Chandpur is a well-known district in Bangladesh. There are many beautiful tourist places in Chandpur to visit. If you want to enjoy your vacation to your hometown or this district in Chittagong, this article will be worth a read.
Page Contents
1. The Shrine of Hazrat Shahrasti/Hazrat Shahrasti Mazar/হযরত শাহরাস্তির মাজার
The shrine of Hazrat Shahrasti Mazar, a preacher of Islam, is located in the Sripur village of Shahrasti Upazila of the Chandpur district.
Rasti Shah was born in Baghdad, Iraq, in 1238 AD. Hazrat Rasti Shah (may Allah be pleased with him) was a descendant of the elder Pir Hazrat Abdul Quader Jilani (r. Hazrat Shah Rasti was one of the 12 Auliyas who came to the sub-continent with Hazrat Shahjalal to propagate Islam during the reign of Sultan of Delhi Feroz Shah.
He came to Yemen in 738 and Bengal in 1351 to propagate his religion. Later, Shahrasti Upazila was named after him. His various miracles are still familiar to people. It is said that he dug up the big lake on the north side of the shrine in one night with the help of the jinns.
Dedicated to the propagation of Islam, this nobleman died in the Sripur village of Chandpur in 1388. Three hundred and fifty years after his death, on the orders of Pari Bibi, the daughter of subedar Shaista Khan, the Kazi Ghulam Rasul built a shrine around his tomb.
At that time, the government had arranged 64 acres of land and an annual allowance from the British East India company to meet and maintain the expenses of the shrine of Shah Rasti. A mosque with 3 domes was also built near the shrine.
Every year on the last Thursday of the month of Magh, the annual conference held at the shrine of Shah Rasti or Uros draws many people from different parts of the country.
How to go to the Shrine of Hazrat Shahrasti
The Chandpur district can reach from Dhaka by road, boat, and rail. However, traveling by boat is the most convenient and fun option. From Lalkuthi ghat in Dhaka’s Sadarghat, the MV series’s Sonartori, Meghla Rani, Bogdadia, Al-Borak, Eagle, Taqwa, Mitali, and Imam Hasan launch ply on the Chandpur boat route.
After reaching Chandpur district, you can take a rickshaw/CNG and go to Hazrat Shahrasti’s Shrine sharif via Shahrasti Upazila Parishad.
Where to stay near the Shrine of Hazrat Shahrasti
There are several hotels on the big station road and Comilla road in Chandpur. Private accommodations include the luxurious Meghna resort, Hotel Grand Hilisa, Hotel Sheraton, Hotel Al Rajib, Hotel Gazi, Hotel Taj Mahal, Hotel Shyamali, and Hotel Jonaki.
Where to eat near the Shrine of Hazrat Shahrasti
Faridganj has several food restaurants like Shahi Restaurant, Cafe Rajdhani, Haji Restaurant, Domestic Hotel, and Faridganj One Star Restaurant. If you come to Chandpur, do not forget to taste the Ilish (Hilsa) of the Padma River.
2. The Lohagara Monastery/Lohagarh Moth/লোহাগড়া মঠ
Lohagarh Moth, located one and a half kilometers away from Chandra Bazar in Faridganj Upazila of Chandpur district, is a traditional ancient artifact.
The two oppressive and powerful brothers of the zamindar dynasty, Lohar and Gahra, built this monastery on the banks of the Dhodiya river as the location of the zamindar’s house, and the village and the monastery are named after them.
The nearly 200-year-old Lohagarh Monastery now houses 3 monasteries of different heights, the ruins of the palace, and underground caves. The largest monastery has artistic craftsmanship and is different from other monasteries.
The Lohagarh Moth, a silent witness to the atrocities of the zamindars at the time, has become one of the most visited places in Chandpur.
A British explorer was amazed to see the nobility of this monastery during his visit to the village of Lohagarh.
It is said that on the occasion of the arrival of this British explorer, the zamindar brothers Lohar and Gahra, in an attempt to show their magnificence, built a road from the bank of the river to the zamindar’s house with a length of 200 hands, 2 hand width and 1 hand height, with quarter and half coins.
He also placed a gold bar weighing a hundred kilograms at the top of the monastery as a sign of his own financial prestige.
At that time, many people died trying to climb to the top of the monastery for the sake of gold bars. Later, due to a natural disaster, the gold bar was separated from the monastery and fell into the river.
How to go to Chandpur
From the Sadarghat launch terminal in Dhaka, several launches leave for Chandpur every hour from 7 am to 9 pm. Among the launches from Dhaka to Chandpur are MV Sonartori, MV Takwa, MV Bogdadia, MV Meghna Rani, MV Al Borak, MV Eagle, MV Rafraf, MV Tutul, etc.
The launch fare from Dhaka to Chandpur ranges from Rs 100 to Rs 2000, depending on the category. It takes 3 to 3 and a half hours to reach Chandpur from Dhaka by water.
The Padma exclusive bus leaves for Chandpur from the Saidabad bus terminal in Dhaka from 6 am to 9 pm every day. You can go to Chandpur by train from Dhaka if you want again. Nevertheless, you would need to start by traveling to Laksam from Dhaka and then proceed to Chandpur.
The distance from Chandpur town to the Lohagarh Moth is about 12 km. From Chandpur town district headquarters, you can reach Lohagarh Moth via Chandra Bazar by bus, CNG, or motorcycle.
