari building – I know it looks like there’s no-one else there but trust me, they were behind us…

Rajbari buildings reflected in a pond, stained glass and a glimpse of the interior through a boarded up door, small Shiva temple in the grounds, Mughal style arch

After about 45 minutes we were so sick of having our photo taken that we just had to leave. The only bright spot was the small boy who befriended us – I’ve never seen anyone look so pleased to receive an orange!

Lots of attention (clockwise from top left): Us swamped by a family wanting a photo, Andrew with the local boy we befriended, this woman grabbed me by the hand and led me across to where her family were sitting to pose with them, a bus group’s encampment complete with bright tent and loudspeakers

Rajshahi City

Rajshahi itself is a university city and as such packed with young, chatty students. We got a tour around the campus of Rajshahi College and its colonial architecture by a student wishing to practice his English, and an offer to be shown around the university campus by an equally keen student which we declined due to its distance from the city centre.

One of the colonial buildings which make up Rajshahi College’s campus

Whenever a local spoke to us about the city they almost always mentioned one or both of the following, the Padma River, and mangoes! The city is situated on the banks of the Padma and has an attractive promenade along the riverbank which is lively in the evening. The climate of Rajshahi is perfect for mango trees and we saw orchards in the countryside all around the city. The trees were in flower during our visit and although the fruit doesn’t ripen until June we heard that some can be as big as 2kg!

Sunset over the River Padma

The main sight in the city, other than wandering and looking at the architecture and markets, is the Varendra Research Museum which is managed by the university. It contains an impressive number of artefacts from nearby archeaological sites, in particular some beautiful Hindu carvings. We were again treated to a personalised tour, this time by the museum’s secretary who hovered over us a little bit at first but seemed to relax as the tour went on and told us some stories and history as well as shooing away anyone who started staring at us.

Varendra Research Museum exterior (no photos allowed inside)

Sona Masjid

The second day trip that we made from Rajshahi was to Sona Masjid, a vast site spanning 32 sq. km across the border between Bangladesh and India (where it’s known as Gaud). It is the remains of a huge city which was the capital of Bengal for many years. On the Bangladeshi side are a number of well preserved mosques, a palace and a mausoleum, some dating from as far back as the 15th century.

According to our guidebook the bus journey was supposed to take 3 hours, but after just 2.25 hours we were ejected at the side of the road beside Chhoto Sona Masjid (Small Golden Mosque). Somewhat shaken by the super fast journey we decided to grab a cup of tea, but at the local tea stand we were soon surrounded by staring men, so we supped up quickly and moved off to the mosque. It’s no longer golden, its name refers to the fact that its domes were once gilded but it is still impressive with stone carvings outside and a cool interior. The mosque’s imam rushed in during our visit, keen to engage us in conversation (and point out the donation box).

Us outside Chhoto Sona Masjid

Chhoto Sona Masjid decoration including an arabic inscription above the main door (top)

From there we moved down the road to the buildings which make up the Tahkhana complex comprising a small palace, a mosque and the mausoleum of Shah Niamatullah. Here we felt a bit persecuted by the over attention, having to fend off a tuk-tuk driver and various guides as well as getting annoyed by a group of lads who followed us around taking pictures on their mobiles. We don’t really mind if people want to take a picture of us or with us but it’s a bit nicer if they say hello and ask if it’s OK or at least just take one and then move on…

Tahkhana complex (clockwise from top left): Shah Niamatullah Mosque, Tahkhana Palace from across the pond, being stared at, Mausoleum of Shah Niamatullah

As we walked down the dusty road to the other two mosques, we were passed by lots of brightly decorated trucks making their way to the official border crossing point. We’ve noticed that all of the trucks in Bangladesh seem to be painted like this, I’m not sure if the colours signify ownership or if there’s some other reason but they’re very cheerful.

Brightly painted trucks

Thankfully both Darasbari Mosque and Khania Dighi Mosque were much quieter and we managed to have a look around in relative peace. It seems strange that so many elaborate and historic mosques are scattered around this area, tucked away in the farmland and miles away from any major centres of population. It made us think about the upheavals that must have happened over the last few hundred years to cause such shifts of people and marvel that these buildings at least survived relatively intact.

Ruined Darasbari Mosque is set in a peaceful location down a path away from the main road

Brickwork decoration and arches of Darasbari Mosque

Khania Dighi Mosque is surrounded by large old mango trees

We caught the last bus of the day back to Rajshahi, tired and dusty, but very glad to have made the trip. The bus was busy but fortunately not quite as crazy as the bus that we took in the morning and much closer to the quoted 3 hour duration.

Boat trip to Sundarbans National Park, Bangladesh

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The Sundarbans National Park (pronounced Sh-undarbans) is the largest mangrove forest in the world, and is home to around 400 Royal Bengal tigers, the largest single population of tigers in the world. Approximately 60% of the park’s area lies within Bangladesh’s borders, the rest in India. The best way to see the wildlife and explore the forest is as part of an organised tour although there is very little chance of seeing a tiger and (spoiler alert!) we didn’t.

We joined a group tour of 3 days and 2 nights with agency Guide Tours. Our group size was eight (a nice manageable size) plus two babies (who were very cute but not so good at being quiet…) and, perhaps surprisingly, we were the only real tourists. The two ladies with the babies, Nathalie (mum to Lucas) and Cameron (mum to Tragar), are ex-pats living in Dhaka (their husbands work for the same firm), Ben from London has a Bangladeshi wife and they were in the country visiting family, she was sorting out some business while he did the trip, Kamal was born in Bangladesh but is now living in the US and again the main purpose of his visit was to see family, Hubert is Dutch and makes an annual trip to Bangladesh to review the work of a charitable foundation which he has set up, each of his trips culminates in a tour of the Sundarbans, and his friend Jewel is Bangladeshi, and as well as running a tour company, he manages the foundation day-to-day.

Our tour boat the MV Chhuti (which translates as Motor Vessel Holiday!)

The first morning was an early start, we met with our guide, Emamul, at Jailkhana Ghat (Jailhouse Pier) in Khulna at 7am to shuttle across to the tour boat and start the long cruise south to our overnight dock near the Bay of Bengal. Most of the morning we were outside the National Park and we had the opportunity to see some of the industry and commercial shipping along the river. Ships full of raw materials such as sand are often unloaded manually by men carrying basket loads on their heads and there are lots of brick factories along the riverside here, as there are all over Bangladesh. I’m sure we must make bricks in the UK as well but I’ve never seen a factory there, whereas here I think we see 3 or 4 per day!

Early morning on the River Rupsha at Khulna

Unloading a ship the hard way, cross-river passenger ferry, riverside brick factory

At about 11am we arrived at the edge of the National Park and collected the two forest rangers who would travel with us for the duration of our stay in the park. They carried antique looking rifles to protect us in the doubly unlikely circumstance that we (a) saw a tiger, and (b) it decided that we looked like lunch…

Picking up our forest rangers

For the remainder of the day we chilled out on the boat, admiring the lush green of the mangrove trees lining the river banks and keeping an eye out for any wildlife. We missed the huge crocodile that some of the others spotted, but we did see some Rhesus monkeys along the shore as well as brief glimpses of the backs of Ganges River Dolphins, plenty of egrets and Brahminy Kites flying overhead. After a delicious dinner of curried crabs whipped up by the onboard chef we retired to our bunks, excited for the 6am alarm call the next day.

Our first activity on day 2 was an early morning rowboat trip through some narrower river channels. The mist rising from the water was beautiful and it was lovely to float in silence (barring the occasional shout from Lucas or Tragar) between the trees. We didn’t see any animals but there were otter tracks on the muddy banks and plenty of bird life including our first kingfishers of the trip and a bright Scarlet Minivet flying overhead.

Floating peacefully through the narrow channel

After a leisurely breakfast we got into the small speedboat to be ferried to the starting point for our walk to Kotka Beach. Almost straightaway we saw a wild boar at close quarters. Emamul joked that Bangladeshi wild boars are unafraid of humans as they know that Muslims don’t eat pork! And then Jewel spotted a huge water monitor lizard in the grass, it was about a metre long and watched us for about a minute before it sprinted away.

