Known for
- 1
The old capital of the north.
Rangpur city is the seat of its division and an easy base: Tajhat palace with the Rangpur museum on the edge of town, Carmichael College's long colonnaded hall, and the zoo and recreation park in the centre, all in a day by rickshaw.
- 2
Begum Rokeya's village.
Pairaband in Mithapukur, where the pioneer of women's education in Bengal was born, keeps her memorial and research centre; Debi Chaudhurani's old seat at Manthana in Pirgachha recalls the woman zamindar of Bankim's novel.
Best season
GoodFairNov–Feb
- Rokeya Day 9 December, at Pairaband
November to February: dry, cool days and clear roads; mornings in December and January are foggy and cold, so carry a warm layer. From June to September the Teesta floods the low ground and it rains often.
Getting there
Bus
Dhaka
7–8 h
From Gabtoli or Mohakhali, over the Jamuna bridge
Train
Dhaka
Rangpur Express from Kamalapur
Air
Dhaka
1 h + 1 h road
Fly to Saidpur, then road to Rangpur
Getting around
In town
Rickshaws and CNGs; hire a CNG for Pairaband
Buses run from Dhaka's Gabtoli and Mohakhali to Rangpur, about 7 to 8 hours over the Jamuna bridge. The Rangpur Express train leaves Kamalapur for Rangpur station. Saidpur airport, about an hour away by road, has flights from Dhaka. In town, rickshaws and CNGs go everywhere.
Local food
Shidol bhortaMust try
Fermented dried fish with chilli, the north's own
Haribhanga mango
From Mithapukur, early summer
Shidol bhorta (fermented dried fish pounded with chilli), the region's sticky and fragrant rice dishes in winter, and haribhanga mangoes from Mithapukur in the early summer season.
Places to see
Monument and memorialখালিদ হাসান জীবন · CC BY-SA 3.0Carmichael College
One of the oldest colleges in the north, founded in 1916 and named after Lord Carmichael, with a long arcaded main building set in a wide green campus at Lalbagh.
Fort and palaceমো. মাহমুদুল আলম · CC BY-SA 4.0Debi Chaudhurani's Palace, Manthana
The ruined zamindar house at Manthana in Pirgachha, linked to Jayadurga Debi Chaudhurani, the woman landholder of Rangpur whose story Bankim Chandra turned into a novel.
Monument and memorialমো. মাহমুদুল আলম · CC BY-SA 4.0Pairaband, Begum Rokeya's Birthplace
The village in Mithapukur where Begum Rokeya, the writer and pioneer of women's education, was born in 1880; the remains of her family home and a memorial centre stand there.
Park, eco park and picnic spotEmdadul hasan · CC BY-SA 4.0Rangpur Zoo
The recreation park and zoo in the city, the largest in the north, on about 21 acres with an artificial lake, a children's park and shaded lawns.
Museum and galleryMoniruzzaman Masum · CC BY-SA 4.0Tajhat Palace
A white marble-stepped zamindar palace from the early twentieth century on the edge of Rangpur, now the Rangpur museum, with a domed roof and a pond and lawns in front.
Park, eco park and picnic spotMoheen Reeyad · CC BY-SA 4.0Vinnya Jagat
A large themed amusement park outside Rangpur with rides, a planetarium-style show, gardens and lakes: the region's best-known family day out.
Sources 2
Times, fares and opening hours change. Check before you go.
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