Mymensingh is one of the largest and oldest districts in Bangladesh. Mymensingh city is more than 200 years old, and was constituted by the British East India Company during 1787. Earlier this district was known as Nasirabad. Initially the current districts Tangail, Jamalpur and Sherpur were part of Mymensingh which was known as Greater Mymensingh. River Brahmaputra is the major river from Mymensingh. This district is famous for its Nakshikatha. This district gave birth to numerous notable persons in the past. Mymensingh has a high potential to become a popular tourist destination as it has fast communication with Dhaka through train and bus. Yet this district never got that much attention from the local tourists of Bangladesh. Below are the few tourist attractions from Mymensingh district based on my travel experience.
#1 Muktagachha Jomidar Bari
Mymensingh has several old Jamidar Bari to visit and Muktagachha Jomidar Bari is one of those. This old building is located at the heart of the Muktagachha town. It covers a vast area, though most of the structures are in very poor condition. Few things were stolen by the locals, and others are just dilapidated for the lack of care. It is believed (or fact) that the Jomidars were actually came from the Natore or Bogura of the North Bengal.
#2 Alexander Castle
Alexander castle is an old edifice that was mostly built using iron and wood. It was built during 1879 by the Moharaj Surjo Kanta Acharya Chodhury. As most of the portions were built using Iron, local people used to call this as Lohar Kuthi (means house of iron). The whole building is placed over a high plinth, probably to avoid the flood from the nearby mighty Brahmaputra river. It is currently being used as a library of the Teacher’s Training College.
#3 Shoshi Lodge
Shoshi lodge is a luxurious Jamidar house located in the Mymensingh town. Initially (approximately 150 years back) this massive house was built by the Jomidar SurjoKanto of Muktagachha. He had an adopted son named ShoshiKanto. The king named this lodge after him. After the initial construction, this Shoshi lodge was dislodged by the massive earthquake of 1897. Later ShoshiKanto himself installed the current structure at the same place. During that process he imported the raw materials from Italy and the other parts of Europe.
#4 Gouripur Lodge
Gouripur Lodge is an antique edifice from the Mymensingh town. It is unknown about the built date and the purpose for which it was built. It was made using iron, tin and wood. Structure of the building is similar to the other Jamindar mansions of that period. It was built by Brozendra Kishor Ray Chowdhury. This archaic Gouripur lodge is located near the main Mymensingh town. One could go using a rickshaw easily. It is near the Boro Bazar.
#5 Bangladesh Agricultural University
Bangladesh Agricultural University (in short BAU) was established during 1961. This university is devoted to agricultural education and research. This is the best university in Bangladesh for this category, and also one of the best from Asia. During the visit to Mymensingh, anyone could spend an hour around the university area, especially during the weekends.
#6 Botanical Garden
Bangladesh Agricultural University Botanic Garden is located beside the University (eastern side). It was founded during 1962 and currently it is under the Department of Crop Botany. This is a small garden but rich with plenty of flora, especially during Spring. It is a great place to get familiar with different common and uncommon flowering plants.
#7 Brahmaputra river and the bridge
The mighty river Brahmaputra entered into Bangladesh through the northern part of the country. Earlier the river was passing through the Jamalpur and Mymensingh district before falling into the Meghna river. During 1762 an 8.8 magnitude earthquake uplifted the tectonic plate of Madhupur tract of Bangladesh. Which forced the river to channel its flow through Jamalpur and Tangail district.
#8 Biriyani of press club
The Biriyani of Press Club Canteen near the Ganginar Par of Mymensingh town is famous for its taste and historical value. This canteen is located near the Ganginar Par, just ask anyone around you to show you. This canteen is on the second floor. They serve the Biriyani with chicken which is very tasty in my opinion.
#9 Muktagachha Monda
Muktagachh a is famous for the best Monda from Bangladesh. You could buy the Monda after visiting the Muktagachha Jomidar Bari. The sweet shop is near that area. Currently the shop is owned by the 5th generation sweet maker of the local Pal family. The sweet was first made in 1824 by Ram Gopal Pal and he offered it to the Jamidar Surjokanto.
How to go
There are several ways anyone could go to Mymensingh district. It is connected to Dhaka through train and bus. A train takes around 3 hours from Komlapur train station. But the train could make a delay to start. Trains for Jamalpur also pass through this district. You could take those trains as well. All together the trains are Teesta, Jamuna, Brahmaputra, and Agnibeena express. Several quality bus services run between the Mohakhali bus terminal and the Mymensingh. You can take Ena Poribohon, Shoukhin, etc. It takes 4-5 hours for the journey depending upon the traffic condition.
Where to stay
It is possible to make a day trip from Dhaka by leaving early in the morning and returning late at night. That’s why it might not require you to stay in the town. But if anyone is making a trip for more than a day they could easily find excellent accommodation in the town. This district is popular for medical tourism amongst the people from the north central part of the country. That’s why it has an established accommodation facility already. Hotel Silver Castle, Hotel Le Marian, Hotel Amir International, etc are a few popular names from the town.
Written by Lonely Traveler,
For the blog alonelytraveler.com