Wild boar and Water monitor lizard

Kotka beach is full of dead trees killed by Cyclone Sidr in 2007 and was quiet apart from scuttling crabs. The other male guests went off to the far end of the beach for a mud bath and Andrew later wished he’d joined them although I don’t think I would have liked the cold seawater to rinse off with. There didn’t seem to be much wildlife at the beach until a white bellied fish eagle flew over just as we were leaving.

Bay of Bengal lapping Kotka beach, dead trees line the edge of the beach, White-bellied fish eagle, Kamal, Ben, Hubert and Jewel preparing to wash off the mud

The afternoon excursion was a walk through the forest. For us the pace was a bit fast and we would have preferred longer to stand and look for whatever wildlife was there. Still we were chuffed to see a fish owl, a woodpecker and lots of Spotted Deer as well as another wild boar and a tiger’s footprint! The going was quite difficult as the mangrove trees push up lots of little stumpy roots which we kept tripping over. Dinner on the second night was barbecue which we were amused (or should that be alarmed?) to watch being lit on the deck of the boat with a petrol soaked cloth…

Mangrove roots jutting up from the forest floor, Buffy Fish Owl, Julie’s hand next to the tiger print, Spotted Deer in the forest

As soon as we were back on board after the afternoon’s walk, the boat lifted anchor and started motoring north for 4 hours before bedtime. That meant that we would have enough time for an excursion on the third day as well as getting back to Khulna for the evening train to Dhaka which some of the others were booked on. Early in the morning we started moving again and soon moved into a relatively narrow channel where we saw lots of boats collecting palm leaves (which I think are used for roofing), three different kinds of kingfisher and a fleeting glimpse of a crocodile in the water.

Boat full of cut palm leaves

Stopping just before lunch we set off for another walk through the forest. This one seemed even faster paced than the day before and with ten or so people tramping along a wooden boardwalk it was never very likely that we would see much wildlife.

Tramping along the boardwalk

Wildlife around the pond at the start and end of the walk: large Indian Bullfrog, butterfly taking off, two Shikras (a type of small hawk) having a drink

For the rest of the journey we saw similar sights to the first morning. We arrived back in Khulna feeling privileged to have seen some of the richness of the National Park and fearful that the rapid development of Bangladesh and India might put it at risk – Emamul told us of plans to build a power station on the bay at the southern edge of the park and it’s inconceivable that such a huge project won’t have a massively negative impact on the fragile habitat and biodiversity of the area.

Dressing like a local in Bangladesh

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As a woman travelling in Bangladesh, it’s a good idea to pay attention to local customs in terms of dress. Ladies here usually wear either a sari, a long dress, or a salwar kameez (a long tunic worn over trousers with a scarf/shawl) and as a visitor loose fitting clothes which cover the legs and shoulders are the best bet – you will get a lot of stares as a foreigner anyway, there’s no need to attract even more by wearing tight T-shirts or shorts.

My original kit included a couple of shirts but that wasn’t going to be enough for a month in a hot and dusty country so it was time to go shopping! Tempted by the bright colours (and relative similarity to my usual trousers and shirt) of the salwar kameez I decided to try one for myself and Andrew and I ventured into the chaos of Khulna market. With dozens of small shops all displaying a wide variety of patterns and colours and all seemingly different from each other it was quite overwhelming at first and we did a full circuit without approaching a shop.

Colourful salwar kameezes for sale in Mymensingh market

Eventually I spied one that I liked and pointed it out to the shopkeeper who promptly pulled out three more colours in the same style, but I preferred the green one which he had on display. I’d heard in the past that it is common to have clothes tailor made in Asia but I’d naively assumed that buying from a market I would choose my style, be offered a choice of small, medium or large and be ready to go. So I was alarmed when he unpinned the tunic from the dummy and it was huge and obviously unfinished at the neckline. As we agreed on the price (about £10), I tried to ask him about the finishing and if it was included. His English was only slightly better than my Bengali but eventually he understood my question and indicated that I had to take it to a tailor to be finished and directed us to a shop around the corner.

The tailor was a little less intimidating than the shops and he quickly started taking measurements and making cryptic notes on a piece of paper, asking how long I wanted the tunic and showing me a couple of different options for the finish on the hem of the trousers. Within ten minutes we were on our way with the receipt. Two days and an incredibly low £2 later we excitedly collected the adjusted clothes and scurried back to the hotel to try them on!

The finished article!

