Bandarban District



Bandarban Hill District is the most remote and least populated district in Bangladesh. The lure of the tallest peaks of Bangladesh, treks through virgin forests and chance to meet more than 15 tribes of the region up close is growing both among Bangladeshis and tourists from other countries. Since the insurgency ceased in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (a cluster that includes all three hill districts of Bangladesh) it has opened up for tourists more than a decade back, though some of the western tourist guides may still describe the area as a major security risk.

Cities


Bandarban has only one town that approaches anything near a city - the Bandarban town. The rest of the area is divided into 7 upazilas, which are in turn divided into varying numbers of unions. Each union is a cluster of paras and villages.


 * Bandarban Town: Bandarban Sadar, Rajvila, Kuhalong, Sualok, Tankabati
 * Thanchi: Thanchi, Bolipara, Remakree, Tindu
 * Lama: Lama, Aziznagar, Fashiakhali, Gozalia, Rupasipara, Soroi,
 * Nikhongchhari: Nikhongchhari, Baishari, Dochari, Ghumdhum
 * Alikadam: Alikadam, Choykhong
 * Rowangchhari: Rowangchhari, Alekhong, Noapatang, Taracha
 * Ruma: Ruma. Galengga, Pyndu, Remakree Pranksha

Understand
It is governed by a Hill Council under the Bangladesh government, headed by the King of Mong Circle. The current monarch, His Highness King Aung Shue Prue Chowdhury, is the 15th to sit on the throne. The front hall (Raj Durbar) of the Royal Palace is open to visitors, provided that appropriate behavior is maintained. Interestingly the 13th Royal Family claims the current Family to be usurpers to the throne.

Buddhist, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, and Chramma are major religions along with many pagan faiths.

The best place for information are the Press Club (phone: +880 (0) 361 62549), the Tribal Cultural Institute (phone: +880 (0) 361 62424), the office of Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, the government-owned tourism company and the office of Guide Tours, the largest privately owned tourism company, at Hill Side Resort.

Bandarban, a 4,479 km2 wide area with a population of 292,900 (2003 est.) inside Bangladesh is bordered by Cox's Bazaar, Chittagong, Rangamati and Khagrachari. On the other side of the 129 kilometre international border lies Myanmar provinces of Chin and Arakan.

Landscape


The three highest peak of Bangladesh - Tahjindong (1280 m, also known as bijoy), Mowdok Mual (1052 m), and Keokradong (883 m) - are in Bandarban district, as well as Raikhiang Lake, the highest lake in Bangladesh. Chimbuk peak and Boga Lake are two more highly noted features of the district. Though most Bangladesh sources cite Keokradong as the highest peak in the country, but Tazing Dong (sometimes spelled as Tahjingdong, and also known as Bijoy) lying further east is recognized both by government and expert sources as a taller peak. Measurements taken by English adventurer Ginge Fullen shows that an officially unnamed peak near the Myanmar border (locally known as Mowdok Mual) is the highest point in Bangladesh. A team from Nature Adventure Club took part in an expedition in the Mowdok Range and agreed with the Ginge Fullens statement. They got the height of this peak as 1,063 m with GPS accuracy of 3 m. The unnamed summit is known as 'Saka Haphong' to the local Tripura tribes.

The following is a list of mountain ranges in the area and the tallest peaks of each range:
 * Muranja (also known as Meranja) range (Basitaung, 664 m)
 * Wayla range (most of this range is in Myanmar)
 * Chimbook range (Tindu, 898 m)
 * Batimain range (Batitaung, 526 m)
 * Politai range (Keokradang, 884 m; Ramiu Taung 921 m)
 * Saichal-Mowdok range (Bilaisari, 669 m; Mowdok Mual 1,003 m)
 * Saichal range (Waibung 808 m; Rang Tlang, 958 m; Mowdok Tlang, 905 m)
 * Wailatong and Tambang ranges

The River Sangu (also known as Sangpo or Shankha), the only river born inside Bangladesh territory, runs through Bandarban. The other rivers in the district are Matamuhuri and Bakkhali. Parts of Kaptai Lake, the biggest lake in, Bangladesh fall under the area.

