Facts at a Glance
Full country name: The People's Republic of Bangladesh
Area: 143,998 sq km
Population: 125 million
Capital city: Dhaka (pop: 6 million)
People: 98% Bengali, 1% Bihari, 1% tribal
Language: Bangla (Bengali)
Religion: 87% Islam, 12% Hindu, 0.5% Buddhist & 0.3% Christian
Government: Constitutional Republic
Prime Minister: Sheikh Hasina Wajed
President: Shahabuddin Ahmed
Faces of Bangladesh (19K)
Bangladesh is nestled in the crook of the Bay of Bengal, surrounded by India. It shares a border in the south-east with Myanmar and fronts onto the Bay of Bengal. The country is flat, flat, flat, and dominated by the braided strands of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Jamuna delta. Where Bangladesh ends and the sea begins is a murky zone of shifting sediments, watercourses, flood waters and silt. Over 90% of the country is composed of alluvial plains less than 10m above sea level, making it an inviting proposition to flood-prone rivers and tidal waves. The only relief from these low-lying plains occurs in the north-east and south-east corners where modest hills rise to an average height of around 240m and 600m respectively.
Boys at temporary ferry ghat, flood season, Dhaka (12K)
Roughly two-thirds of Bangladesh is fertile arable land and a little over 10% remains forested. The country is home to the Royal Bengal tiger, leopards, Asiatic elephants (mostly migratory herds from Bihar), and a few remaining black bears. There are also plenty of monkeys, langurs, gibbons (the only ape on the subcontinent), otters and mongooses. Reptiles include the sea tortoise, mud turtle, river tortoise, pythons, crocodiles and a variety of bloody unpleasant poisonous snakes. There are more than 600 species of birds: the best known is the mynah but the most spectacular are the kingfishers and fishing eagles.
The climate of Bangladesh is subtropical and tropical with temperatures ranging from an average daytime low of 21 degrees Celsius in the cold season to a top of 35 degrees in the hot season. Bangladesh has three main seasons: the monsoon or `wet' season from late May to early October; the `cold' season from mid-October to the end of February; and the `hot' season (known in Bangladesh as the `little rainy season') from mid-March to mid-May. There is also a 'cyclone season' - May to June and October to November. The best time to visit Bangladesh is in the cold season when the weather is dry and fresh. Avoid April when humidity and heat gang up to make conditions intolerable.
Medieval European geographers located paradise at the mouth of the Ganges and although this was overhopeful, Bengal was probably the wealthiest part of the subcontinent up until the 16th century. The area's early history featured a succession of Indian empires, internal squabbling, and a tussle between Hinduism and Buddhism for dominance. All of this was just a prelude to the unstoppable tide of Islam which washed over northern India at the end of the 12th century. Mohammed Bakhtiar, from Turkistan, captured Bengal in 1199 with only 20 men thanks to an unexplained `bold and clever strategy'.
Under the Moghul viceroys, art and literature flourished, overland trade expanded and Bengal was opened to world maritime trade - the latter marking the death knell of Moghul power as Europeans began to establish themselves in the region. The Portuguese arrived as early as the 15th century but were ousted in 1633 by local opposition. The East India Company negotiated terms to establish a fortified trading post in Calcutta in 1690. The decline of Moghul power led to greater provincial autonomy, heralding the rise of the independent dynasty of the nawabs of Bengal. Humble East India Company clerk Robert Clive ended up effectively ruling Bengal when one of the impetuous nawabs attacked the thriving British enclave in Calcutta and stuffed those unlucky enough not to escape in an underground cellar. Clive retook Calcutta a year later and the British Government replaced the East India Company following the Indian Mutiny in 1857.
The Brits established an organisational and social structure unparalleled in Bengal, and Calcutta became one of the most important centres for commerce, education and culture in the subcontinent. However, many Bangladeshi historians blame the Brits' dictatorial agricultural policies and promotion of the semi-feudal zamindar system for draining the region of its wealth and damaging its social fabric. The British presence was a relief to the minority Hindus but a catastrophe for the Muslims. The Hindus cooperated with the Brits, entering British educational institutions and studying the English language, but the Muslims refused to cooperate, and rioted whenever crops failed or another local product was rendered unprofitable by government policy.
At the close of WW II it was clear that European colonialism had run its course and Indian independence was inevitable. Independence was attained in 1947 but the struggle was bitter and divisive, especially in Bengal where the fight for self-government was complicated by internal religious conflict. The British, realising any agreement between the Muslims and Hindus was impossible, decided to partition the subcontinent. That Bengal and Punjab, the two overwhelmingly Muslim regions, lay on opposite sides of India was only one stumbling block. The situation was complicated in Bengal where the major cash crop, jute, was produced in the Muslim-dominated east, but processed and shipped from the Hindu-dominated city of Calcutta in the west.
Despite grumblings many and various, partition duly occurred and East Bengal became the runt state of East Pakistan. It was administered unfavourably from West Pakistan, with which it shared few similarities apart from the Muslim faith. Inequalities between the two regions soon stirred up a sense of Bengali nationalism that had not been reckoned with during the push for Muslim independence. When the Pakistan government declared that `Urdu and only Urdu' would be the national language, the Bangla-speaking Bengalis decided it was time to assert their cultural identity. The drive to reinstate the Bangla language metamorphosed into a push for self-government and when the Awami League, a nationalistic party, won a majority in the 1971 national elections, the president of Pakistan, faced with this unacceptable result, postponed opening the National Assembly. Riots and strikes broke out in East Pakistan, the independent state of Bangladesh was unilaterally announced, and Pakistan sent troops to quell the rebellion.
The ensuing war was one of the shortest and bloodiest of modern times, with the Pakistan army occupying all major towns, using napalm against villages, and slaughtering and raping villagers. Bangladeshis refer to Pakistan's brutal tactics as attempted genocide. Border clashes between Pakistan and India increased as Indian-trained Bangladeshi guerrillas crossed the border. When the Pakistani air force made a pre-emptive attack on Indian forces, open warfare ensued. Indian troops crossed the border and the Pakistani army found itself being attacked from the east by the Indian army, the north and east by guerrillas and from all quarters by the civilian population. In 11 days it was all over and Bangladesh, the world's 139th country, officially came into existence. Sheikh Mujib, one of the founders of the Awami League, became the country's first prime minister in January 1972 ; he was assassinated in 1975 during a period of crisis
The ruined and decimated new country experienced famine in 1973-74, followed by martial law, successive military coups and political assassinations. In 1979, Bangladesh began a short-lived experiment with democracy led by the overwhelmingly popular President Zia, who established good relationships with the West and the oil-rich Islamic countries. His assassination in 1981 ultimately returned the country to a military government that periodically made vague announcements that elections would be held `soon'. While these announcements were rapturously greeted by the local press as proof that Bangladesh was indeed a democracy, nothing came of them until 1991. That year the military dictator General Ershad was forced to resign by an unprecedented popular movement led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the Awami League.
In 1991 democracy was re-established and Begum Khaled Zia became prime minister. The economy ticked along at a 4.5% growth rate, and ties with the West were strengthened when the government sent troops to assist in the Gulf War, the US-led invasion of Haiti and the war in Bosnia. By 1994, however, many Bangladeshis had become disenchanted with the Zia government. Despite election promises, the 1974 Special Powers Act, allowing detention without charge for 120 days, had never been
repealed. There were claims that the government had rigged by-elections, and military and police repression of dissenters appeared to be on the rise. Opposition parties called for mass general strikes and the country's bureaucrats walked out.
A general election was held in February 1996, but a boycott by opposition parties, 5% voter turnout, and claims of ballot box stuffing and repression of anti-government protesters raised serious questions about the legitimacy of the re-elected Zia government. Opposition parties and activist groups campaigned against the election, and on 30 March Zia stood down and a caretaker government under Muhammad Habibur Rahman was
appointed. Elections, generally seen as free and fair, were held in June and a coalition government headed by Sheikh Hasina Wazed of the Awami League was voted in. In mid-1988 the country was hit by devastating floods - 50 of the country's 64 districts were flooded, 755 people died and nearly a million were made homeless.