The salwar (trousers) look like baggy clown pants and I wasn’t sure how I’d feel wearing them, but actually I’m really pleased with the result and it’s cool and comfortable in the heat of the day although I don’t think I’ll be wearing them after we leave Bangladesh. The only bit that I can’t get used to is the scarf which seems to fall off my shoulders every other minute. I assumed that local women must have some kind of trick to keep it on but when I asked a lady who we met on the train, she laughed and replied ‘habit’ so I guess it’s just practice… Another upside is that practically every time I’ve worn it locals have commented approvingly asking where I bought my outfit or saying ‘nice dress ‘ or ‘Bangla dress’.

Village life and ancient mosques in Bagerhat, Bangladesh

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The area around the small town of Bagerhat in southwestern Bangladesh is home to more ancient mosques and mausoleums than anywhere else in the country apart from Dhaka. We visited as a day trip from the Division capital of Khulna and after an hour on the cramped bus we got off beside the centrepiece, Shait Gumbad Mosque, which dates from the 15th century. Its name is misleading, it means ‘Temple with 60 Domes’ but actually there are 77. We arrived just after it opened at 9am so there were few people about and we had the shady columned interior almost to ourselves.

Shait Gumbad Mosque

Us inside the columned interior of Shait Gumbad Mosque

After a quick pitstop at a nearby tea stand, we followed the path around the pond behind the mosque, passing through a small village with locals calling out hello and children following behind (this is normal if you’re a foreigner in Bangladesh…). There are two more ancient mosques hidden away in this village. We could only get into one, but the exteriors were both beautifully decorated with bricks patterned with plants and trees.

Village mosques (clockwise from top left): Bibi Begni Mosque hidden in the trees, village kids in a doorway of Bibi Begni Mosque, Chunakhola Mosque, decorative brickwork on the exterior of Chunakhola Mosque

The walk between them passed by a small patch of open ground where in the UK you might find kids playing football, but in Bangladesh cricket is the national obsession so here there were a group of boys with bat and ball. Andrew was persuaded to go in to bat much to the boys’ delight, but after knocking the ball into a nearby pond (a boy jumped in to retrieve it) and then shouting ‘England vs Bangladesh‘ they brought out their best spin bowler and Andrew didn’t stand a chance!

Spin bowler, Andrew as batsman

A short walk down the road brought us to the Mausoleum of Khan Jahan Ali, the man who decided to make his capital at Bagerhat and who is behind the creation of most of the historical monuments still there today. His tomb was busy with local pilgrims and women weren’t allowed inside the building (Andrew went in alone and reported that it wasn’t anything very exciting although he wasn’t allowed to leave until he’d made a ‘donation’). The large nearby pond is the home of a 100 year old crocodile who, according to the Lonely Planet, has become a bit of a tourist attraction. Unfortunately he didn’t put in an appearance for us although we got to see the taxidermied remains of his companion which died in 2011 and is preserved in the small Bagerhat Museum in the grounds of Shait Gumbad Mosque.

Clockwise from top left: Mausoleum of Khan Jahan Ali, decorated gateway in the mausoleum’s perimeter wall, there were a lot of people bathing in the pond considering it has a crocodile in it, there’s a handy picture on a wall beside the pond so you know what to look for…

Near the mausoleum are a couple more mosques, the Nine Domed Mosque which is a pleasant walk along the side of the pond, and Zinda Pir Mosque which has a number of tombs in its grounds.

Zinda Pir Mosque and old tomb

Nine Domed Mosque: from the front, mihrab (niche facing Mecca indicating direction of prayer), and domed ceiling

The final mosque that we visited was Ronvijoypur Mosque. Again away from the main road, this one took a little more finding as a crucial signpost was missing but eventually, after enquiring ‘masjid? masjid?’ to several bemused locals, we got there. The 11m wide dome is the largest in Bangladesh and is supported by 3m thick brick walls.

Ronvijoypur Mosque and its impressive dome

After the chaos of Dhaka it was great to see a little of what rural life in Bangladesh is like by wandering the narrow roads and villages between the mosques. Bagerhat was also our first taste of the rich history of Bangladesh and definitely whetted our appetite for more with its well preserved buildings and lack of tourists.

two year trip

Andrew and Julie's Travelling Adventures