Natore

About Natore

Natore sits between Rajshahi and Bogura, on the main road from the Jamuna Bridge into the north-west. The Padma runs along its southern edge at Lalpur, while the Baral, Nandakuja, Atrai and Gur rivers feed the low country of Singra and Gurudaspur. Much of that country is part of Chalan Beel, the largest inland wetland system in Bangladesh. For half the year it is a sheet of water busy with fishing boats; for the other half it is rice and mustard fields.

Many Bangladeshis know the name from a single line of poetry: Jibanananda Das's "Banalata Sen of Natore". The town has leaned into it, and you will see Banalata's name on shops and buildings. Natore was also the seat of one of the largest zamindari estates in Bengal, and its palaces remain the main reason visitors come. The newest upazila, Naldanga, was split from Natore Sadar in 2013, giving the district seven.

History

In the early eighteenth century Ramjivan, a revenue official under Murshid Quli Khan, founded the Natore Raj, an estate that came to cover much of north and central Bengal. Its most famous ruler was Rani Bhabani. She managed the estate for decades in the mid-1700s and is remembered for building temples, roads and water tanks across Bengal. The British made Natore the headquarters of the original Rajshahi district, but moved the seat to Rampur Boalia (today's Rajshahi city) in 1825. Natore became a subdivision in 1845 and a district in 1984.

The Dighapatia Raj, founded by Ramjivan's minister Dayaram Roy, built the palace that is now Uttara Ganabhaban, the official residence of the head of government in the north. During 1859–60 the district was part of the indigo resistance against European planters. In 1971 there were serious battles and killings at Natore, Lalpur and Moyna.

Economy and livelihoods

Agriculture employs most families. Rice, wheat, sugarcane, garlic, onions and pulses are the main crops, and the Chalan Beel area supplies large quantities of freshwater fish. Two state-owned sugar mills operate here: Natore Sugar Mills and North Bengal Sugar Mills at Gopalpur, Lalpur. There is also a large private food-processing complex. Natore's most unusual industry is herbal farming. Since the 1990s farmers in the Laxmipur–Kholabaria union of Natore Sadar have turned their fields over to aloe vera, ashwagandha, shatamuli and roughly 140 other medicinal plants, earning it the name "oushadhi gram" (medicine village).

Food, culture and festivals

No trip to Natore is complete without kacha golla. It is not really a golla (ball) at all, but soft, fresh chhana (cottage cheese) lightly cooked with sugar and served loose. Local sweet makers have made it for generations. The Chalan Beel communities are known for boat races in the monsoon, and fishing-gear haats are busy in the rainy season. People speak a northern dialect close to that of Rajshahi.

Places to visit in Natore

1. Natore Rajbari (Rani Bhabani's palace)

   The estate of the Natore Rajas on the edge of town, with several palace buildings, temples and large ponds set in parkland. It is a peaceful place to walk, and the main buildings date from the Raj's eighteenth- and nineteenth-century heyday.

2. Uttara Ganabhaban (Dighapatia Rajbari)

   The Dighapatia Rajas' palace, a few kilometres from town, inside a moat and walled garden. It is now an official government residence; the grounds, gardens and a museum are open to visitors at set times.

3. Chalan Beel

   In the monsoon the wetlands around Singra and Gurudaspur become a vast lake. Hire a boat for sunsets and fishing villages, or drive the submersible road across the beel in the dry season.

4. Laxmipur–Kholabaria herbal village

   Fields of aloe vera and other medicinal plants stretch across clusters of villages in Natore Sadar. It is an unusual farm visit, and you can buy herbs straight from the growers.

5. Lalpur and the Padma

   The upazila on the Padma, often noted for being one of the driest parts of Bangladesh. You can see the river chars here and the old North Bengal Sugar Mills.

What Natore is famous for

• Natore kacha golla
• Medicinal herbs and aloe vera
• Chalan Beel freshwater fish
• Garlic

How to get to Natore

Natore is roughly 220 km from Dhaka. The bus trip takes about 4–5 hours via the Jamuna Bridge and the Bonpara junction; buses run from Gabtoli and Mohakhali, and Rajshahi-bound coaches pass through. Intercity trains between Dhaka and the north-west stop at Natore station, and Abdulpur junction in Lalpur is a rail hub. Rajshahi airport is about an hour away by road.

Markets and haats

Chanchkoir Haat, Gurudaspur

Held on Tuesdays and Saturdays near Chalan Beel. It is famous for bamboo fish traps such as the khalsun and other fishing gear, along with fresh fish in season.

Kholabaria herbal market

Local traders and growers in Laxmipur–Kholabaria sell fresh and dried aloe vera and other medicinal herbs to herbal-medicine makers from across the country.

Natore town sweet shops and bazar

The traditional sweet shops of the town centre are where visitors buy kacha golla, and the daily bazar sells fish from Chalan Beel.

Natore at a glance

Shops from Natore on Midmart

No shop from Natore is selling on Midmart yet.

Questions about Natore

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
• Chapainawabganj Mango orchards, Gaur's sultanate mosques and the songs of gombhira
• Pabna Onions, litchis and ghee between the Padma and the Jamuna
• Rajshahi Silk City on the Padma, famous for mangoes, temples and learning
• Sirajganj Handlooms, milk and the bridges over the Jamuna