Posted on

How to get Bangladesh overland visa on arrival in Indian border

According to the new visa rule for Bangladesh, it is now possible to get on arrival visa of Bangladesh in the land borders with India beside the airports. Europeans, Americans, Russians, and some Asian country citizens can get the on arrival visa in some selected land borders with India. Although it is little bit tricky and you need to have enough confidence while in the Indian side of the border to let you go, there are few reports from the western travelers who have recently got the on arrival visa for Bangladesh in the land borders.

Who are eligible to get Bangladesh overland visa on arrival

Visa policy of Bangladesh has been eased recently to help people to get Bangladesh visa more easily, specially to encourage tourists and business travelers. Citizens of Europe, America, Russia, and some Asian countries are eligible to get Bangladesh on arrival visa on the land borders too beside the airports. Please note that Indians are NOT eligible to get Bangladesh visa on arrival in the land borders. They need to apply for a regular visa on the Bangladesh consulates in India. Here is the list of people who are eligible to get Bangladesh visa on arrival – both in land borders and in airports:

  • The nationals of those countries where there is no diplomatic mission of Bangladesh may be granted visa on arrival after examining the genuineness of their visit.
  • Only for the purpose of official duty, business, investment and tourism, citizens arriving from USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Russian Federation, China, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, UAE, Saudi Arabia (KSA), Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and the countries of Europe may issue Bangladesh visa on arrival after examining and being satisfied by the immigration authority at the Airports and Land Ports.
  • If any foreign national arrives in Bangladesh from a country other than his/her own country, where there is no mission of Bangladesh may be issued visa on arrival.
  • Bangladeshi origin foreign citizens, their spouses and their offspring may be issued visa on arrival, on the proof of their being Bangladeshi origin.
  • On the basis of invitation letters of interested/required body being attested by the Board of Investment/BEPZA, the foreign investors/businessmen may be allowed to issue visa on arrival. In this case, interested/inviting organization must inform in advance the arrival of the foreign visitor(s) to the immigration and passport authority.
  • The staffs/officials of the foreign missions, UN or its affiliated organizations located in Bangladesh may be issued visa on arrival after examining their appointment letters or other related documents. Only UN passport holders will get such facilities gratis (free of charge).

Source: http://bit.ly/1NouktM

Which border to get Bangladesh on arrival visa

Bangladesh has many land borders with India, but it will not be possible to get on arrival visa in every border. Immigration offices require to have some facilities to issue on arrival visa for Bangladesh which are not available in every border right now. You can get Bangladesh visa on arrival in the Benapole / Petrapole border only, which is close to Kolkata.

Reports of getting Bangladesh on arrival visa in the land borders

So far there has been several reports of Bangladesh on arrival visa in the Indian borders on different travel forums. Some of the reports are as follows with their original source:

I recently did this – went in November by bus from Kolkata to the Bangladesh border, got a visa on arrival, carried on all the way to Dhaka by local buses, one hop at a time.. getting the VOA was no problem, the Bangla officials were kind and helpful, I didn’t have to show anything other than my passport, but it did cost $50 and another $8 tax when I came back the same way. I have India multiple entry visa so no issue with Indian immigration either. I went by the biggest land crossing at Benapole/Petrapol.. got the Greenline bus to there at 6am from very near Sudder St in Kolkata.. initially I tried to get a visa from Bangla consulate in Kolkata and they had refused saying just get a VOA at Dhaka airport – they were very busy and didn’t want to answer any questions regarding land crossing, I didn’t want to fly so I just went by bus and it worked fine.

– Peter Lee, United Kingdom (January, 2015)
Source: http://bit.ly/1NouRf8

Firstly: it is possible for citizens of certain countries (definitely the EU, where we’re from, check the official websites for the full list) to get a 30 day visa on arrival at certain land borders of Bangladesh. This does not include the border crossing the Maitree Express, the direct train from Dhaka to Calcutta, uses. We found out the hard way when we were kicked off the train at the Indian side of the border and sent to a different crossing, at Petrapole-Benapole.

