Known for
- 1
Guava on the water.
In late summer the canals at Bhimruli fill with small boats piled with green guava, bought and sold from boat to boat; go by boat yourself, early in the morning.
- 2
A river trading town.
Jhalokati was once busy enough to be called a second Kolkata; the Kirtipasha zamindar house and the Gabkhan channel, dug in 1918 to shorten the route to the Sundarbans, recall those days.
Best season
GoodFairJul–Sep
July to September for the floating guava market, which peaks in August. November to February is dry and comfortable for the rest of the district.
Getting there
Bus
Dhaka
About 5 h
Over the Padma Bridge
Launch
Dhaka (Sadarghat)
Overnight
Evening launches towards Jhalokati
Getting around
Bhimruli canals
Hire a small boat at the village; agree the price first
Buses from Dhaka come over the Padma Bridge in about five hours, and launches from Sadarghat reach Jhalokati overnight. From Barishal city it is under an hour by bus. For Bhimruli take an auto to the village and hire a boat on the canal.
Local food
Fresh guavaMust try
Bought from the boats at Bhimruli
Guava straight off the boats in season, amra, and river fish. The town is also known for its sweets.
Places to see
Market and bazaarLonely Explorer · CC BY-SA 4.0Bhimruli Floating Guava Market
A market held on the water where canals meet at Bhimruli: in the guava season growers paddle in with boats full of fruit and sell to traders boat to boat.
Gabkhan Bridge
A high bridge over the Gabkhan channel, the 18 km canal dug in 1918 to shorten the river route to Mongla; a broad view of ships and river country from the top.
Fort and palaceShahriar Khan Saad · CC BY-SA 4.0Kirtipasha Zamindar Bari
The old houses of a Sengupta zamindar family from Bikrampur in Kirtipasha village, a few kilometres from Jhalokati town, partly used today by a school.
Sujabad Fort
The site of a Mughal fort raised in the 1650s by Prince Shah Shuja against Magh raiders; little of it stands today, but the place keeps his name.
Sources 2
Times, fares and opening hours change. Check before you go.
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