Trade beyond geographical benifit .This is a attractive opportunity is knocking at the door of Bangladesh to expand its business footprint in the North-East and Eastern India as the region welcomes external as well as internal investment, a former Indian minister said Saturday.

“Improvement in trade relations with the North-East India could even take Bangladesh up to China,” said Mani Shankar Aiyar, former Indian minister for development of the North-East Region, while speaking at a meeting in the city.

He made the comments at a meeting between visiting Indian business delegation and India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IBCCI) at a city hotel.

IBCCI Chairman Abul Matlub Ahmad presided over the meeting while Rajeet Mitter, Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh, Kiren Rijiju, principal secretary to the chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Dr K C Nihoshe, parliamentary secretary of Nagaland, spoke on the occasion.

The 38-member business team led by Mr Aiyar is now in Bangladesh on a five-day tour, which will also take them to port city Chittagong.

During the trip, the delegation will hold talks with Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Board of Investment and Ministry of Commerce.

Top businessmen from the sectors of information technology, shipbuilding, construction materials, apparels, power, pulp, tourism, airlines, telecoms, fast-moving consumer goods, agricultural products and health care consist of the delegation.

Aiyar said Bangladesh prime minister’s successful visit to India in January this year opened up unprecedented opportunities for intensified cooperation and economic integration between Bangladesh and the North-East and Eastern India.

He said until the partition of 1947 the North-East regions were prosperous, but now the region progresses at half the pace of the rest of India.

Aiyar, also a former petroleum minister, said the Indian government has earmarked 10 per cent of the national development budget for the underdeveloped region. “We have already spent 2.0 trillion Indian rupees out of 14 trillion rupees planned for infrastructure development in the region.”

“This however has opened up new opportunity for investment for Bangladesh in the region. The North-East India offers Dhaka an important opportunity for expanding market and investment,” he said admitting that balance of trade between the two countries is grievously out of equilibrium from the Bangladesh’s point of view.

He said during the 1965 India-Pakistan War trade between the then East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, and India was undisrupted. “Now there is an ebb. The historical economic relations can be restored if Bangladesh can exploit market in North-East India.”

“Opportunity is now knocking at the door and Bangladesh has to grab it,” Aiyar said.

K C Nihoshe said although small-scale insurgency exists in Nagaland, the separatists’ activities are limited to rural areas. “There is nothing to fear. Bangladeshi industrialists and businessmen can come up and invest in the province as we welcome both internal and external investments.”

Kiren Rijiju said without Bangladesh the North-East India is cut off from the rest of the world.

He said the central Indian government should integrate Bangladesh into their thoughts when they think about development of the North-East India. “This will help the region prosper. Bangladesh needs India and vice versa to achieve sustainable economic growth.”

Abul Matlub Ahmad said Bangladeshi industrialists are now mature to invest in large economies such as India and Turkey in the world. “Time has come for us to invest outside the country and bring back billions of dollars in profit remittance. We would like to request the government to allow us to invest overseas.”

He said the five-day tour of the Indian delegation will provide a unique opportunity to build and foster better economic ties between the two countries.

During the trip, at least eight joint ventures will be signed, the IBCCI chief said.

Rajeet Mitter said this tour would open up a window of cooperation between the two neighbouring countries. “Since the summit between the two leaders various steps have been taken to take the initiative forward.”

Former ambassador Farooq Sobhan, IBCCI vice-president Dewan Sultan Ahmed and directors of IBCCI were present during the meeting

• share:
• Bookmark on Delicious
• Digg this post
• Recommend on Facebook
• share via Reddit
• Share with Stumblers
• Tweet about it
• Subscribe to the comments on this post
• Tell a friend

Upgrading the tourism Infrustucture and developing tourism attraction –?The Bangladesh Protected Tourism Area and Special Tourism Zone Bill, 2010 was placed in the House today.

Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Ghulam Mohammad Quader introduced the bill.

In the bill, a proposal has been made to declare such areas as tourism protected areas through gazette notifications which have immense potentialities as tourism industry. To achieve the goal, a proposal has also been made to impose an embargo on any activities in the areas.

Besides, the bill proposed for announcing special tourism zone in the tourism protected areas and controlling and running the areas under own initiatives of the government or non- government and autonomous organizations, statutory body or individuals.

According to the bill, a proposal has also been made for undertaking investment activities for constructing special tourist centers and their development under the public and private sectors or public-private joint venture in the tourism protected areas.

The bill also proposed punishment for those who would violate these rules.

While introducing the bill, the minister said the bill has been placed in the House aimed at protecting the areas which have tourism potentialities by checking unplanned activities in the areas.

“The main aim of the bill is to build necessary infrastructure and create amusement and service-oriented facilities for setting up special tourist zone and imposing lawful embargo in controlling and running of the zone,” he said.

The bill was later sent to the concerned parliamentary standing committee for further scrutiny and report back in the House.