If you are travelling overland from Calcutta getting the visa on arrival seems to be the only option, since the Bangladeshi High Commission in Calcutta would not even let us in the door, as we were Europeans and thus did not need a visa. They also told us we would definitely be able to get a VoA where the train crosses, though, so double-check all information they give you.

At Petrapole-Benapole, we had to be very firm with the Indian customs agents, who were convinced that it was impossible for us to get the VoA just a few hundred meters down the road, and did not want to let us leave the country. Eventually they called their Bangladeshi counterparts and asked, and then let us through. We convinced them mostly because we had a multiple entry visa for India, and so would always be able to come back. If you have a single entry visa they may cause you more trouble.

Once on the Bangladeshi side everything was very easy – since the Indians had called ahead we were expected and just made to sit in an office for an hour while a lot of forms were filled out for us. Everyone was very friendly, and even the police seemed mostly just excited to meet tourists. We found a bus to Dhaka (7 hours) and got there just after midnight, 17 hours after leaving Calcutta, though you can save a lot of time by not getting on the wrong train first;)

If you already have a visa the Maitree Express is probably a more comfortable way to get across the border. Tickets are not sold online, but you have to go to the office on Fairlie Place in Calcutta, and enter on the left side rather than the right where most of the other tourists will be (again, we got this wrong initially and queued for an extra hour). We managed to get a ticket one day before departure, 2nd class but still with quite comfortable tour bus-type seats.

– Edulis, Netherlands (February, 2015)
Source: http://bit.ly/1RKstDh

Have you ever got Bangladesh overland visa on arrival in the Indian border? How was your experience? Share with us in comments.

Posted on

Bagha Mosque – A magnificent medieval period mosque in Bangladesh

During the long Islamic rule in Bengal on the medieval period, the rulers made many magnificent mosques, a big part of which is located in current days Bangladesh. These mosques typically had a big pool annexed with it, which was part of charity work by the state, to facilitate the religious needs and also full-fill the demand of drinking water. As stone was not available in Bengal, these mosques were mostly built with burned clay, ornamented with beautiful terracotta. Bagha Mosque is one of these beautiful mosques in current day’s Bangladesh.

Bagha Mosque is a beautiful pre-Mughal period mosque, located in a remote village named “Bagha”, 40 km south-east of Rajshahi. It is known from a inscription stone found in Bagha Mosque complex that it was built in 1523 A.D. by the Sultan of Bengal Nasiruddin Nasrat Shah. He was the son of Ala-ud-din Husain Shah who was an independent late medieval Sultan of Bengal, and founder of the Hussain Shahi dynasty. The inscription stone is currently preserved in a museum at Karachi in Pakistan.

Bagha Mosque in Rajshahi, one of the most beautiful mosques in Bangladesh

Bagha Mosque is 75 feet X 42 feet in length, 24 feet 06 inch in height. It’s walls are 08 feet thick. The whole compound is built in a raised platform, annexed with a big pool. There are two entrance in north and south side to enter the compound. The north entrance is recently built after the renovation. The south entrance is intact and has octagonal pillars with dome shaped top.

The mosque has four octagonal corner turrets, which form a part of the building. These turrets are beautifully decorated with terracotta. Top of these turrets are dome shaped, and still exists. There are five pointed-archways in the east side, and two in the north and south side each, to enter the mosque. The archways in north and south walls are closed by gratings.

The original south entrance to enter the complex of Bagha Mosque which still exists

The mosque has 10 dome in total – 05 dome in 02 rows each, supported by four corner turrets and six free standing stone pillars. The roof of Bagha Mosque was collapsed during the great earthquake in 1897 AD. and was carefully restored later in 1980 A.D. by the archaeological department of Bangladesh.

Central entrance of Bagha Mosque, a beautiful medieval period mosque in Bangladesh, with inscription stone on top of the entrance

In the west wall, the central mihrab is located straight ahead of the central entrance. Two other mihrab is located on the south side of central mihrab, straight ahead of the two southern entrances. Instead of the fourth mihrab on the northern side, there is a beautifully designed panel. The fifth mihrab is small and located on top, which indicates that there was a gallery on this corner, which were normally made for the rulers, higher officials, and their immediate entourage.

