Visiting Bangladesh, touring Bangladesh.

Would you really like to visit Bangladesh? First have a look around and be treated to the sights of Bangladesh .You can also view some scenes from history .or visit the Holocaust memorial museum, that commemorates the sacrifice made by so many to achieve our freedom. It is not enough to see us, come and listen to us . Some sounds from Bangladesh .Do check out the magnificent Ilish (Hilsa shad), the favorite fish of a fish-eating nation .If your appetite has been whetted and you would really like to visit Bangladesh , accompany me to Destination Bangladesh ! , your own arm-chair travel guide! Do visit the directory of Bangladesh related sites.

Cox's Bazar (Bengali: কক্স বাজার Kôksho Bajar or Kôks Bazar) is a town, a fishing port and district headquarters in Bangladesh. It is known for its wide sandy beach which, believed to be the world's longest natural sandy sea beach.^[2][3][4] It is an unbroken 125 km sandy sea beach with a gentle slope. It is located 150 km south of Chittagong. Cox’s Bazar is also known by the name "Panowa", the literal translation of which means "yellow flower". Its other old name was "Palongkee". The modern Cox's Bazar derives its name from Captain Cox (died 1799), an officer serving in British India. In the 18th century, an officer of British East India Company, Captain Hiram Cox was appointed as the Superintendent of Palongkee outpost after Warren Hastings became the Governor of Bengal. Captain Cox was specially mobilized to deal with a century long conflict between Arakan refugees and local Rakhains. The Captain was a compassionate soul and the plight of the people touched his heart. He embarked upon the mammoth task of rehabilitating refugees in the area, and made significant progress. A premature death took Captain Cox in 1799 before he could finish his work. But the work he had done earned him a place in the hearts of the locals and to commemorate his role in rehabilitation work a market was established and named after him as Cox's Bazaar ("Cox's Market"). Although Cox's Bazar is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Bangladesh, it has yet to become a major international tourist destination, due to lack of publicity.

Historically, Bangladesh has earned its reputation for being at the crossroads of many cultures. The ruins of magnificent cities and monuments left behind in various parts of the country by the vanishing dynasties of rulers still bear testimony to the richness of its cultural heritage. Scattered throughout the country are countless ancient monuments and antiquities that have survived the ravishes of natural calamities. Today they offer the visitors a glimpse into the history of this country and its rich heritage. Following is a bird's eye view of the historical places to visit in the various districts of the Bangladesh.

Dhaka :

MOSQUES: Dhaka is known as the city of mosques and thus boasts of having several hundred mosques scattered all over the city. Most of these mosques are old and bear some history. But prominent among these are the Seven Domed Mosque (17 Century), Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, Star Mosque, (18th Century), Chawkbazar Mosque and Husaeni Dalan Mosque.

HINDU TEMPLES: Dhaka is not only famous for the growth of Muslim civilization as evidenced by the number of mosques. But the city bears witness to the existence of rich Hindu culture that flourished till the arrival in phases of the Muslim conquerors. Despite the destruction that ensues any conquest there is still evidence of Hindu history through the temples that not only bears historical interest but is still a place of worship and congregation amongst the Hindu population. Famous amongst these are Dhakeshwari Temple (11th Century) and Ramakrishna Mission.

CHURCHES: Many cultures and religions passed through the banks of river Buriganga and left its marks in the city of Dhaka. Christianity flourished in this city as well. And the ancient churches of various orders bear witness to the arrivals of the Christians from different parts of Europe. Prominent among these for historical site visit are the Armenian Temple (11 Century), St. Mary's Cathedral at Ramna, Church of Bangladesh or former Holy Rosary Church (1677 A.D.) Tejgaon.

LALBAGH FORT: The Muslim rulers were very fond of building forts as a symbol of strength and protection. The advent of Mughals saw the building of forts in this country. And in Dhaka Emperor Aurangazeb's son Mohammad Azam built the Lalbagh fort in 1678 A.D. The fort was the scene of bloody battle during the first war of independence (1857 A.D) when 260 sepoys stationed here backed by the people revolted against British forces. Outstanding among the monuments of the Lalbagh are the tomb of Pari Bibi, Lalbagh Mosque, Audience Hall and Hammam of Nawab Shaista Khan now housing a museum.

BUDDHIST MONASTERY: Dhaka's history is replete with secularism that is evident by the religious sites of the four main religions that co-exist in Bangladesh. Therefore, along with Muslim, Christian and Hindu settlers there were Buddhist population as well that landed at the bank of this city. And hence, a relic of their past can be witnessed at the Kamalapur Buddhist Monastery.