History
In the early days of 15th century, Arakanese kingdom expended its territories to the Chittagong area of Bengal. After the victory of Arakan on Burma's Pegu kingdom in 1599 AD, the Arakanese king Mong Raja Gree appointed a Prince of Pegu as the governor of newly established Bohmong Htaung (Circle) by giving the title of "Bohmong" Raja. That area was mostly populated by the Arakanese descendants and ruled by the Burmese (Myanmar) noble descendants who started to call themselves in Arakanese language as Marma. Marma is an archaic Arakanese pronunciation for Myanmar. As the population of the Bohmong Htaung were of Arakanese descandants, these Myanmar-descendants Bohmong chiefs (Rajas) of the ruling class took the titles in Arakanese and speak a dialect of the Arakanese language.

Bandarban Hill District was once called Bohmong Htaung since the Arakanese rule. Once Bohmong Htaung was ruled by Bohmong Rajas who were the subordinates to the Arakanese kings. Ancestors of the present Bohmong dynasty were the successor of the Pegu King of Burma under the Arakan's rule in Chittagong. In 1614, King Mong Kha Maung, the king of Arakan appointed Maung Saw Pru as Governor of Chittagong who in 1620 repulsed the Portuguese invasion with great valour. As a consequence, Arakanese king, Mong Kha Maung adorned Maung Saw Pru with a title of Bohmong meaning Great General. After the death of Maung Saw Pru two successors retained Bohmong title. During the time of Bohmong Hari Gneo in 1710, Arakanese King Canda Wizaya recaptured Chittagong from the Mughals. Bohmong Hari Gneo helped King Canda Wizaya in recapturing Chittagong and as a mark of gratitude the later conferred on Bohmong Hari Gneo the grand title of Bohmong Gree which means great Commander in Chief.

During the British Raj, it was declared as the Bohmong circle with limited autonomy. The Mizokaba or the Mizo uprise in the mid 19th century was major catalyst for re-settlement of the tribes in the area. During World War II the area saw the presence of a formidable British military presence that came to stand against a Japanese invasion. The tribes of these hills held the reputation of unyielding rebellion throughout history. When India, Pakistan and Mynamar went independent from the Raj, the leaders of the tribes people decided unsuccessfully to become a part of Mynamar, then known as Burma. During the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 to gain independence from Pakistan, the leaders again sought unsuccessfully to remain a part of Pakistan.

In the late 1970s, a policy of forced settlement of Bengalis into the hills led to a hill tribe insurgency led by Shanti Bahini, the military wing of Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samiti. There have been attempts to create division among tribal cultural lines between the Chakmas, who led Shantibanhini, and the Mrus, by creating an anti-Shantibanhini militia out of them. Now, after the peace treaty, Bandarban stands as a locally governed ethnic region together with the two other hill districts. Representation of numerous tribes of the district in the Hill Council is still under dispute.

People
There are more than fifteen ethnic minorities living in the district besides the Bengalis, including: the Marma, the Arakanese descendants and Arakanese (Rakhine), who are also known as Magh, Mru (also known as Mro or Murong), Bawm, Khyang, Tripuri (also known as Tipra or Tipperah), Mizo (also known as Lushei), Khumi, Chak, Kuki, Chakma and Tenchungya, who are closely related, Reang (also known as Riyang), Uchoi (also known as Usui) and Pankho.

The Mru, also known as Murong, who are famous for their music and dance. The Mru in major numbers have converted to Khrama (or Crama), the youngest religion in Bangladesh that prohibits much of their old ways. They are assumed to be the original inhabitants of Bandarban. The Bawm are another major tribe here. Now converted almost totally to Christianity they have taken full advantage of the church to become the most educated people in the district. The Marma are Arakanese descendants of Myanmar by origin and Buddhists by religion, and are the second largest tribe in the hill districts of Bangladesh. The Khumi live in the remotest parts of the district, and the group is thought to include yet unexplored and unclassified tribes.

These ethnic groups are again divided in hundreds of clans and sects, principally dominated by four religious threads - Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and a number of pagan faiths. All these clans and groups are clustered into two major ethnic families, namely the hill people and the valley people. Since the Kaptai dam flooded the valley creating to Kaptai lake, the valley people have started to live on hill tops along the hill people.

Bengali settlers, coming in with the forced settlements in 1979, and Rohingya refugees, displaced across the Myanmar border since 1992, have become two major ethnic groups. But, there are a number of Bengali families who claim to have settled earlier than some of the tribes.