Inside view of Bagha Mosque, a beautiful medieval period mosque in Bangladesh

The whole outer walls of Bagha Mosque is very beautifully decorated with terracotta. A 30 feet X 20 feet size paved in-house pool has been discovered outside the mosque during the excavation work in 1997, which has stairs from three sides. It had a tunnel connected with inside.

A Muslim holy man named Shah Doula came to this area in 1505 AD from Baghdad with five companion to spread Islam, who said to be the founder of the area ‘Bagha’. On his fame many people were gathered in this area. There is a shrine of Shah Doula, his five companion, and many unknown people in the northern side of the mosque. Every year a two days fair is organized here during the Eid-al-fitr which is famous as “Bagha Fair”. You’ll see lots of activities here if you visit this mosque on this time.

Old graves outside the decorated wall of Bagha Mosque, a fine example of Islamic architecture in Bangladesh

Have you ever visited the Bagha Mosque in Rajshahi? How magnificent have you found it? Have I missed something here? Share your thoughts and experience with us in comments. Any question about visiting Bagha Mosque? Ask us here! Consider sharing it in social media so that more travelers can know about this beautiful country which is little known to everyone.

Check out our archaeological tours in Bangladesh to visit the most impressive archaeological sites including Bagha Mosque, and our Bangladesh tour packages and holiday packages in Bangladesh to visit Bangladesh with comfort.

Posted on

Photo of Bangladesh: Floating timber market of Barisal

The floating timber market of Barisal was started in 1918 on a canal of Sandha river based on the logs coming from Sundarbans. Trading the signature “Sundari” tree of Sundarbans, the largest mangrove swamp in the world, was the main business here on that time. After putting ban by the govt. on trading Sundari tree in 1987 to protect the forest, the tradesmen started trading other trees on this market coming from different parts of the country.

Being located on the heart of Ganges Delta, Barisal has a great network of river connected to the whole country, which was the main reason for this market to become very popular. People could easily transport big logs here through the river from all over the country.

Transporting timber on boat toward the floating timber market of Barisal in Bangladesh.

Transporting logs has become very easy and cost effective because of the river. They tie logs on both side of an engine boat floating on water and move very slowly. Sometimes there are 10-15 boats tied together with loads of logs tied both side of them, and an engine boat drag them from the front. This is a common scene before the 02 market days of the week – Monday and Thursday. They sell these logs sitting on the boats, which make this a floating log market. This is the largest market of it’s kind in Bangladesh.

Lifting logs manually on the floating timber market of Barisal in Bangladesh.

There are also permanent timber shops on the bank of the river. They dump the logs on the river bank and sell from here – 7 days a week. Every log has an unique number from the shop. Lifting and transporting the logs are done using the favor of tide, which makes it less laborious to do manually.

Wire house of the chopped wood for retail sale in the floating timber market of Barisal in Bangladesh.

People come here from everywhere of the country. They buy logs, and chop them in the numerous saw mills according to their needs. There are about 200 saw mills around the floating timber market to do this. Buyers are mainly the owner of furniture shops from all over Bangladesh. About 13-14 hundred people work based on the floating timber market of Barisal. When there is no work, people gather in the huts on the shore drinking tea and socializing. It could be a great experience to have couple of cups of tea with them and hang around for a while and share culture.

A Saw mill on the floating timber market of Barisal in Bangladesh.

Other business also flourished based on this market. A cottage industry is grown here to make local cricket bats because of the cheap timber available on this market. Also grown dozens of nursery to sell trees to plant, which itself has a different floating market in Barisal, and would be another story to tell.

A video on life in the floating timber market at Barisal

Have you ever visited the floating timber market of Barisal in Bangladesh? How amazing have you found it? Share your thoughts and experience with us in comments. Check out our Backwater Photography Tour to experience life on Ganges Delta at Barisal including visiting the floating timber marker.

Posted on

The charming Jagannath Temple of Puthia in Bangladesh

Puthia is a culturally rich sub-district (Upazila) of the Rajshahi District in Bangladesh. The largest number of historically significant Hindu structures in Bangladesh is found in Puthia. Many of these structures are well preserved and Puthia is an interesting area for tourists to explore and gain insight into the history and culture of Bangladesh. A charming small temple to visit here is the Jagannath temple, also known as the Roth temple.

This Bangla-style miniature temple known as the Jagannath Temple is situated adjacent to the large Bhubaneshwar Shiva Temple overlooking the big pond named Shiv Sagar. It is built out of brick, resembling the shape of a Bengali bamboo hut, with a single tapering tower.

The charming Jagannath Temple of Puthia in Bangladesh

The Jagannath temple of Puthia measures only 5m (16ft) on each side. The single tapering tower rises to a height of 10m (33ft). Its western facade is adorned with terracotta panels of geometric design. The temple is octagonal in design and has a corridor surrounding it with 8 pillars.

The charming Jagannath temple of Puthia viewed from the adjacent Shiva temple.

There are two entrance in the north and east side to enter the temple. The entrances has nice decorations on basalt stone frames. This temple is believed to be built by Rani Bhubanmoyi Debi in 1830 AD. It is currently abandoned. Check out here to know more about Puthia and it’s amazing structures: Puthia – An amazing village in Bangladesh full of beautiful temples.

The single tapering tower of Jagannath temple in Puthia, Bangladesh.

Have you ever been to Puthia and visited the Jagannath temple? How amazing you’ve found it? Share your thoughts and experience with us in comments. Any question about visiting Jagannath Temple of Puthia? Ask us here! Consider sharing it in social media so that more travelers can know about this beautiful country which is little known to everyone.

Check out our archaeological tours in Bangladesh to visit the most impressive archaeological sites including Jagannath Temple of Puthia, and our Bangladesh tour packages and holiday packages in Bangladesh to visit Bangladesh with comfort.

Posted on

The amazing Pancharatna Gobinda Temple of Puthia

Puthia is a small village in north-western part of Bangladesh, containing the largest number of historical temples. Among them, Pancharatna Gobinda Temple is the most significant, located inside the palace, on the left-hand side of the inner courtyard. It was erected between 1823 and 1895 by Prem Narayan Roy, a Jaminder (feudal land owner) from Puthia royal family.

This ornate temple is an imposing and excellent example of the five spire style (Pancha Ratna) temple architecture mixed with typical Jor-Bangla style. The temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna, as the Puthia royal family were converted to Vaishnavism by Radhamohana Thakura. Today the temple has a Krisna deity in the sanctuary for worship.

Pancharatna Gobinda Temple of Puthia in Bangladesh

Pancharatna Gobinda Temple is a large, square structure, built on a raised platform. It is 12.25 meters in size on each side. It has one central room which is the sanctuary, and four square size small rooms in four corners. There are four entrance in four side of the sanctuary, but the main entrance is located in the west side.

The Cornish of the temple is a little curved in design. It has four ornate tower in the four corners, and a big central tower. Unlike the Kantaji Temple in Dinajpur, it has it’s towers intact. In 1886 and 1897 A.D. there were two great earthquakes on this area when most of the structures were severely damaged, including the palace of Puthia and not so far the towers of Kantaji temple. But because of the building technique, nothing happened to this temple. The stairs of this temple to go upstairs is located in the south side of the temple beside the entrance.

Decorated wall of Pancharatna Gobinda Temple, a magnificent temple at Puthia in Bangladesh devoted to Hindu god Krisna.

The Pancharatna Gobinda Temple has exquisite terracotta ornamentation depicting the divine romance between Krishna and Radha as told in the Hindu epics. It also has battle scenery from Ramayana and Mahabharata, the epic Hindu books, and scenery of different Hindu deities, general life of people and culture, and floral and fauna.