GDP: US$151 billion
GDP per head: US$1290
Annual growth: 4.5%
Inflation: 8%
Major industries: Textiles, clothing, jute
Major trading partners: US, Japan, South Korea
The Bengal region has a multifaceted folk heritage, enriched by its ancient animist, Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim roots. Weaving, pottery and terracotta sculpture are some of the earliest forms of artistic expression. The best known literature of Bangladesh is the work of the great Bengali poets Rabindranath Tagore and Nasrul Islam, though these giants have been overshadowed recently by the furore over the writings of Taslima Nasreen who has received death threats from Muslim fundamentalists for her outspoken critiques of Islam's oppression of women. Folk theatre is common at the village level and usually takes place during harvest time or at melas (village fairs). There are many folk dances, but classical dance is largely borrowed from Indian models and is frowned upon by the more severe religious leaders.
Bodapara - a snake charmer's village near Savar (9K)
Making marigold garlands (17K)
Bangladesh's Muslims and Hindus live in relative harmony. The Muslim majority has religious leaders, pirs, whose status straddles the gap between that of a bishop and that of a sage. Hinduism in Bangladesh lacks the pomp and awe of the Indian version, but consequently Hindu ceremonies are rarely conducted in the depths of temples to which access is restricted. People here are very willing for you to watch and even participate. Buddhists today form only a tiny minority of the population. It's worth noting that the Bangladeshi pride in ancestry is balanced by the Islamic slant of the country's intellectual life which tends to deny the achievements of the preceding Hindu and Buddhist cultures.
Paying respects at a Muslim tomb (16K)
A typical Bangladeshi meal consists of beef (or sometimes mutton, chicken, fish or egg) and vegetables cooked in a hot spicy sauce with mustard-oil, yellow watery lentils (dal) and plain rice. Fish is part of the staple diet; however, over-fishing has led to a scarcity of river fish and more sea fish are appearing on menus. Alcoholic drinks are not widely available; head for five-star hotels and ritzier restaurants when you want a tipple.
Muslim festivals follow a lunar calendar. At the beginning of the year, Ramadan is a month-long period of fasting in February/March. At the full moon 14 days before the start of Ramadan, Shab-e-Barat is a sacred night when alms and sweets are distributed to the poor. Hindu festivals follow a different calendar but they generally fall at much the same date each year. The Holi Festival or Festival of Colours, commonly known as the spring festival, is celebrated in the first week of March. Durga Puja is celebrated during October, and statues of the goddess astride a lion, with her ten hands holding ten different weapons, are placed in every Hindu temple.
Hindu festival (15K)
Visas: Bangladesh visas are valid for six months from the date of issue and are good for stays of one or three months
Health risks: Cholera, dysentery, hepatitis, malaria and meningococcal meningitis
Time: GMT/UTC plus six hours
Electricity: 220 volts, 50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric (see the conversion table.)
Tourism: 115,000 visitors in 1990
Money & Costs
Currency: Taka
Relative costs:
- Budget meal: US$0.50-$2
- Moderate restaurant: US$3-5
- Top-end restaurant: US$7-10
- Budget room: US$1-3
- Moderate hotel: US$5-10
- Top-end hotel: US$40-100
Bangladesh is a very cheap country to travel if you're prepared to travel on a budget, but the quality of budget food, accommodation and travel is low. It's possible to average US$4 a day if you go 2nd class on trains, travel on local buses, stay in the cheapest of hotels with shared bath and no air-con and eating at the very cheapest restaurants. If you want to escape nerve-shattering buses and reduce your risk of stomach bugs, US$10-15 a day will get you a decent hotel room with its own bathroom, a couple of good meals a day and first-class train travel. If you want to spend big, it's possible, but there isn't a huge range of top-end accommodation or restaurants.
Cash and travellers cheques in US dollars are preferred by banks to British pounds. Outside Dhaka and Chittagong you'll have problems changing pounds. Credit cards are widely accepted at hotels, guesthouses and restaurants in Dhaka and Chittagong, but virtually nowhere else. Amex users can get a cash advance with their card.
A tip, or baksheesh, seems to be demanded in almost every exchange, except in the more isolated rural areas. In restaurants, Bangladeshis almost never tip, but waiters may expect a 5% tip in Dhaka restaurants frequented by foreigners. Most transactions require bargaining, which is considered a normal part of life in Bangladesh. A rule of thumb is to offer about half the original price and work up. It's worth remembering that a few extra taka are likely to help your bargaining adversary more than they'll hurt you.
The best time to visit Bangladesh is in the cold season, from October to February, when the weather is dry and fresh. Avoid April when humidity and heat gang up to make conditions intolerable.
Attractions
Dhaka
The capital city of Bangladesh sits on the north bank of the bustling Buriganga River, roughly in the centre of the country. If you've arrived in Dhaka from South-East Asia, you'll probably be struck by the lack of hype and commercial activity. If you arrive from Delhi or Kathmandu, you're sure to notice the relatively clean air. If you've flown from Calcutta you might find it clean and orderly and if you've come overland through rural Bangladesh, it will seem like Babylon. Here the lights are as bright as they get in Bangladesh, and there's a range of goods and services lacking elsewhere in the country.
Sadarghat waterfront, Dhaka (21K)
Rickshaw medley on the streets of Dhaka (16K)
The oldest section of the city runs along the north bank of the waterfront and was developed when Dhaka was a significant Moghul trading centre. A must-see in the Old City is the area between the two main water transport terminals, Sadarghat and Badam Tole where the panorama of river life on the Buriganga is particularly fascinating. This area is always crowded with people and watercraft of every type. Along the waterfront is the old baroque-style palace, Ahsan Manzil which has been painted bright pink.
Ahsan Manzil: pretty in pink, Dhaka (15K)
Dhaka's premier attraction is Lalbagh Fort, an unfinished fort dating from 1678 located in the Old City. The area also contains a couple of attractive mosques, including Hussain Dalan. The National Museum is north of the Old City in the old European zone known as Modern City. It has fascinating displays of Bangladesh's Hindu, Buddhist and Moghul past and an extensive collection of fine folk art and handicrafts.
Star mosque, Old City, Dhaka (16K)
Most of the cheaper accommodation and restaurants are in the Modern City of Central Dhaka. This area also contains the Motijheel Commercial Area, the business district where most of the banks, travel agents and airline offices are located. Dhaka is the rickshaw capital of the world, with over 300,000 colourfully painted rickshaws in operations. Taking a ride in one is as essential as catching a red double-decker bus in London.
The second largest city in Bangladesh sits on the bank of the Karnapuli River and has an interesting old waterfront area known as Sadarghat which reflects the importance of river trade to the city's growth. Nearby is the old Portuguese enclave of Paterghatta which remains mostly Christian. The Shahi Jama-e-Masjid and Qadam Mubarak Mosque are two of the most impressive buildings in the city. It's also worth visiting the Ethnological Museum in the Modern City which has interesting displays on Bangladesh's tribal peoples. There are good views and cooling breezes from Fairy Hill in the British City in the north-western sector of the city.
Cox's Bazar
Bangladesh's only beach resort is near the Myanmar border in an area where Rohingya refugees have settled to escape persecution in Myanmar. It has a Burmese Buddhist flavour and few amenities to service the visitors attracted by its enormous expanse of shark-free beach. Even modestly clad bathers, especially females, should expect to be gawked at by locals and Bangladeshi holidaymakers. Bangladeshi women who swim (they are a rare breed) do so in a flowing shalwar kameez. South of Cox's Bazar are more secluded beaches where having a swim can still be a private experience rather than a public spectacle. They include Himacheri Beach and Inani Beach. Note that the beaches are not considered entirely safe at night.
Famous as an important centre of Buddhist culture from the 7th to 12th centuries, the buildings excavated here were made wholly of baked bricks. There are more than 50 scattered Buddhist sites, but the three most important are Salban Vihara, Kotila Mura and Charpatra Mura. Salban Vihara was a well-planned, 170 sq metre monastery facing a temple in the centre of the courtyard. Nearby is a museum housing the finds excavated here, which include terracotta plaques, bronze statues, a bronze casket, coins, jewellery and votive stupas embossed with Buddhist inscriptions. Kotila Mura comprises three large stupas representing Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, the `Three Jewels of Buddhism'. The most important discovery at Charpatra Mura were the four royal copper-plate decrees, three belonging to Chandra rulers, the other to Sri Viradhara Deva, a later Hindu king. Note that some of the major ruins are within a military cantonment and cannot be visited without permission from military officers.
Buddhist ruins, Mainimati (14K)
Somapuri Vihara
The 8th-century Somapuri Vihara at Paharpur was formerly the biggest Buddhist monastery south of the Himalaya. It's by far the most impressive archaeological site in Bangladesh, and covers some 11 hectares. Although in an advanced state of decay, the overall plan of the temple complex is easy to figure out and includes a large quadrangle with the monks' cells forming the walls and enclosing a courtyard. From the centre of the courtyard rises the 20m high remains of a stupa which dominates the surrounding countryside. The monastery's recessed walls are embellished with well-preserved terracotta bas-reliefs and a small museum houses a representative display of the domestic and religious objects found during excavations.
The Sundarbans are the largest littoral mangrove belt in the world, stretching 80km into the Bangladeshi hinterland from the coast. 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. The park is also home to sea gypsy fishing families who catch fish using trained otters. To see this pristine environment, you need to get a permit from the Divisional Forest Office in Khulna. With permit in hand, it's possible to hire a boat from Mongla or Dhangmari to get you to Hiron Point. From Hiron Point you will have to hire a guide to take you into the park.
Puthia
Puthia has the largest number of historically important Hindu structures in Bangladesh. The most amazing of the village's monuments in the Govinda Temple, which was erected between 1823 and 1895 by one of the maharanis of the Puthia estate. It's a large square structure crowned by a set of miniature ornamental towers. It's covered by incredibly intricate designs in terracotta depicting scenes from Hindu epics, which give it the appearance of having been draped by a huge red oriental carpet. Siva Temple is an imposing and excellent example of the five-spire Hindu style of temple architecture common in northern India. The ornate temple has three tapering tiers topped by four spires. It's decorated with stone carvings and sculptural works which unfortunately were disfigured during the War of Liberation. The village's 16-century Jagannath Temple is one of the finest examples of a hut-shaped temple: measuring only 5m on each side, it features a single tapering tower which rises to a height of 10m. Its western facade is adorned with terracotta panels of geometric design.
Puthia is 23km east of Rajshahi and 16km west of Natore. Catch a bus from either town. Puthia is 1km south of the highway.
Govinda Temple, Puthia (10K)
St Martin Island
This small coral island about 10km south-west of the southern tip of the mainland is a tropical cliché, with beaches fringed with coconut palms and bountiful marine life. There's nothing more strenuous to do here than soak up the rays, but it's a clean and peaceful place without even a mosquito to disrupt your serenity. It's possible to walk around the island in a day because it measures only eight sq km, shrinking to about five sq km during high tide. Most of island's 5500 inhabitants live primarily from fishing and between October and April fisher people from neighbouring areas bring their catch to the island's temporary wholesale market. A ferry leaves Teknaf for St Martin every day and takes around 3 hours.