3. Ongikar Monument/অঙ্গীকার ভাস্কর্য
The Ongikar Monument has been constructed in the lake next to the Freedom Fighter Road in the heart of Chandpur district town in memory of the martyrs of the Great Liberation War in 1971.
It was built by Syed Abdullah Khalid, the architect of the unbeatable Bengali sculpture located in front of the Kala Vaban of Dhaka University. Cement, stone, and iron have been used to make the 15-foot-high Pledge Sculpture, which is known as the central monument of Chandpur.
The fists placed on the top of the pledge sculpture in front of the Hasan Ali government high school grounds symbolize the people’s determination for freedom. The power to achieve and defend freedom through the weapons in hand is expressed.
The spectacular pledge sculpture was built in 1989 with the efforts of the then deputy commissioner of Chandpur, SM Shamsul Alam. Every year on various national days, wreaths are laid at the foot of the pledge sculpture. And every day, from afternoon to evening, the statue is surrounded by numerous visitors.
It is extraordinary to see without a pledge sculpture in the lake’s water in the moonlight.
How to go to Pledge Sculpture
The distance from the Chandpur bus stand to the pledge statue is only 1.5 km. You can reach the sculpture by riding a rickshaw or auto-rickshaw from anywhere in the city.
4. The Big Station/Boro Station/বড় স্টেশন
Rupali Ilish has brought Chandpur a famous name called ‘House of Ilish.’ From Dhaka, since it is possible to visit Chandpur and be back within the day, many tourists flock to different places located in Chandpur to taste the fresh Ilish and enjoy the natural beauty of the beautiful nature.
And it isn’t easy to find people who did not come to The Boro Station when they visited Chandpur. The confluence of the three rivers Padma, Meghna, and Dakatia is also known as a molehead.
The sight of the sun in the estuary of the three rivers, the floating of small boats, and the sound of the water scratching the banks of the river are enough to be remembered for a lifetime.
During the great liberation war of 1971, many freedom fighters were brutally killed in the torture cell run by the Pakistani occupiers in this Big Station area. For the memory of the martyred freedom fighters, a sculpture named ‘Roktodhara’ has been erected here.
In addition, trawlers, speedboats, or dinghy boats can be hired to travel around the estuary of the three rivers. Near the Big Station area, there is an Ilish wholesale market, ‘Fish Ghat,’ within walking distance. Hilsa brought by fishermen from the river are processed at this fishing market.
How to go to the big station
You can easily go to the Big Station by hiring a rickshaw or an autorickshaw from Chandpur launch ghat.
5. The Historic Big Mosque in Hajiganj/হাজিগঞ্জ ঐতিহাসিক বড় মসজিদ
Situated in Hajiganj of Chandpur district, the artistically crafty Hajiganj historical Big Mosque is one of the largest mosques in the sub-continent in terms of area. In 1337, Haji Ahmad Ali Patwari founded the historic Big Mosque (Hajigonj Boro Masjid) in Hajiganj.
About 10,000 Muslims can offer prayers in this vast mosque of approximately 28,400 square feet. And the largest congregation of Jumatul Bida’a in Bangladesh is held in this mosque. The 6th largest mosque in Bangladesh has a 188-foot-high spectacular minaret.
In the 11th century, Hajiganj was developed periodically from a shop established by haji Monir Uddin (r), the last man of the bourgeois Kamel dynasty named Makim Uddin (r). Haji Ahmad Ali Patwari (r) was the great-grandson of Monai Haji (r), who was the founder and waqif of the historic Big Mosque in Hajiganj.
Starting from the one-storied worship house made of straw, the mosque gradually became the two-storied hay and later the two-storied tin mosque. Later, in 17 Aswin of Bangla 1337, Maulana Abul Farah Jainpuri (r) laid the foundation of the furnished mosque.
After completing the construction of the historic Big Mosque in Hajiganj, the first jummah prayer of 10 Agrahayan of 1344 Bengal was offered in the main mosque of marble stone.
The historic jummah prayer was attended by many dignitaries, including the then chief minister of undivided Bengal AKM Fazlul Haque, Nawab Mosharraf Hossain, Hossain Shahid Suhrawardy, and Nawabzada Khwaja Nasrullah.
6. Rupsha Zamindar House/ Rupsha Zamindar Bari/রূপসা জমিদার বাড়ি
Rupsha Jomidar Bari is located in Rupsa village of Faridganj Upazila, the ancient township of Chandpur district. In the middle of the 18th century, the Ahmad king bought the zamindari from the British and built a zamindar house.
Later, Mohammad Ghazi, the son of The King of Ahmad, inherited the land. In the 19th century, Ahmed Gazi Chowdhury, the privileged son of Mohammad Gazi, took the hand of the zamindar family in Rupsa village.
Zamindar Ahmed Gazi was a tenant-friendly social worker. Kindness and charity have taken his character to unique heights.
The Rupsa Zamindar House is not as dilapidated as the traditional other zamindar houses. There are a total of three separate buildings in the zamindar house. There are also tin houses, ponds, mosques, cemeteries, and green fields.
Zamindar Ahmed Gazi used some of his lands for public welfare work and established several institutions, including Rupsa Ahmadiyya bi-way high school and Rupsa Ahmadiyya Madrasa and mosque.
How to go to Rupsha Zamidar Bari
The distance from Chandpur Sadar to Rupsa Zamindar House is about 21 kilometers. You can easily visit the Rupsa Zamindar House from Chandpur district headquarters by riding on CNG/easy bike. From Chandpur to Rupsa Zamindar House, reserve CNG charges as much as rs 500.