The Pancharatna Gobinda Temple is a must visiting place while visiting Puthia. To know more about the temples and the palace of Puthia, check out here: Puthia: An amazing village in Bangladesh full of beautiful temples.

Terracotta works at Pancharatna Gobinda Temple, a magnificent Hindu temple at Puthia in Bangladesh.

Have you visited the Pancharatna Gobinda Temple in Puthia? How amazing have you found it? Have I missed something? Share your experience and thoughts with us in comments. Any question about visiting Pancharatna Gobinda Temple of Puthia? Ask us here! Consider sharing it in social media so that more travelers can know about this beautiful country which is little known to everyone.

Check out our archaeological tours in Bangladesh to visit the most impressive archaeological sites including Pancharatna Gobinda Temple of Puthia, and our Bangladesh tour packages and holiday packages in Bangladesh to visit Bangladesh with comfort.

Posted on

Bhubaneshwar Shiva Temple, the largest Shiva temple in Bangladesh

Bhubaneshwar Shiva Temple is the largest Shiva temple in Bangladesh. It was built in 1823-1830 A.D. by Rani Bhubonmoyee Devi, the widow of Raja Jagat Narayan Roy. While entering Puthia temple complex, this massive temple will be the first to spot overlooking the big pond named Shiv Sagar. This ornate temple is an imposing and excellent example of the five spire style (Pancha Ratna) temple architecture common in northern India.

Bhubaneshwar Shiva Temple of Puthia in Bangladesh

The temple is 14.30 meters long, square shaped, and built on a raised platform of 04 meters height. It has an wide stairs in the south side on the main entrance. Surrounding it has corridors in four side with 05 entrance each side. There is one entrance each in east, west, and south side to enter the main sanctuary.

Bhubaneshwar Shiva Temple in Puthia overlooking the pond. It is the largest Shiva temple in Bangladesh.

Inside the sanctuary, lies a very large black basalt Shiva Lingam, which is the largest in the country. It is decorated with stone carvings and sculptural works, which were disfigured during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. The invading Pakistani army attempted to displace and break the Shiva Lingam, but were unable to move it from its position.

Main entrance of Bhubaneshwar Shiva Temple in Puthia, the largest Shiva temple in Bangladesh.

There is a separate stairs in the north side of the temple to go to the pond. In the roof of the temple, there are four towers in for corners, and one large tower in the center. The central tower in 20 meters high. This temple is now a protected monument by the archaeological department of Bangladesh. Check out here to know more about Puthia and it’s amazing structures: Puthia: An amazing village in Bangladesh full of beautiful temples.

The Shiva lingam inside Bhubaneshwar Shiva Temple in Puthia, which is the largest Shiva lingam found in Bangladesh.

Have you visited the Bhubaneshwar Shiva Temple in Puthia? How amazing have you found it? Share your experience and thoughts with us in comments. Any question about visiting Bhubaneshwar Shiva Temple? Ask us here! Consider sharing it in social media so that more travelers can know about this beautiful country which is little known to everyone.

Check out our archaeological tours in Bangladesh to visit the most impressive archaeological sites including Bhubaneshwar Shiva Temple, and our Bangladesh tour packages and holiday packages in Bangladesh to visit Bangladesh with comfort.

Posted on

Where to buy post cards in Bangladesh, and best way to post them

A postcard or post card is a rectangular piece of thick paper or thin cardboard intended for writing and mailing without an envelope – Wikipedia

A postcard is something travelers always look for while visiting a country to send back home to friends and families. These cards also take the sweetness of the places they are visiting to friends and families back home, and give them a feeling of being with the traveler on the places he is visiting, although they couldn’t be there physically. That is why, sending postcards is a very important part of traveling.