BAHADUR SHAH PARK: As a city seeped in history Dhaka bore witness to conquests, wars and revolutions. Prominent amongst these is the up rising against the British Raj. Although, there are small memorials to the lives lost for the independence but one the landmark to leave history for posterity is the Bahadur Shah Park. Built to commemorate the martyrs of the first liberation war (1857-59) at the site where revolting sepoys and their civil compatriots were publicly hanged. Today it is deemed as a national monument reflecting the process of the country's present independent status.

CENTRAL SHAHID MINAR: Symbol of Bengali nationalism, this monument was built to commemorate the martyrs of the Historical Language Movement of 1952 that was launched to make Bengali the national language of the then East Pakistan. Hundreds and thousands of people with floral wreaths and bouquets gather on 21 February every year to pay respect in a solemn atmosphere. Celebrations begin at zero hour of midnight.

NATIONAL MEMORIAL: Located at Savar, 35 km. from Dhaka city, the memorial, designed by architect Moinul Hossain, is dedicated to the sacred memory of the millions of unknown martyrs of the 1971 War of Liberation that brought Bangladesh into being as an independent country in the world map.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban (Parliament House) at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, designed, by the famous architect Louis I. Kahn, has distinctive architectural features. It may be called an architectural wonder of this region.

NATIONAL POET'S GRAVEYARD: Revolutionary poet Kazi Nazrul Islam died on the 29 August 1978 and was buried hare. The graveyard is adjacent to the Dhaka University Mosque.

OLD HIGH COURT BUILDING: Originally built as the residence of the British Governor, it illustrates a happy blend of European and Mughal architecture.

SONARGAON: Located about 29 km. from Dhaka it is one of the oldest capitals of Bengal dating back to 13th century A.D. A Folk-arts and crafts museum now runs here.

Rajshahi :

PAHARPUR: Paharpur is a small village 5 km west of Jamalganj in greater Rajshahi district. Here the ruins of the largest known monastery south of the Himalayas was excavated. This 7th century archaeological find covers an area of about 27 acres of land. The architecture of the pyramid-like cruciform temple has its similarity in the contemporary architecture of Southeast Asia, especially Myanmar and Java. A site-museum built in 1956-57 houses representative collection of objects recovered from Paharpur. The excavated objects are also preserved at the Varendra Research Museum at Rajshahi.

Bogra :

MAHASTHANGARH: Mahasthangarh the oldest archaeological site in Bangladesh, is on the western bank of the river Karotoa, 18 km north of Bogra town. It can easily be reached as it is on the Bogra-Rangpur highway. Several isolated mounds surround the fortified city-side, which is of great sanctity to the Hindus. Every year around mid April and once every twelve years in December, thousands of Hindu pilgrims gather at the site for a bathing ritual. A wide variety of antiquities, ranging from terracotta objects to old ornaments and coins can be seen at the site museum.

Dinajpur:

NAVARATNA TEMPLE: The most ornate among the mediaeval temples of Bangladesh is the one at Kantanagar near Dinajpur town. Built in 1752 under the patronage of Maharaja Pran Nath of Dinajpur, it was originally a Navaratna temple, crowded with four richly ornamental corner towers on two storeys and a central one over the third storey.

Comilla :

MAINAMATI: About eight km west of Comilla, town lies a range of low hills known as Mainamati-Lalmai ridge which is dotted with more than 50 ancient Buddhist settlements from the 8th to the twelve century Ad. Almost at middle of the is Salvan Vihara of 115 cells built built around a spacious courtyard with a cruciform temple in the centre. About 5 km north of Salvan Vihara is Kutila Mura, which is a picturesque relic of a unique Buddhist establishment. Dharma and Shangha –are seen side side by side. Charpata Mura is an isolated small oblong shrine situated about 2.5 km northwest of the kutila Mura stupas. The Mainamati site museum has a rich and varied collection of plate, gold and silver coins and 12 century bronze object.

Main articles: Foreign relations of Bangladesh and Military of Bangladesh

Bangladesh pursues a moderate foreign policy that places heavy reliance on multinational diplomacy, especially at the United Nations. In 1974 Bangladesh joined both the Commonwealth of Nations and the United Nations and has since been elected to serve two terms on the Security Council in 1978–1979 and 2000–2001. In the 1980s, Bangladesh played a lead role in founding the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in order to expand relations with other South Asian states. Since the founding of SAARC 1985, a Bangladeshi has held the post of Secretary General on two occasions.

Bangladesh's most important and complex foreign relationships are with India. These relationships are informed by historical and cultural ties and form an important part of the domestic political discourse.

Bangladesh's relationship with India began on a positive note because of India's assistance in the independence war and reconstruction. Throughout the years, relations between both countries have fluctuated for a number of reasons. A major source of tension between Bangladesh and India is the Farakka Dam.^[36] In 1975, India constructed a dam on the Ganges River 11 miles (18 km) from the Bangladeshi border. Bangladesh alleges that the dam diverts much needed water from Bangladesh and adds a man-made disaster to the country already plagued by natural disasters. The dam also has terrible ecological consequences.^[36] On the other hand, India has voiced concerns about anti-Indian separatists and Islamic militants allegedly being harboured across their 2,500-mile (4,000 km) border, as well as the flow of illegal migrants, and is building a fence along most of it.^[37] But at the 2007 SAARC meeting both nations pledged to work cooperatively on security, economic and border issues.^[38]

The current strength of the army is around 200,000 including reservists,^[39] the air force 22,000,^[40] and navy 14,950.^[41] In addition to traditional defense roles, the military has been called on to provide support to civil authorities for disaster relief and internal security during periods of political unrest. Bangladesh is not currently active in any ongoing war, but it did contribute 2,300 troops to the coalition that fought in Operation Desert Storm in 1991 and Bangladesh is consistently a top contributor to UN peacekeeping forces around the world. As of May 2007, Bangladesh had major deployments in Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Sudan, Timor-Leste and Côte d'Ivoire.^[42]. Presently Bangladesh is the 2nd largest troop contributor country to the UN.^[43]

Bangladesh enjoys relatively warm ties with the People's Republic of China which has, particularly in the past decade, increased economic cooperation with the South Asian nation. Between 2006 and 2007, trade between the two nations rose by 28.5% and there have been agreements to grant various Bangladeshi commodities tariff-free access to the Chinese market. Cooperation between the Military of Bangladesh and the People's Liberation Army is also increasing, with joint military agreements signed and Bangladesh procuring Chinese arms which range from small arms to large naval surface combatants such as the Chinese Type 053H1 Missile Frigate.

Bangladesh is a parliamentary democracy.^[29] Direct elections in which all citizens, aged 18 or over, can vote are held every five years for the unicameral parliament known as Jatiya Sangsad. The parliamentary building is known as the Jatiyo Sangshad Bhaban and was designed by architect Louis Kahn. Currently the parliament has 345 members including 45 reserved seats for women, elected from single-member constituencies. The Prime Minister, as the head of government, forms the cabinet and runs the day-to-day affairs of state. While the Prime Minister is formally appointed by the President, he or she must be an MP who commands the confidence of the majority of parliament. The President is the head of state but mainly a ceremonial post elected by the parliament.^[30]

However the President's powers are substantially expanded during the tenure of a caretaker government, which is responsible for the conduct of elections and transfer of power. The officers of the caretaker government must be non-partisan and are given three months to complete their task. This transitional arrangement is an innovation that was pioneered by Bangladesh in its 1991 election and then institutionalized in 1996 through its 13th constitutional amendment.^[31]

The Constitution of Bangladesh was drafted in 1972 and has undergone fourteen amendments.^[31] The highest judicial body is the Supreme Court. Justices are appointed by the President. The judicial and law enforcement institutions are weak.^[32] Separation of powers, judicial from executive was finally implemented on the 1st of November, 2007. It is expected that this separation will make the judiciary stronger and impartial. Laws are loosely based on English common law, but family laws such as marriage and inheritance are based on religious scripts, and therefore differ between religious communities.

The two major parties in Bangladesh are the Bangladesh Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). BNP is led by Khaleda Zia and finds its allies among Islamist parties like Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh and Islami Oikya Jot, while Sheikh Hasina's Awami League aligns with leftist and secularist parties. Hasina and Zia are bitter rivals who have dominated politics for over 15 years; each is related to one of the leaders of the independence movement. Another important player is the Jatiya Party, headed by former military dictator Ershad. The Awami League-BNP rivalry has been bitter and punctuated by protests, violence and murder. Student politics is particularly strong in Bangladesh, a legacy from the liberation movement era. Almost all parties have highly active student wings, and student leaders have been elected to the Parliament.

Two radical terrorist organizations, Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB) and Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), were banned in February 2005. Several small-scale bomb attacks taking place since 1999 have been blamed on those groups, and dozens of suspected members have been detained in security operations, including the heads of those two parties in 2006. The masterminds were tried and executed. The Bangladesh government won praise from world leaders, including Western leaders, for its strong anti-terrorist stance.

