Known for
- 1
The oldest city in the country.
Mahasthangarh, 13 km north of Bogura town on the Karatoya, is the walled site of Pundranagara, a city people lived in from at least the third century BC. The citadel walls, the site museum, Govinda Bhita on the river bend and the Buddhist monastery at Vasu Vihara make a full day.
- 2
Legends and old mosques.
Gokul Medh is the mound that local lore calls Behula's bashor ghor, the bridal chamber of the Manasa tale; Shah Sultan Balkhi's shrine sits on the citadel; and at Sherpur, south of town, the Kherua mosque has stood since 1582.
- 3
Curd and the Jamuna.
Bogura's doi is known across the country; eat it in town. To the east, Sariakandi sits on the Jamuna, with wide chars and boats.
Best season
GoodFairNov–Feb
November to February: dry, cool days, good for walking the open ruins at Mahasthangarh. Summer is hot on the unshaded mounds, and in the monsoon the Jamuna is high and fast at Sariakandi.
Getting there
Bus
Dhaka
5–6 h
Over the Jamuna bridge; many companies, day and night
Train
Dhaka
Intercity trains to Bogura station; check the timetable
Getting around
Bogura town
30 min to Mahasthangarh
Bus or CNG on the Rangpur road
Buses run from Dhaka to Bogura over the Jamuna bridge, about 5 to 6 hours. Bogura also has a railway station on the line to the north. From town, buses and CNGs on the Rangpur road reach Mahasthangarh in about half an hour; Sherpur is on the Dhaka road to the south.
Local food
Bogura doiMust try
Sweet curd in clay pots
Kotkoti
Hard fried sweet sold at Mahasthangarh
Bogura's doi, sweet curd set in clay pots, is the thing to eat and to carry home. At Mahasthangarh, stalls sell kotkoti, a hard fried sweet tied to the site.
Places to see
Archaeological siteShahnoor Habib Munmun · CC BY 3.0Gokul Medh (Behula's Bashor Ghor)
A tall terraced brick mound south of Mahasthangarh that local lore calls Behula's bashor ghor, the bridal chamber of Behula and Lakhindar in the Manasa tale.
Archaeological siteShahnoor Habib Munmun · CC BY 3.0Govinda Bhita
A temple mound in a bend of the Karatoya just north of the Mahasthangarh walls, excavated in 1928–29.
Mosque and shrineAsaduzzaman · CC BY-SA 4.0Kherua Mosque
A small three-domed brick mosque at Sherpur, built in 1582, where the Sultanate style meets the early Mughal.
Museum and galleryMasum-al-hasan · CC BY-SA 4.0Mahasthan Archaeological Museum
The site museum beside the citadel, opened in 1967, with terracotta, coins, sculpture and inscriptions from Mahasthangarh and other old sites of the north.
Archaeological siteZaheed Sarwer Khan · CC BY 4.0Mahasthangarh
The walled citadel of ancient Pundranagara on the Karatoya, the oldest city site found in Bangladesh, lived in from at least the third century BC to the medieval period.
River, lake and haorIbrahim Husain Meraj · CC BY-SA 3.0The Jamuna at Sariakandi
The wide Jamuna on Bogura's eastern edge, with sandbanks, chars and boats to hire from the riverside at Sariakandi.
Mosque and shrineMasum-al-hasan · CC BY-SA 4.0Shah Sultan Balkhi Mazar
The shrine of the saint Shah Sultan Balkhi Mahisawar on the Mahasthangarh citadel, a place of pilgrimage that draws crowds every day.
Buddhist vihara and pagodaMahfuzcong · CC BY-SA 4.0Vasu Vihara
The excavated remains of two Buddhist monasteries and a temple, about 6 km west of Mahasthangarh, known locally as Narapatir Dhap.
Sources 2
Times, fares and opening hours change. Check before you go.
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