While postcard is a very common thing to get in every country where there is tourism, Bangladesh is an exception. As tourism is underdeveloped here and the country has no branding as a tourist destination, getting postcards and souvenirs related to tourism is very limited. You need to know the places where you can get them. Here is a list of the best places to buy postcards in Bangladesh:

  • Lalbagh Fort

    Lalbagh Fort is a Mughal period fort in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. This is a key tourist attraction in Dhaka city. Inside Lalbagh Fort, there is an outlet which sells books and postcards printed from the archaeological department of Bangladesh. Here you can buy post cards related to the archaeological sites in Bangladesh. Although all the sites under the archaeological department are supposed to sell these postcards, most of the time you’ll find them unavailable. If you are looking for postcards in Bangladesh, this is the best place you can look for. They have about 20 postcards printed.

  • Ahsan Manzil

    Ahsan Manzil, also known as the Pink Palace, is another key tourist attraction in Dhaka city, located at Old Dhaka. This is a beautiful colonial period palace and a must visiting sight if you are visiting Dhaka. They have some postcards printed which are related to the palace. While entering the ground floor from the back side which is the only way allowed to enter the palace, you’ll see a counter in the second room where they sell postcards and publications related to the palace.

  • Aarong

    Aarong is country’s reputed outlet for selling souvenirs. They have 03 outlets in Dhaka, and the best one is located at Uttara area in the northern part of Dhaka city and close to the airport. Aarong has some postcards with natural scenes of Bangladesh which you can buy.

Best way to post postcards from Bangladesh

After buying postcards, the next part is sending them. Postal service in Bangladesh has reputation of not delivering postcards properly with their regular service. An effective way around this is using their guaranteed parcel service – EMS. It will cost 400-1,200 BDT ($5-$15) to send one postcard to most of the Western countries. Also they will give you a tracking code with which you can track the status of your postcard. This service is available on their central office – GPO only, located at Gulistan near Old Dhaka. Office hour is 10 am – 05 pm except Fridays and Saturdays.

Do you know any other place to buy postcards in Bangladesh? Have you ever posted postcards from here? Share with us in comments.

Posted on

Dol Temple of Puthia: A unique Hindu temple in Bangladesh

Dol Purnima, also known as the Holi festival, is a major Hindu festival dedicated to Sri Krishna. Holi celebrations start on the night before Holi with a Holika bonfire where people gather, sing and dance. The next morning is a free-for-all carnival of colors, where participants play, chase and color each other with dry powder and colored water, with some carrying water guns and colored water-filled balloons for their water fight. The Dol Temple of Puthia is dedicated to this fabulous festival.

The Dol Temple of Puthia is a unique structure, located opposite side of the palace. Built in 1778 A.D. by Jamindar Bhubanendra Roy of Puthia royal family, the temple is a four storied, 20 miters high square shaped structure. Every upper stories has become smaller than the lower one, giving it a pyramidal shape. It has a doomed single spire with finial top.

Dol Temple of Puthia, a beautiful Hindu temple in Bangladesh

The temple has open balcony in four sides on every story. It is open on all four sides, with a total of 64 entrance combining the all for stories. The view from the top floor can help visualize why the temple is located in the middle of the village. It was perhaps used to display deities of gods and goddesses during festivals. Dol Temple is a must visiting structure while visiting Puthia. Check out here to know more about the temple village Puthia in Bangladesh: Puthia – An amazing village in Bangladesh full of beautiful temples.

Dol Temple of Puthia - An unique structure on the temple village in Bangladesh.

Have you ever visited the Dol Temple of Puthia? How impressive have you found it? Have I missed something here? Share your thoughts and experience in comment. Any question about visiting the Dol Temple of Puthia? Ask us here! Consider sharing it in social media so that more travelers can know about this beautiful country which is little known to everyone.

Check out our archaeological tours in Bangladesh to visit the most impressive archaeological sites including Dol Temple of Puthia, and our Bangladesh tour packages and holiday packages in Bangladesh to visit Bangladesh with comfort.

Posted on

What travelers say about the safety situation after visiting Bangladesh

Bangladesh is often negatively represented in the intentional media, which provide a wrong message to the travelers. Sitting thousands of miles apart, they become panicked to visit Bangladesh. Moreover some western country’s foreign department website always flag the country in a negative way and issue travel alert in visiting Bangladesh, which increase the panic even more.