Festivals

 * Raj Punnyah: It is ceremonial rite of paying tribute and taxes (khazna) to the king of Bohmang circle, happening in mid February since 1885. The three day festival at the royal palace features the king meeting his subjects in full regalia, accompanied by a ceremonial guard, and receiving tributes.
 * Sangrai: The biggest festival of the Marma tribesmen, akin to Boisabi of the Tripuris and Biju of the Chakmas. In mid-April, this celebration of the new year falls around the same time as Bengali Naba Barsha and Assamese Bihu. Apart frm the songs and dances Sangrai is marked by the water festival and magic charm competitions. Water festival is a game of splashing water from two sides of a marked arena by unmarried boys and girls on each other. It is said that splashing water is a way of declaring a love interest. Non-Marma people can't usually take part in the game.

Talk
Bangla (official); Marma, Bawm and Mru (local)

By bus
There are three ways to get to Bandarban. The easiest is a direct bus ride from Dhaka which takes 6 hours. The few services available are Dolphin at Kalabagan, Unique service, Shyamoli Paribahan at Gabtali, Asad gate, Fakirerpul, Kamlapur, Saydabad and S Alam at Kamalapur. On the high tourist season it is advisable to buy tickets in advance.

There are a few services available that offer a bus ride from Chittagong which takes 2 hours (the most available is Purbani at Bahaddarhaat). To reach Chittagong from Dhaka there are three options - taking a flight, a bus (Sohag is undoubtedly the best service, available at Kalabagan and Mahakhali) or a train from Kamalapur (Turna Nishitha, Mahanagar Godhuli and Subarna).

From Cox's Bazar, it is a 3-hour bus ride (the most available is Purbani at Laaldighi). To reach Cox's Bazaar from Dhaka it is possible take either a 10-hour bus ride (Sohag is the best) or a flight. From Chittagong it is 4-hour bus ride (apart from Dolphin, Purbani is the most available).

Purbani Bus Service, Phone:01820412800 (Chittagong), 0361-62508 (Bandarban)

It is possible to get to Bandarban directly from Rangamati by way of Chandraghona, but the perilous route is not advisable at all.

By car
Car rented from Chittagong, readily available from Bangladesh Enterprise (phone: +880 (0) 31 670512) at Chandgao, Al-Amin Enterprise (phone: +880 (0) 31 720600) or Alam Enterprise (phone: +880 (0) 31 714566) at Hazi Para in Agrabad, Bismilla Fashion (phone: +880 (0) 31 612749) at Reazuddin Bazar or Samara Fashions (phone: +880 (0) 31 615925) at Azimir Super Market at Monim Road, would take anyone to Bandarban. Though it is possible to rent a car at Dhaka to go all the way to Bandarban, it is not advisable in any way. Plainland drivers are generally lousy in the hills and they don't know the locality at all. It would be prudent to hire a driver who comes from Bandarban.

By Jeep
Jeep, Land Rover, Land Cruser are available in Bandarban Jeep station - which all are under Bandarban Jeep-Microbus Owners Association. They will say all the fares are fixed but you will find lot of scope to bargain. Auto (locally called CNG) are also available which are not that safe.

Small Jeep (5 seat) and Large Jeep (8 seat). Before rent any Jeep must need to check whither they have the spare wheel or not. In sunny day tyre puncture is very common due to the high temperature of road. Some local driver of Jeep cell no are +8801860300418 (Mr. Jashim), +880184149091 (Mr. Kalam),+8801817721077 (Mr. Pintu, Very clever but honest) All driver are honest and caring.

Get around
Inside the town, which can be easily covered on feet, the most available mode of transport in the rickshaw. For places out of town there are three-wheeler taxis near the Traffic Mor (circle or intersection), four-wheel drive vehicles for hire near Hotel Green Hill, and a rent-a-car station near Hotel Hill Bird. There also are the regular public transit system of ancient four-wheel-drive vehicles, known locally as Chander Gari (meaning the Moon Car) available Ruma and Rowangchhari Bus Stations, as well as near the Sonali Bank. Major road routes are Chimbuk-Ruma, Bandarban-Rowangchhari-Ruma, Aziznagar-Gojalia-Lama, Khanhat-Dhopachhari-Bandarban, Bandarban-Chimbuk-Thanchi-Alikadam-Baishari-Dhundhum, and Chimbuk-Tangkabati-Baro Aoulia. It is also possible to travel by native boats by the river Sangu, from either the Bazaar Ghat or the Kyaw Ching Ghat.

