Kanchenjunga is best seen from Panchagarh district in Tentulia upazila, which is the northernmost upazila of Bangladesh. The location of Kanchenjunga hills is 135 km away from Tentulia.
Tentulia is located on the banks of Mahananda river. Mahananda river enters Bangladesh from India. On the banks of this Mahananda river is the Government Dakbungalow and the perfect place to stay for Tentulia. Because from this place Kanchenjunga is seen most beautiful.
A cottage in the Dakbungalow where I stayed.
I took the bus from Dhaka the night before. After about 11 hours bus journey I reached Tentulia Dakbungalow. A little freshened up at Dakbungalow, I went to bathe in Mahananda river. But unfortunately it is true that the waters of Mahananda are not deep. Because India has built a dam upstream of the Mahananda river, so there is no flow of water.
After bath and lunch, I went out to see different places in Tentulia. First I went to see Shiva temple in Tentulia. The Shiva temple is located in the Bangladesh-India border area on the banks of the Mahananda river in Tentulia. Talking to local people and Sanatan religious people, it is known that the approximate temples were built in 1920 AD. can be made The temple is built very close to the Bangladesh - India border. Currently, the temple is suffering a lot of damage due to neglect. Moreover, being in the border area, the religious people feel shy to go there and worship there. It is currently abandoned.
The yellow bamboo garden of Tentulia is visible in the picture.
Although there are no big tea gardens like Sylhet, you will see many small tea gardens in Panchagarh’s Tentulia. The exquisite beauty and craftsmanship of the sculpture has blossomed into a tamarind environment and portrait form. Along with this, the craftsmanship of the craftsman’s hand is also proved in this sculpture. Women tea workers are closely involved in tea plantations and tea industry. This subject is shown as a symbol of respect in this sculpture.
"Tentulia" is a four-lettered name in Bangla that is known by everyone in the country. Legend has it that there were many tamarind trees in this area in ancient times. Passers-by rested under the shade of tamarind trees. At one time a prominent English businessman lived here. His father’s name was Titu and his house was on a high hill. There was a tamarind tree. Over time, the Englishman’s father’s name was “Tetu” and “Lea” from the tamarind floor, and the name of the town was “Tentulia”.
Although tea production started in Bangladesh about 150 years ago, first tea cultivation started in 1998 in Panchagarh. New tea gardens are being developed in the plains of Tentulia upazila. After Sylhet and Chittagong, Tentulia Upazila of Panchagarh has occupied the place as the third tea region of the country.
If tea can be cultivated in India’s Darjeeling, then why not in Panchagarh? It started with this simple question. The question was asked in 1996 by the then honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The former principal of the government women’s college collected seedlings from India. Nazmul Haque started testing the feasibility of tea cultivation by planting in the college premises and was successful.
Due to the sudden increase in the price of green tea leaves, the common farmers are creating new tea gardens by uprooting bamboo groves, wood plantations, mango gardens etc. around the homesteads.
As a result, interest in cash crop tea plantation in Tentulia upazila of Panchagarh compared to other crops of common farmers has turned into a much talked about revolution.
A land boundary pillar between India-Bangladesh border
Its construction technique is very Victorian style. It is said to have been built by the king of Cooch Behar. Dakbungalow is located on the high ground near the bank of Mahananda River, adjacent to the border of India (that is, if India crosses the river), about 15 to 20 meters above the common ground.
To be continued…
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