A Day in Dinajpur

Visiting Dinajpur means the mandatory visit to the ancient temple Kantaji Mandir. It is just 21 km north of Dinajpur town, on the banks of the river Dhepa.

It was in the 18th century that Dinajpur’s Maharaja Pran Nath Roy constructed this beautiful structure, adorned with intricate designs in terracotta. It is said that this three-storey temple was built to house a statue of Krishna.

All over the walls of the temple are beautifully designed scenes from Mahabharata, Ramayana and other Hindu scriptures. The art also reflects the social system, life and work of those times. There are brides in their palanquins, horse riders, flautists, guards, boatmen and day labourers along with all sorts of animals represented in terracotta

Not far off if the Nayabad Masjid. The plaque at the entrance of this historic mosque states that it was established during the rule of Emperor Shah Alam by the Muslim architects and workers who had arrived in the 18th century. The three-domed Nayabad Masjid is also replete with terracotta designs.

Then there is the historic Ramsagar, around 8 km from the town in the village Tajpur of Auliapur union. Raja Pran Nath had this huge pond excavated in just a matter of 15 days. The pond is surrounded by a wide variety of flowering plants and fruit trees. A small zoo has also been set up there. In winter, thousands of people come to visit Ramsagar. The deep waters of the lake have been enchanting visitors down the ages.

You fly from Dhaka to Syedpur and from there go on to Dinajpur town by bus or train. The Syedpur to Dinajpur journey takes about an hour. Then for 30 taka, you can take a bus or auto rickshaw ride to Kantaji Mandir. You can take an easy-bike too. At the Kantaji intersection along the Dinajpur-Panchagarh highway is a statute of Sidhu Kanu, who gave his life in the Santal uprising. From the Kantanagar bridge, on the way to Kantaji Mandir, you can behold the natural beauty of the Dhepa river.

There are about a dozen good but affordable hotels in Dinajpur town. Near the Kantaji Mandir is the Kantanagar Parjatan Motel and on the banks of Ramsagar is the modern Ramsagar Dak Bungalow.

* This write-up appeared in Prothom Alo’s special publication on tourism ‘Barnil Berano’. Extracts from the publication are regularly rewritten in English for readers of the English edition (online) of Prothom Alo