See



 * Buddha Dhatu Jadi. The largest Buddhist temple in Bangladesh, located in Balaghata, 4 km from the town, is one excellent place to visit locally known as 'Swarna Mandir'. This Theravada Buddhist temple. set atop a 60-meter hill, is made completely in the style of South-East Asia and houses a sacred relic and the second largest statue of Buddha in Bangladesh.
 * Shoilo Propat, Meghla and Nilachal. The waterfall named Shoilo Propat at Milanchari, 4 km from the town on the road to Thanchi, is also excellent site maintained by Bangladesh Parjatan, the national tourism promotion corporation. The Parjatan Motel is not a small thing at all. It has a huge three-storey building on a high place. The room rent here a little high compared to other places The site maintained by the District Administration is Meghla, 4 km from the town on the road to Keranihat, which features a mini-safari-park, a zoo, and a hanging bridge. The District Administration has also developed the Nilachal tourist site near Meghla, in Tigerpara
 * Raj Vihar and Ujanipara Vihar.The numerous Buddhist temples, known as kyang in local toungue, and vihars in the town include the highly notable the Rajvihar (royal Monastery) at Jadipara. The monastery at Ujanipara, known as Ujanipara Vihar, is also a major place of interest.
 * Chimbuk Hill and Tribal Villages. Chimbuk is one of the tallest peaks in Bangladesh and lies some 14 km from the town. Bawm villages around Chimbuk and Mru villages a little further off are also lie within a day's journey from the town.




 * Nil Giri and Thanchi. Nilgiri is one of the tallest peaks and beautiful place in Bangladesh and lies some 46 km from the town. there is beautiful resort in the top of the mountain maintain by the Bangladesh Army. Booking to be done through army officer. There are three well furnished cottages ranging from Tk 4000–7000. There are also three tents having 4 beds each@2000 per tent. Foreign tourist will be restricted there. there is restaurant, helipad,
 * Other Places. Prantik Lake, Jibannagar and Kyachlong Lake are some more places of interest.

Do

 * Cruise on River Sangu. One highly admired activity here is a boat trip in a sampan (a double oared boat with a blunt aft and a flat bottom) or a regular boat down the River Sangu. The trip can vary from a 1-hour trip, including a stop-over to take tea, to a whole day cruise including stop-overs to have food.You will find people working on river with bamboos. The river is not very deep in the dry season. Many times your boat might get stuck with the soil under the river.
 * Take a Guided Tour. The only available regular guided tour package, offered by Bengal Tours & Guide Tours, takes tourists through Buddha Dhatu Jadi, Meghla, Shoilo Propat, Raj Vihar and Ujanipara Vihar, two tribal villages, Chimbuk Hill and a couple of more sites. An irregular guided tour package by Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation takes tourists to Nilachal and Meghla, the artificially created government owned "tourist attractions" generally shunned by serious travelers.

Hiking
A hike to either Keokaradong (883 m) or Tahjindong (967 m), the two tallest peak is an exhilarating experience. On the side of both the peaks reside the remotest tribes-people of Bangladesh - the Khumi and the Kuki. Boga Lake, one of the two highest lakes in Bangladesh lie directly on the trek, while the other one, the Raikhiang Lake lies only a little off the way.

Buy
There is an abundance of Burmese, Thai and Chinese trinkets and textiles in town. But, the best buy is definitely the products of local handloom - cloth fabric, shawls, blankets and more - as well as products of bamboo, cane and wood - baskets, flutes, hats, mask and more. Prices are amazingly low, and textile qualities are amazingly high, with exotic and geometric designs. Only the machine-made textiles from Myanmar (called Burma here) have floral or fire patterns.

Markets

 * Master Shopping Complex and Burmese Market: Full of Thai, Chinese & Burmese products. This market is always busy with throngs of buyers, sellers and onlookers. Marma shopkeepers, mostly women, are easy to deal with, and may provide information on the place and the people.
 * Bonolota Textile and Rangamati Textile: These shops at the Traffic Mor sells handloom products from Rangamati, another area of the Hill Tratcs, here. Since the Chakma people are very different from the Marma, Bawm and Mru people of Bandarban, the products may bring a fresh break.
 * The BSCIC Shop: Various handloom and cottage products. It is the sales center for the cottage industry development project of Bangladesh government.
 * Shoilo Propat: Shawls, blankets and baskets made by the Bawm people are sold by them by the side of the waterfall. And here you can buy those product in most competitive price.
 * Farukpara: Flutes, hats, pitchers and other stuff made by the Bawm people are sold in little shop crammed full with exotic and wonderful products. Bargaining while sipping on a cup of tea is a wonderful activity here.
 * Marmabazaar: All the local food and textile products, as well as wet grocery vendors selling fresh hill produces. Look for Nappi, a local delicacy, to take home here. But, don't forget to pack it tight when carrying. This market bustles with activity in the earl morning, with tribes-people coming down the hills to sell vegetables of every color, as well as roots, tubers, fruits, berries and nuts.