Tourism being under-developed in the country, tourism department of Bangladesh never taken any initiative to clear the negative image of the country built in year after year. Here you can read the experience of some brave western travelers who visited Bangladesh during these security alerts, most of whom are solo female travelers, and discovering a complete opposite situation in the country which media never tell you.

Svetlana Suslova from Russia visiting Bangladesh solo during security alert from the west

Experience of Svetlana Suslova

Svetlana Suslova from Russia visited Bangladesh for 11 days in November 2015. Here is what she says about her exsperience in Bangladesh during the security alert:

We’ve heard from the news that Bangladesh (as many other Asian countries) was continuing to face numerous economic, social, and environmental challenges, including poverty, over-population, and global warming. And recenty there have been added alarming reports concerning possible terrorist activities in the region. The issue of security is very important and I was in doubts whether it’s a safe place for coming or not. But while being in Bangladesh, it became clear to me that my anxiety and doubts had been groundless, and a hype in the Western press was too exaggerated. The security situation here is like in any other tourist destination around.

So I have many precious memories from my journey. This is a very friendly country, it was a fantastic time and I wish to come back!

Alice Nettleingham from UK traveling Bangladesh solo

Experience of Alice Nettleingham

Alice Nettleingham from UK visited Bangladesh in early 2016 for 03 weeks as a solo female traveler. And here is what she writes in her blog Teacake Travels about her experience there:

I was scared to enter Bangladesh. Why? Due to a lack of knowledge and the fear of the unknown. Was I going to get groped? Would men disrespect me? Would I get shot (more on that in a minute)?! Needless to say, these horrendous visions were flashing through my over-active mind and creating a curious yet secretly worried explorer.

Having made it out the other end, I will now never let a judgement snake through my mind and slide out of my mouth unless I’ve been to the place in question. The love and care I received in Bangladesh blew me away and after a week of looking like a rabbit in headlights, I felt a deep love and respect for the people of Bangladesh, just like they had been feeling for me all along.

Bangladesh is politically in a very interesting and unfortunate situation right now. The parties there certainly don’t get on and last year between September to November 2015, one Japanese and two Italian men were shot dead. Islamic State claimed responsibility for both attacks but the government and locals assert that the motive was to put the current government under pressure to make Bangladesh look unsafe for foreigners. But I decided this wasn’t going to stop me going. I refuse to give into fear. Sounds crazy? Not really. People get shot in London everyday.

Experience of Mvbergen

Mvbergen (nick name) from Belgium writes about his recent visit in Bangladesh on a travel forum:

I was there last November for a full month as tourist, independent and moving around on my own.
Travel around Bangladesh is not unsafe if you use your common sense.
I’m from Belgium and it’s not “less dangerous” than Bangladesh.
Bradt guidebook can be helpful. No need to cancel your trip at all.

Experience of Gypsygirl2

Another solo female traveler gypsygirl2 (nick name) reports in the forum about her Bangladesh travel experience as follows:

I travelled to Bangladesh as a solo female in September. I felt completely safe even though 2 foreigners were shot while I was there. The traffic is a far bigger danger. It all depends on how you perceive risk.

Bangladesh is a beautiful country and the people are wonderful.

Experience of Hilary Heath-Caldwell

Hilary Heath-Caldwell from New Zealand visited Bangladesh in October, 2015 for two weeks. Here is how she found the security situation in Bangladesh during her visit:

We were in a country with 160 million Muslims. That’s quite a few and I have to say I felt safe the entire time.

Based on these experience from the western travelers, some one can easily imagine how groundless and exaggerated the hype in the Western media about Bangladesh is. There was never any blast like Paris in Bangladesh, there is no war, no proof of any terrorist attack despite the continuous claim by some western countries which is their strategy to put pressure on the current govt. On a country of 160 million people, one or two getting killed is not even anything countable, which always happen in any country any where in the world, but always get big exposures in the western media when it is in Bangladesh. It is you to judge as a traveler, to travel Bangladesh or not based on those hypes.

