Sylhet: Land of Two leaves and a Bud

Next to the Hill Tracts of Chittagong, Sylhet is the marvelously beautiful district in the country. Cradled in the beautiful Surma valley amidst scenic tea gardens and deep green tropical forest, Sylhet is a prime attraction for all kinds of tourists. The district has plenty of tea gardens, marvelous orange groves and hilly pineapple plantations. The Sylhet valley has a number of haors which are large natural wetlands. During winter these haors are vast stretches of greeneries, but during rainy season these haors turn into vast sea. These haors are actually the sanctuary of the million of migratory birds that fly from Siberia across the Himalayas Mountains to avoid the severe cold over there.  Srimongol in Sylhet is famous as the tea capital of Bangladesh. For miles and miles around, there are tea gardens like green carpet over the plain land and on the sloping hills. Visiting the tea gardens of Sythet is obviously a memorable experience. Sylhet is also famous as the land of the Muslim saint Hazrat Shah Halal. The Shrine of this great saint is located in the heart of Sylhet town. Colorful Monipuri, Khasia and Garo tribes of Bangladesh live in Sylhet. Monipuri tribal maidens have reputation for their dance. Sylhet is also famous for its variety of exquisite cane and bamboo hanicrafts. Sylhet is connected with Dhaka and other cities of Bangladesh by rail, road and air.
Tamabil & Jaflong: Located amidst splendid panorama, Tamabil is the border out post on Sylhet. It is about 55 km away from Sylhet town. Besides scenic beauties of the area one can also see the waterfalls across the border from Tamabil checkpost. Jaflong is also a scenic picnic spot nearby tea gardens. This place is famous for the rare beauty of rolling stones from Indian hills. Other places of tourist attraction include Moulvibazar, Janitipur, Madhabakunda. The biggest waterfall ob Bangladesh is located in Barlekha of Moulvibazar district.

Sundarban: the abode of Royal Bengal Tiger:

Located in Khulna about 320 km. west of Dhaka Sundarbans has its bewitching beauty. It looks so marvelous from airplane.  The place has a good network of plenty of small and big rivers. Spread over an area of about 6000 sq. km. Khulna is the biggest mangrove forest in Bangladesh. One finds sea tides flowing in two directions in the same creek and very often tigers swimming across a river or big crocodiles basking in the sun. Other wild animals in this region are cheetahs, spotted dears, wild bears, moneys, pythons and hyenas. The forest can be reached from Khulna and Mongla by water. There are good accommodations for the visitors to stay and watch Sundarbans with all its charm and majesty. Spending some time inside the deep forest can be a rare experience for the lovers of nature.

Kuakata 
A rare scenic spot on the southernmost tip of Bangladesh in the district of Patuakhali is Kuakata. It has a wide sea beach from where one may get the unique opportunity of watching both the sunrise and sunset.  It is 70 km away from the district headquarters of Patuakhali. Actually it is somewhat difficult to visit the area.

Mainamati – Seat of lost Dynasties: 
About 8 km. to the west of Comilla town Mainamati is situated 114 km south east of Dhaka. It is known as Mainamati-Lalmai ridge, a centre of Buddhist culture. On the slopes of the hills lie scattered a hub of information about the early Buddhist civilization (7th-12th Century A.D.). At Salban, excavations laid bare a large Buddhist Vihar (monastery) and imposing central shrine. It has revealed valuable information regarding the Chandra and Deva dynasties which flourished here from the 7th to 12th century. The entire range of hillocks lie for about 18 km. There are more than 50 spots worthy of tourist visit. There is a museum of archaeological findings which include bronze statues and casket, coins, terra cotta plaques, jewellery, utensils, pottery and votive stupas embossed with Buddhist inscriptions. The museum is open from Sunday to Friday and closed on Saturday.

Mahasthangarh –the oldest archaeological site
Located at a distance of 18 km north of Bogura town, Mahasthangarh is the oldest archaeological spot of Bangladesh on the western bank of river Karatoa. The spectacular site has a fortified long enclosure. Beyond the fortified area, there are other ancient ruins within a semicircle of about 8 km radius. There are several isolated mounds, the local names of them are “Govinda Bhita Temple”, “Khodia Pathar Mound”, “Mankalir Kunda”, “Parasuramer Bedi”, “Jiyat Kunda” etc. surround the fortified city. This 3rd century B.C. archaeological site is still regarded to be of great sancitity by the Hindu community. Every year (mid - April) and also once in every 12 years (December), thousands of Hindu devotees from all over the country join the bathing ceremony on the bank of river Karatoa.

Paharpur: the largest Buddhist seat of learning 
Paharpur, a small village, 5 km. west of Jamalganj in the greater Rajshahi district the remains the most important and the largest known monastery south of the Himalayas. This 7th century archaeological find covers approximately an area of 27 acres of land. The entire establishment occupies a quadrangular court, measuring more than 900 ft. & from 12 ft. to 15th. in height. There are 45 cells on the north and 44 in each of the other three sides with a total number of 177 rooms. The architecture of the pyramidal cruciform temple is immensely influenced by those of South-East Asia, especially Myanmar and Java. It had taken its name from a high mound that looked like pahar or hillock. A site museum houses the collection of objects recovered from the area. The antiquities of the museum include terra-cotta plaques, potteries, images of different gods and goddesses, coin inscriptions, ornamental bricks and other minor clay objects. 
DINAJPUR - OLD

Mymenshingh: the heart of Bengal’s folklore
Starting from the foot of the Garo Hills in the north down to plains of Dhaka in the south lies greater Mymensingh. Along the northern frontier of the district there are many aboriginal tribes such as Garos, Hajongs and Kochis who are ethnically quite distinct from the people around them. Mymensingh has earned a notable position in Bengali literature because it the birth place of rich folklores and folk songs. On the road from Dhaka to Mymensingh there is a national park at Madhupur about 160 km. from Dhaka. There are a number of reserve forests in the area with good rest houses and beautiful picnic spots. World famous painter Zainul Abedin's Art Gallery at Mymensingh bears the boyhood memories of national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam.