In the city, people do not get many opportunities to leave the crowd and just go on stress-free journeys because of their jobs and other responsibilities. But with winter vacations around the corner and the children set to be free from the chains of school, now is the perfect time to take that annual leave from work and arrange a tour to any of Bangladesh's many attractive places with family and friends.
During the holidays, Cox's Bazaar is the most common option for tourists. In most cases however, vacationers cannot enjoy fully because of over-crowding, scarcity of hotels, food and transport.
Perhaps it's time for some variety – time to see a different side and a different culture by acquainting oneself with the golden heritage and past of our nation. In this regard, archaeological and historical sites of the country are great options for a family vacation. It will give you an opportunity to revisit our glorious past and rich heritage as most, even those well-educated, may be surprised by the wealth of our culture.
The recorded history of Bangladesh began from the 4th century BC according to laboratory research but the artifacts found from different places indicate that people lived in this territory as early as the 15th century BC. This tells one of the depths of the heritage we can boast of.
In Bangladesh, there are two UNESCO world heritage sites (archaeological) which are the Ruins of Bagerhat and the Buddhist Vihara at Paharpur.
The Ruins of Bagerhat are the remains of the historic city of Khalifatabad from the medieval period (15th century AD). Established by Saint Ulug Khan Jahan, it is situated just beside the Bagerhat Sadar. The area is surrounded by many beautiful ancient mosques, lakes, tombs and roads, including the famous sixty dome mosque and the tomb of Khan Jahan.
The lakes have a few crocodiles. Of them, two are called Kala Pahar and Dhola Pahar. It is believed that these crocodiles were brought by Khan Jahan.
Khulna, the divisional city, is only 35km away from Bagerhat Sadar. The proximity provides the opportunity for a unique tour that includes enjoying the beauty of Sunderbans, hiking and looking out for tigers in the deep forest of Sunderbans.
From Dhaka, it is easy to make a tour plan to visit the historic cities of North Bengal. North Bengal, consisting of Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions, is famous for its historic importance. Pundra, Varendra, Gaur the entire famous ancient region is situated in these areas.
The Buddhist Vihara of Paharpur is situated at Badalgachi Upazila of Naogan district. It is an 1100 years old Buddhist education centre founded by Raja Dharma Pala, in the 9th century AD when the region was ruled by the Pala dynasty. The huge complex consists of 177 rooms for Buddhist monks, including a large central temple. The wall of the temple is decorated with thousands of terracotta plaques.
An hour long journey by bus can bring you to the only archaeological site of the Mauryan emperor Pundra, who reigned during 4th century BC. Located at Bogra district, presently known as Mahasthan Garh, on the bank of river Karotoa, this is yet another mesmerising splendour, rich with history.
Walking through the citadel of Mahasthan, every inch of the area speaks of 2000 years of the forgotten past. The mounds, temples, fortwall, Mahasthan Museum, are all reminders of the life of ancient Bangladesh.
Another four hour journey from Bogra is yet another world famous ancient architectural wonder of Bangladesh -- the Kantanagar Temple. Situated in Kharol Upazila of Dinajpur, this is the only Navaratna Temple of Bangladesh. The extraordinary ornamentation of terracotta makes this unique building represent the story of Ramayana and Mahabharata.
June, July and August is of course the mango season and Chapai Nawabgang is famous for its mangoes. Few kilometers north of the biggest mango hut (bazar) of Bangladesh, 'Kansat', you will find the famous historic city of Gaur.
A mint city during 13-15th century AD, the Choto Shona Mosque is the main attraction of this area. Some other historic buildings such as Toha Khana, a complex including a hammamkhana, a three domed mosque and the tomb of Shah Neamotullah Wali, Dharash Bari Mosque, Dharash Bari or Madrasa -- the earliest madrasa in Bangladesh, Chamachika mosque, are all present.
One of the important views you can enjoy is the zero point of Bangladesh-India boarder. The gateway between the two countries is historic Dakhil-Darwaja (a gateway of fortwall of Gaur).
There are many archaeological tourist places surroundings the capital city of Dhaka. Only 22 kilometers away from Dhaka, are Sonargoan and Panam city, two very popular and attractive destinations for the tourists. It is easy to make a day trip to there. The Art & Craft museum holds the history of arts and crafts in Bangladesh and Panam city offers you the opportunity to immerse yourself in the colonial era.
If you take some more time then you can visit the archaeological region of Mainamati in Comilla. The region was ruled by the Deva, Kharag, Chandra dynasties from 7th to 13th century AD. Still many ruins of Buddhist vihara and temple exist there. Some of the mentionable ones are Ananda Vihara, Shalban Vihara, Charpatra Mura (the earliest recorded Hindu temple of Bangladesh), Rupban Mura, Etakhola Mura, etc.
If history is what attracts you, the country has enough treasures to satiate your thirst. Just take a map, pick a place and go. You will find something exciting almost everywhere.

Photo: LS Archive