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The Land of the Royal Bengal Tiger

by Ms Naseem Huq
Khulna city
K’ HJLNA, the country's third biggest industrial city and a thriving inland port is located 352 km, south west of Dhaka. It is a divisional headquarter which serves as a gateway to the seaport of Mongia (Chalna) and the Sundarbans The country's only Newsprint Mill is located in Khulna. Other than this about half a dozen jute mills, a modern shipyard, two large match factories, a telephone cable factory, a number of cold storages and fish freezing plant, and a big power generating station all go to Khulna's credit. Khulna is connected to Dhaka by rail, road and water.
Bagerhat
Lying 40 km on the south east of Khulna town, on the River Bhairab, and on the northern fringes of the Sun-darbans, Bagerhat, a district headquarter is a most interest ing site li i- leached from Rupsha hv rail or road. The most popul.u tourist attraction ot Bagerhat is the famous Shat Gambuz Mosque "Shat" meaning sixty and ‘Gambuz" meaning dome (but actually, the mosque has 77 domes) was built in 1459 AD and the Shrine of the Muslim patron saint-warrior. Khan Janan Ab |RA) beside which is located a big tank (pond) in which crocojiks live. The legend
goes to sav that Khan Jahan Ali transformed the non lie liwirs of Islam into crocodiles, which are still alive in the tank Two of the crocodiles respond to the names ol Kal.i l’ahar (Black Hili) and Dhola Pahar Fair Hill) given to them.The priest of the shrines upon the re quest of some devotees call out to Kala l’ahar and Dhola Pahat with a sacrificial chicken for them and the crocodiles come to the bank to taWfe atfay the chicken. The crocodiles come out only
once in a while and any devotee lucks enough to sight and feed thc|ii thinks himself as blessed.
The Sundarbans
Chalna, the country's second seaport, situated at the upper tip of the Sundarbans, attracts many visitors. It has safe channels deep enough to take ocean going ships and handles a cargo volume of the country's export and import. Chalna is well connected to Khulna by telecommunication, river and road transport.
The Sundarban, meaning "Beautiful forest'" is the natural dwelling place of the world famous Royal Bengal Tiger and spotted Deer. The Sundarbans are a cluster of deltaic swamp islands with an ap-Eroximate area of 3600 sq m. Forming the world's largest block of dense, evergreen forest. Thousand of weaving streams, creeks, rivers and estuaries make the forest seem like a huge maze. The tide in these creeks also seem to dance to and fro to nature's magical tune as they flow in two different directions.
The Sundarbans are a na ture-lover's delight as Mother Nature, Jierself seem to have laid out the forest with as much care as a planned pleasure — ground. Game-lovers, anglers, botanists poets, painters, photographers and the like — the Sundarbans is the place for you. You may come across a Royal Bengal Tiger; swimming across the stream or crocodiles lazily basking on the river banks. Early morning or evening is the time for the spotted deer to come out. Their meal of Keora leaves from the Keora trees are showered down by the monkeys. One may also come across the jungle fowls, pythons, wild boars, lizards
and innumerable variety of beautiful birds, such as snipes, herons, coot, yellow legs' sand pipers etc. To add to the charm of the Suqdarbans, thousands of migratory Si berian ducks join their Bangladeshi counterpart in winter
The forest of the Sundarbans is unique in character. It is the world's largest man grove forest. This means that the tropical maritime trees of the forest send out many prop roots and form dense thicket. These prop roots, which are approximately a foot long spike, help the trees to take in oxygen as the root are always under the swamp. Some of the famous spot in the Sundarbans’ are — the Hiron point (Nilkamall for tigers,
deer, monkeys, crocodiles, birds and natural beauty, and the Dublar Char, an island for fishermen. These fishermen come from Chittagong four months (mid-October to midFebruary) to catch and dry fish. This is a beautiful island where spotted deer are often seen to graze.
The climate in the Sun darbans is moderate and the air is humid The annual rainfall during full monsoon season (June to September1 is between 65 inches to 70 inches. The entire territory of the "forest" floats op water at high tide become bare by six to seven feet during ebb (low) aide
Boat is the only means of transportation inside the for est There is no road or trail of any path anvwhere Temporary dwellings at the edge of the forest of eight to ten feet high are made bv the woodcutters for fear of wild animals. They catch fish by trained otters which is really something to see. One of the most exciting activities in the Sundarbans is the honey collection. It is fascinating to see how the different groups of honey-collectors locate a beehive and then collect honey. The best time to visit the
Sundarbans is from November to March. Exciting honeycollection season is during March-April. For the preservation of wildlife, hunting is prohibited by law, however, certain species of birds can be shot with prior permission of, the Divisional Forest Officer, Khulna.