To wrap this up, I want to quote traveler Onrrbike (nick name) in the travel forum who said it all:

It’s extremely ironic to have a travel warning, because 2 foreigners were murdered. Thats terrible, but there are 40 people murdered at gunpoint every day in the states, and its business as usual.. That’s a whopping 12-14000 (depending which reports you read) per year and nobody thinks twice about travelling there. Its certainly more than 2.

Have you ever visited Bangladesh? How have you found the security situation in the country? Share your experience in comments. Consider sharing it in social media so that more travelers can know about the real security situation in this beautiful country and understand the hype in the western media.

Any question about visiting Bangladesh? Ask us here! Check out our Bangladesh tour packages and holiday packages in Bangladesh to visit Bangladesh with comfort.

Posted on

Puthia: An amazing village in Bangladesh full of beautiful temples

Puthia is a culturally rich sub-district (Upazila) of the Rajshahi District in Bangladesh. The largest number of historically significant Hindu structures in Bangladesh is found in Puthia. Many of these structures are well preserved and Puthia is an interesting area for tourists to explore and gain insight into the history and culture of Bangladesh.

In the late 16th century during the Mughal period in Indian sub-continent, Man Singh, a trusted general of the Mughal emperor Akbar, was sent to Bengal to suppress the rebel subeders (governors) of this region who were planning a rebellion against Mughal emperor. Man Singh easily suppressed the revolt by consulting a Hindu tantrik (holy man) named Bhatsacharya. After his victory, Man Singh requested Bhatsacharya to take charge of a large area in Rajshahi state named Laskarpur which he refused. But his young son Pitambar expressed his willingness to accept the offer advised by his mother. So he was appointed as landlord of Laskarpur, made Puthia his capital, and became the founder of the Puthia royal family.

Pancharatna Gobinda Temple in temple village Puthia

Pitambar built canals surrounding his capital to secure it, dug a big pond in front of his palace, and made this place suitable as a capital. After his death without any children, his younger brother Nilambar inherited the property and became Jamindar (feudal land-owner). He received the title “Raja” (king) from Mughal emperor Jahangir, and became the first king of Puthia Royal family.

Puthia Royal Family estate was the second largest estate and the wealthiest in British Bengal. Descendants of Nilambar built some great temples and a palace surrounding the big pond in Puthia. Located 23 km to the east of Rajshahi city, Puthia has the largest number of historic temples in Bangladesh.

Temple village Puthia in Bangladesh

After India’s partition in 1947, Puthia became part of Pakistan. The then Pakistani government abolished the feudal land-ownership system and confiscated all Hindu properties. The Royal Family migrated to India shortly afterwards. The Puthia Palace and entire temple complex is now protected monument. The Puthia Raj Estate maintained their existence till the termination of the zamindari (Landlord) system by the East Pakistan Estate Acquisition Act of 1950.

The whole area of Puthia Palace is still a place of great wonder and full of histories that can enlighten the thirsty mind of visitors to a great extent. Puthia is one of the must visiting place in the Rajshahi division for the travelers. You can easily spend half of a day here visiting these beautiful structures.

The Skyline of Puthia, an amazing village in Bangladesh full of beautiful temples.

Important structures in Puthia

There are many structures in Puthia among whom 14 structures are declared protected architecture and maintained by the archaeological department of Bangladesh. Among them, one is a palace, and remaining 13 are temples. These impressive temples have been built in terracotta in a variety of styles combining the typical Jor-bangla architecture with other influences. These terracottas describes the history, culture, religious rituals, war, love and affairs, daily life of people, and the Hindu deities. Here is a list of the best structures of Puthia worthy of visiting:

Have you visited Puthia? How amazing you’ve found it? Share your thoughts and experience with us in comments. Any question about visiting temple village Puthia? Ask us here! Consider sharing it in social media so that more travelers can know about this beautiful country which is little known to everyone.

Check out our archaeological tours in Bangladesh to visit the most impressive archaeological sites including temple village Puthia, and our Bangladesh tour packages and holiday packages in Bangladesh to visit Bangladesh with comfort.