Known for
- 1
Where Bangladesh's first government was sworn in.
On 17 April 1971 the Provisional Government took its oath in a mango grove at Baidyanathtala, renamed Mujibnagar. The memorial complex there, with its 23-step monument and the map of the war, is the main reason people come to Meherpur.
- 2
Indigo country.
The district was a centre of British indigo planting, and two planters' houses, the restored Amjhupi Nilkuthi and the ruined Bhatpara Nilkuthi, stand on the Kajla river. Ballavpur's old Catholic church is close to Mujibnagar.
Best season
GoodFairNov–Feb
- Mujibnagar Day 17 April
November to February: cool and dry, good for the mango groves and the open countryside. 17 April, Mujibnagar Day, brings ceremonies and crowds to the memorial. Summer is hot; the mangoes ripen in June.
Getting there
Bus
Dhaka
Direct buses to Meherpur town
Train
Dhaka
To Chuadanga or Kushtia, then bus
Getting around
Meherpur town
Bus or CNG to Mujibnagar and Amjhupi
Direct buses run from Dhaka to Meherpur town. Kushtia and Chuadanga are the nearest railheads, with buses on to Meherpur. Mujibnagar is about 18 km south-west of the town by bus or CNG.
Local food
Meherpur mangoesMust try
In season in June and July
Meherpur is mango country: the groves ripen in June and July. The rest of the year, river fish and seasonal vegetables from the fields.
Places to see
Fort and palaceMasum-al-hasan · CC BY-SA 4.0Amjhupi Nilkuthi
A restored indigo planters' house on the Kajla river, about 6 km east of Meherpur town, later an East India Company office: lawns, mango trees and a reminder of the indigo years.
ChurchBhoboghure · CC BY 4.0Ballavpur Church
An old Catholic mission church in Ballavpur village near Mujibnagar, at the centre of one of the district's Christian communities.
Archaeological siteJamirul071 · CC BY-SA 4.0Bhatpara Nilkuthi
The ruins of a British indigo factory house on the Kajla at Gangni, north of Meherpur town, with the shell of its old church nearby.
Monument and memorialMasum-al-hasan · CC BY-SA 3.0Mujibnagar Memorial Complex
The memorial at Mujibnagar, where Bangladesh's Provisional Government was sworn in on 17 April 1971 in a mango grove: a 23-step monument, sculptures of the war and a large relief map.
Sources 2
Times, fares and opening hours change. Check before you go.
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