The January 22, 2007 election was postponed indefinitely and emergency law declared in January 11, 2007 as Army backed caretaker government of Fakhruddin Ahmed aimed to prepare a new voter list and crack down on corruption. They also assisted the interim Government of Bangladesh in a drive against corruption, which resulted in Bangladesh's position in the Transparency International's Corruption Index changed from the very bottom, where they had been for 3 year in a row, to 147th in just 1 year.^[33]

A large alliance led by the Bangladesh Awami League won the December 29, 2008 poll, in a landslide victory. They got 230 seats among 300 seats in the parliament.^[34] On 31 July 2009 Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expanded the Bangladeshi cabinet to bring the total size to 44.^[35]

Remnants of civilization in the greater Bengal region date back four thousand years,^[8] when the region was settled by Dravidian, Tibeto-Burman, and Austro-Asiatic peoples. The exact origin of the word "Bangla" or "Bengal" is unknown, though it is believed to be derived from Bang, the Dravidian-speaking tribe that settled in the area around the year 1000 BC.^[9]

The kingdom of Gangaridai was formed from at least the seventh century BC, which later united with Bihar under the Magadha, Nanda, Mauryan and Sunga Empires. Bengal was later part of the Gupta Empire and Harsha Empire from the third to the sixth centuries CE. Following its collapse, a dynamic Bengali named Shashanka founded an impressive yet short-lived kingdom. Shashanka is considered the first independent king in the history of Bangladesh.

After a period of anarchy, the Buddhist Pala dynasty ruled the region for four hundred years, followed by a shorter reign of the Hindu Sena dynasty. Islam was introduced to Bengal in the twelfth century by Arab Muslim merchants and Sufi missionaries, and subsequent Muslim conquests helped spread Islam throughout the region.^[10]

Bakhtiar Khilji, a Turkic general, defeated Lakshman Sen of the Sena dynasty and conquered large parts of Bengal in the year 1204. The region was ruled by dynasties of Sultans and land lords Bhuiyan for the next few hundred years. By the 16th century, the Mughal Empire controlled Bengal, and Dhaka became an important provincial centre of Mughal administration.

European traders arrived late in the 15th century, and their influence grew until the British East India Company gained control of Bengal following the Battle of Plassey in 1757.^[11] The bloody rebellion of 1857, known as the Sepoy Mutiny, resulted in transfer of authority to the crown, with a British viceroy running the administration.^[12] During colonial rule, famine racked the Indian subcontinent many times, including the Great Bengal famine of 1943 that claimed 3 million lives.^[13]

This article is about the People's Republic of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh Bangli: বাংলাদেশ, pronounced [ˈbaŋlad̪eʃ]; Bangladesh), officially the The People's Republic of Bangladesh (Bengali: গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ Gônoprojatontri Bangladesh) is a country in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma (Myanmar) to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south. Together with the Indian state of West Bengal, it makes up the ethno-linguistic region of Bengal. The name Bangladesh means "Country of Bengal" in the official Bengali language.

The borders of present-day Bangladesh were established with the partition of Bengal and India in 1947, when the region became the eastern wing of the newly formed Pakistan. However, it was separated from the western wing by 1,600 km (994 mi) of Indian territory. Political and linguistic discrimination as well as economic neglect led to popular agitations against West Pakistan, which led to the war for independence in 1971 and the establishment of Bangladesh. After independence the new state endured famines, natural disasters and widespread poverty, as well as political turmoil and military coups. The restoration of democracy in 1991 has been followed by relative calm and economic progress.

Bangladesh is the seventh most populous country and is among the most densely populated countries in the world with a high poverty rate. However, per-capita (inflation-adjusted) GDP has more than doubled since 1975, and the poverty rate has fallen by 20% since the early 1990s. The country is listed among the "Next Eleven" economies. Dhaka, the capital, and other urban centers have been the driving force behind this growth.^[6]

Geographically, the country straddles the fertile Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta and is subject to annual monsoon floods and cyclones. Bangladesh has the longest unbroken sea beach in the world in the Cox's Bazaar. The government is a parliamentary democracy. Bangladesh is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the OIC, SAARC, BIMSTEC, and the D-8. As the World Bank notes in its July 2005 Country Brief, the country has made significant progress in human development in the areas of literacy, gender parity in schooling and reduction of population growth.^[7] However, Bangladesh continues to face a number of major challenges, including widespread political and bureaucratic corruption, economic competition relative to the world, serious overpopulation, widespread poverty, and an increasing danger of hydrologic shocks brought on by ecological vulnerability to climate change.