Rajshahi

About Rajshahi

Rajshahi faces the Padma, with India on the far bank, in the west of Bangladesh. The district reaches north onto the red, raised soils of the Barind tract around Tanore and Godagari, while the riverside upazilas of Charghat and Bagha are flat and fertile. The Padma, the Mahananda along the western edge and the small Baral and Shiba rivers shape the landscape. Summers here are among the hottest in the country, and winters are notably cool.

The city of Rajshahi is the divisional headquarters and an education centre. Rajshahi University, Rajshahi College, a medical college, an engineering university and dozens of schools give it a student-town feel. It is also widely praised as one of the cleanest and greenest cities in Bangladesh. The riverside embankment, with its promenades and the T-shaped groyne known as T-badh, fills with families at sunset. Rajshahi is called the "Silk City" for its sericulture and silk weaving, and the district's orchards make it one of the great mango regions.

History

The city was long known as Rampur Boalia, and the name Rajshahi, roughly "royal domain", was first used for a large revenue estate. The British formed Rajshahi district in 1772, initially run from Natore. The headquarters moved to Rampur Boalia in 1825, and a Dutch and later English silk factory stood on the riverbank. Much older is the shrine of Shah Makhdum Rupos, a Sufi saint traditionally credited with bringing Islam to the region in the thirteenth or fourteenth century. The district also preserves the Bagha Mosque, built in 1523–24 during the reign of Sultan Nasiruddin Nusrat Shah.

In 1910 local scholars founded the Varendra Research Society, whose museum is the oldest in Bangladesh. In 1971 Pakistani troops used Zoha Hall at Rajshahi University as a camp where many people were killed. Dr Shamsuzzoha, a university teacher killed protecting students in 1969, is remembered across the country.

Economy and livelihoods

Mangoes are the district's pride. Bagha, Charghat, Puthia, Godagari and Paba grow Fazli, Langra, Khirsapat, Gopalbhog and Amrapali in huge quantities, and the Baneshwar haat in Puthia is one of the busiest mango markets in the country. The Barind lands produce rice, wheat and, increasingly, fruit orchards and dragon fruit. The Bangladesh Sericulture Development Board is headquartered here, and silk factories and showrooms in the Sapura area weave sarees, panjabis and scarves. Fisheries along the Padma, education and services round out the economy.

Food, culture and festivals

Rajshahi silk sarees are prized gifts across Bangladesh. The roadside breakfast is kalai ruti: a thick black-gram flatbread cooked on clay griddles and served with spicy bhorta, a speciality shared with neighbouring Chapainawabganj. Students and cultural groups keep a lively music and theatre scene going, and Pohela Boishakh on the riverbank is a big event. The local dialect is the Varendri form of Bangla. Santal and other indigenous communities live in the Barind villages of Tanore and Godagari.

Places to visit in Rajshahi

1. Puthia Temple Complex

   A cluster of temples and palace buildings of the Puthia zamindars, about 30 km east of the city. The tall Shiva temple beside Shiv Sagar tank, the terracotta-covered Govinda temple and the Rajbari make it one of the best temple sites in Bangladesh.

2. Varendra Research Museum

   Founded in 1910 and the oldest museum in Bangladesh. It holds stone sculpture, terracotta, coins and inscriptions from the Pala and Sena periods, many from the Barind region.

3. Bagha Mosque

   A ten-domed brick mosque from 1523–24, covered in fine terracotta floral panels and set beside a large tank in Bagha upazila. A popular stop on the mango-orchard drive.

4. Padma riverbank and T-badh

   The city's riverside promenade and T-shaped embankment are the place for sunset, boat rides to the chars, and evening snacks.

5. Shah Makhdum Rupos shrine

   The dargah of the city's patron saint, near the river in central Rajshahi. It is busy with pilgrims, especially during the annual urs.

What Rajshahi is famous for

• Rajshahi mango
• Rajshahi silk
• Fazli mango
• Aamsotto (mango leather)

How to get to Rajshahi

Rajshahi is roughly 250 km from Dhaka. Buses take about 5–6 hours via the Jamuna Bridge and Natore, from Gabtoli, Kallyanpur and Mohakhali. Intercity trains from Kamalapur, including the Silk City, Padma, Dhumketu and Banalata Express, reach Rajshahi in about 5–6 hours. Shah Makhdum Airport has daily flights from Dhaka, taking under an hour.

Markets and haats

Baneshwar mango haat, Puthia

A roadside wholesale market that becomes a sea of mango baskets in June and July. Traders from across Bangladesh come to buy Fazli, Langra and Khirsapat.

Saheb Bazar

The central market of Rajshahi city: clothes, sweets, household goods and the main shopping streets.

Sapura silk factories and showrooms

The silk weaving and retail cluster where you can watch looms at work and buy Rajshahi silk sarees, panjabis and fabric by the metre.

Rajshahi at a glance

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Questions about Rajshahi

More districts in Rajshahi Division

• Bogura Ancient Pundranagar, sweet curd and the gateway to North Bengal
• Joypurhat Potatoes, arum stolons and the country's biggest sugar mill
• Naogaon Rice bowl of the Barind, home of Paharpur and Amrapali mangoes
• Natore Rani Bhabani's palaces, Chalan Beel and the sweet kacha golla
• Chapainawabganj Mango orchards, Gaur's sultanate mosques and the songs of gombhira
• Pabna Onions, litchis and ghee between the Padma and the Jamuna
• Sirajganj Handlooms, milk and the bridges over the Jamuna