Known for
- 1
A buried sultanate city.
At Barobazar in Kaliganj, the Archaeology Department has dug a cluster of brick mosques out of mounds since the 1990s: Galakata, Jor Bangla, Gorar mosque and more, from the 15th and 16th centuries, when the place is thought to have been the town of Mohammadabad. It is the reason most people come.
- 2
Zamindars, a tank and a giant tree.
Miyar Dalan on the Nabaganga and the Dhol Samudra tank are a short ride from the town; Naldanga's temples and the huge Mallikpur banyan are near Kaliganj; Shailkupa keeps a sultanate mosque on the Kumar river.
Best season
GoodFairNov–Feb
November to February: dry roads, mild days and date-palm juice in the villages. Summer is hot on this western plain, and the monsoon makes the mound sites muddy.
Getting there
Bus
Dhaka
About 5 h
Direct buses to Jhenaidah town; Jashore buses pass Kaliganj and Barobazar
Train
Khulna or Rajshahi line
Barobazar and Kotchandpur stations; Jhenaidah town has no station
Getting around
In the district
Easy-bikes and CNGs; Miyar Dalan and Dhol Samudra are minutes from town
Buses run from Dhaka to Jhenaidah town in roughly five hours. For Barobazar, take any Jashore-bound bus or a local one to Kaliganj and Barobazar; Barobazar also has a station on the Khulna railway line.
Local food
Date-palm jaggeryMust try
Winter only, from the village markets
In winter, date-palm juice early in the morning and the jaggery made from it, sold in pots and cakes at the village markets; river fish and the usual town sweets the rest of the year.
Places to see
Archaeological siteMd Abdul Wahab · CC BY-SA 4.0Barobazar mosque ruins
A group of excavated and restored sultanate-era brick mosques around Barobazar in Kaliganj, among them Jor Bangla and Gorar mosque, thought to be the remains of the old town of Mohammadabad.
Dhol Samudra Dighi
A large old tank at Paglakanai near Jhenaidah town, linked by tradition to Raja Mukut Roy, the local ruler remembered for roads and tanks.
Mosque and shrineRanamd048 · CC BY-SA 4.0Galakata Mosque
The largest of the Barobazar mosques: a six-domed sultanate building beside the Galakata tank, rebuilt after excavation in 1992–93.
Mallikpur banyan tree
A single banyan near Kaliganj whose aerial roots have grown into a grove covering acres, often called one of the largest in Asia.
Fort and palaceMd Abdul Wahab · CC BY-SA 4.0Miyar Dalan
A ruined zamindar house at Muraridaha on the north bank of the Nabaganga, about three kilometres from Jhenaidah town.
Hindu templeSagor Bosu · CC BY-SA 4.0Naldanga Rajbari temples
The temples of the old Naldanga zamindars near Kaliganj, a cluster of tall brick shrines that still draw worshippers and visitors.
Mosque and shrineমোঃ সাকিবুল হাসান · CC BY-SA 4.0Shailkupa Shahi Mosque
A sultanate mosque on the bank of the Kumar river at Shailkupa, dated to the reign of Sultan Nasiruddin Nasrat Shah in the early 16th century.
Sources 2
Times, fares and opening hours change. Check before you go.
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