Chittagong Hill Tracts
Decidedly untypical of Bangladesh in topography and culture, the Chittagong Hill Tracts have steep jungle hills, Buddhist tribal peoples and relatively low density population. The tracts are about 60km east of Chittagong, and if it weren't for the troubles in the region they would be an idyllic place to visit. The region comprises a mass of hills, ravines and cliffs covered with dense jungle, bamboo, creepers and shrubs, and has four main valleys formed by the Karnapuli, Feni, Shangu and Matamuhur rivers. Unfortunately, getting a government permit to visit the area takes 10 to 14 days in Dhaka and the region is not entirely safe because of military operations to subdue the tribes' Shanti Bahini (Peace Army). The troubles stem from the cultural clash between the tribal peoples, who are the original inhabitants of the area, and the plains people, who have begun to develop it. Sick of being displaced, and having their land stolen and encroached upon, the tribal people took to guerrilla warfare in the 1980s to preserve their culture.
Rangamati, a lush and verdant rural area belonging to the Chakma tribe, is open to visitors, as is Kaptai Lake. The lake, ringed by thick tropical and semi-evergreen forests, looks like nothing else in Bangladesh. While the lake itself is beautiful, the thatched fishing villages located on the lakeshore are what make a visit really special. Boats which visit the villages leave from Rangamati. Bring your swimming gear because you can take a plunge anywhere.
If you feel like taking part in a bit of neighbourhood rough and tumble, the most popular games are cricket, soccer and badminton - there are floodlit village badminton courts everywhere, and if you can play you'll have no problem meeting people (if you're a guy, that is). Keen boaters should visit the Sunderbans, where rowboats are the only way to get around the majority of this mangrove national park.
Getting There & Away
Although Dhaka International Airport is far from being a major Asian crossroads, there are plenty of international flights. Indeed, many travellers use Dhaka as the gateway to the Indian subcontinent to take advantage of cheap fares from Europe. Bangkok and Calcutta are the main destinations for flights in and out of Bangladesh. The airport departure tax for international flights is US$7.50.
The situation with overland crossings to/from India is vague. The main crossings are at Benopol-Haridispur (on the Calcutta route); Chilihari-Haldibari (on the Darjeeling route); and Tamabil-Dawki (on the Shillong route). If officials tell you that you cannot cross elsewhere, be sceptical, insistent but polite, since travellers have been crossing in small numbers at Hili-Balurghat, Godagari-Lalgola and several other border crossings.
Overland routes between the subcontinent and Myanmar have been closed since the early 1950s. Even if the border was to be opened in the future, it's likely that all the formerly navigable roads across the frontier have long since been devoured by the jungle.
Internal transport in Bangladesh is cheap. The rule is: if you want a seat get there early and learn to shove, kick and gouge like the rest of your travelling companions. Biman, the national carrier, has flights radiating from Dhaka to 10 Bangladeshi cities, including Chittagong and Cox's Bazar. Flights are cheap but are still more than three times first class train fares. There's a $US1.20 departure tax on domestic flights.
Another one bites the dust (18K)
Bangladesh has a fairly extensive system of passable roads but they are chokka with buses. Bus drivers in Bangladesh are among the world's most reckless, as evidenced by the incredible number of bus accidents occurring every day. Trains are a lot easier on the nerves, knees and backside, and those plying the major routes are actually quite good, at least in first class. However, travelling by rail between Dhaka and points west is quite complicated for three reasons: unbridged rivers requiring crossing by ferry, circuitous routing, and differing gauges between the east and west sections of the country.
Honda hoarding (22K)
The distinguishing feature of internal travel in Bangladesh is the presence of a well-developed and well-used system of water transport, though travelling by boat is slow. A trip to Bangladesh which does not include taking a trip down a river is like going to the Alps and not skiing or hiking. The famous `Rocket' paddlewheel steamer runs from Dhaka to Khulna four times a week, but there are plenty of other fascinating ferries to catch.
Messin' around on the river (20K)
Self-drive cars are not available in Bangladesh. It is, however, inexpensive to hire chauffeur-driven cars in major cities. In cities you'll find rickshaws and autorickshaws which are inexpensive once the compulsory bargaining process is completed.
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