Dress
Both the Bandarban Bazaar and the Marma Bazaar sell, hawk and peddle an incredible number of floral-patterned Burmese cloths that are used to make dresses in Marma style. A thicket of tailoring shops line the streets of both markets to cater to buyers of these cloths. It is a fun activity for women to buy cloth and take it to a tailoring shop. Custom fit Thami (sarong) and Angi (Blouse) are tailored in a day.

Budget
There are good restaurants in Bandarban Bazaar where local cuisine can be sampled, which is mostly too hot for unaccustomed palates.

Mid-range
The best places to eat are Khaoa Daoa (a Muslim restaurant, meaning they serve beef) and Adarsha Bhaatghar (a Hindu restaurant, meaning they don't serve beef).

Splurge
Chinese or Continental food, though available and expensive by local standards, is of poor quality here. Check with Ree Song Song in the town or Kyank Ching at Parzatan Motel Megla.

Local delicacies
The local tribespeople consider almost everything that walks, flies or swims as food, so with a little luck it is possible to sample dog meat, and even dried snakes or deer meat (both are protected species in Bangladesh). Nappi, a semi-dried fish-paste with powerful flavor, is one of the top delicacies. Most of the hotels in Bandarban do not have any restaurant attached.

Drink
Though there are no designated bars or pubs, alcoholic drinks are widely available due to the culture of the tribes-people. A local rice wine called Arraa is a potent drink. It is often flavored with stone-apples, pineapples and elachi. It is best drunk with coconut juice. Ching Rey is a beer made from the first brew of Arraa. Tea is a fairly common drink in the daytime, and available at plentiful hot tea shops. Tea here is served with thin milk and salt instead of sugar.

There is no formal nightlife here. But, if you stay outside the town, it may be possible to sit at a gathering of tribal village fold for a little music and lot of drinking.

Connect
361 is the area code for Bandarban. For further details see Bangladesh.

The telecom watchdog, Bangladesh Telecom Regulatory Commission (BTRC), has permitted Rankstel and QC Telecom, two privately owned phone companies, to provide telular (Fixed Wireless Transceiver based phones) services in Bandarban, which is about the equal to connections provided by Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB), the government owned monopoly on fixed-line telephone service, and are far more available.

There are a couple of cybercafes that offer internet services. But, since they are not connected to the information superhighway via submarine cables, the connections are pretty slow, often dipping below 0.4kbit/s. These usually remain open from 11AM to 8PM.

Postal codes for Bandarban are - 4600 (Bandarban Sadar), 4630 (Thanchi), 4641 (Lama), 4660 (Nikhongchhari), 4650 (Alikadam), 4610 (Rowangchhari), and 4620 (Ruma). The surface mail is notoriously slow and undependable. There also is a possibility of mail from foreign nationals getting opened and checked by civil or military authorities.

Stay safe
As malaria is a major health threat in the region, malaria prophylaxis is highly advisable. Avloquin and Malacide are two popular local brands of the drug, obtainable from major Dhaka, Chittagong or Bandarban drugstores that are known as a "pharmacy" in Bangladesh. Incidentally, Bandaraban District Hospital has arguably the best treatment and research facilities for malarial treatment in Bangladesh.

Stay healthy
Drinking water often comes from hillside streams. Therefore, insist upon water from tube wells, or carry your own supply of water or water purification tablets. Halotab is the popular local brand of purification tablets. Bandarban pharmacies may not have any in stock, so it is advisable to purchase some in Dhaka or Chittagong beforehand.

Emergency Services

 * Bandaban District Hospital Phone: +880 (0) 361 62544
 * Matree Sadan and Shishu Kalyan Kendra Phone: +880 (0) 361 62591
 * Bandarban Police Station
 * Bandarban Cantonment Phone (exchange): +880 (0) 361 62266/62284/62285/62290

Cope
There are a few laundries (local name) in the town, but no dry cleaning. These wash your clothes by the river. Photoprocessing is easy, as there are quite a few shops at Marmabazaar. The photoprocessing experience can become an exciting experience if you try a shop that has photo studio attached.

Go next

 * Rangamati - wrapped in hills and a massive serene lake
 * Cox's Bazaar - proud of having the longest beach in the world