• share:
• Bookmark on Delicious
• Digg this post
• Recommend on Facebook
• share via Reddit
• Share with Stumblers
• Tweet about it
• Subscribe to the comments on this post
• Tell a friend

Diplomats of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will soon visit the northeastern states to explore possibilities of promoting tourism and trade, officials said here Monday.

‘Union minister of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Bijoy Krishna Handique held separate meetings during the past few days in New Delhi with the ambassadors and diplomats of ASEAN countries including Thailand and Myanmar,’ a senior Tripura government official told IANS.

Referring to a DoNER ministry communique, the official said that both the northeastern states and the ASEAN countries would benefit from trade and economic activities between the two regions.

Recently the directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT) issued a notification allowing more commodities for trade along the Myanmar border.

‘In addition to the 21 commodities, 18 more items have been allowed for trade between India and Myanmar,’ the official added.

The additional commodities which can be traded between the two neighbours include bicycle parts, life-saving drugs, fertilizers, spices, sugar, salt and stainless steel utensils.

‘Industry ministers of northeastern states during a meeting in Guwahati last week with union Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma also emphasised the need for boosting trade, economy and tourism between the northeastern region and the ASEAN countries,’ the official added.

‘As part of initiatives to improve connectivity between northeast India and Southeast Asia, the union government is considering a rail link from Manipur to Vietnam. Efforts are underway to have a rail link from Jiribam (close to the Assam border) to Hanoi in Vietnam passing through Myanmar,’ the official stated.

?mproved connectivity between the northeast and the southeast asian countries will not only help the region discover a larger market but also integrate India with these countries.

India’s northeast region is contiguous to China, Myanmar, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal.

Tripura industry minister Jitendra Chowdhury told IANS Monday: ‘The Bangladesh government is developing infrastructure along the border with northeast India to give a further impetus to bilateral trade. India is also taking similar steps.’

• share:
• Bookmark on Delicious
• Digg this post
• Recommend on Facebook
• share via Reddit
• Share with Stumblers
• Tweet about it
• Subscribe to the comments on this post
• Tell a friend

Tourism Bangladesh is enriching with SAARC Tourism-On the formal action front.Bangladesh is blessed with unique beauty from nature. Explore the various archaeological, historical and cultural sites of Bangladesh which will contribute towards an unparalleled travel experience to this part of the world. The main attractions of for tourists includes the famous Bangladeshi cuisine, beautifully hand crafted items, many serpentine rivers and green hills of Bangladesh. Get face to face with the famous Royal Bengal Tiger in this part of the world.

Bangladesh is one of the few countries in South Asia, offering plentiful green land with a rich and glorious history. Bangladesh possesses a prosperous culture and heritage. It is a land of delightful natural beauty with a chain of great rivers and clear lakes surrounded by green hills, exotic tropical rain forests and beautiful green tea gardens. Come and explore the world’s largest mangrove forest in Bangladesh, preserved as World Heritage and is also a home of the Royal Bengal tiger and wild life. Also visit world’s longest natural sea beach and the remains of ancient Buddhist civilization along with vibrant tribal life. So experience a perfect combination of adventure and beauty on your tour to Bangladesh.

The SAARC Leaders have always recognized the importance of tourism and emphasized the need to take measures for promoting tourism in the region. During the Second Summit, the Leaders underscored that concrete stepsshould be taken to facilitate tourism in the region. Tourism has been an important dimension of most of the subsequent Summits. At the Twelfth Summit held in Islamabad in January 2004, the Leaders were of the view that development of tourism within South Asia could bring economic,

social and cultural dividends. There is a need for increasing cooperation to jointly promote tourism with South Asia as well as to promote South Asiaas a tourism destination, inter alia, by improved air links, they stated in the Declaration. To achieve this and to commemorate the twentieth year of the establishment of SAARC, the year 2005 was designated by the Leaders as ?South Asia Tourism Year.? Member States were required to individually and jointly organize special events to celebrate it.

On the formal action front
The Working Group on Tourism was established by the Council of Ministers during its Twenty-fourth Session held in Islamabad in January 2004. This was done after a comprehensive review of the SAARC Integrated Programme of Action by the Standing Committee at its Fourth Special Session held in Kathmandu in August 2003. This intergovernmental process will compliment the endeavors by SAARC Chambers of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) Tourism Council, thus ensuring public?private partnership for the promotion of tourism.

The First Meeting of the Working Group on Tourism was held in Colombo on 16?17 August 2004. In addition to the SAARC Member States and representatives of the SAARC Secretariat, representatives of the SCCI Tourism Council and the ASEAN Secretariat also attended the Meeting. Besides reviewing the implementation of programme of activities relevant to its mandate, the Working Group made a number of recommendations for promotion of tourism in the SAARC region, for example, printing of a SAARC Travel Guide, production of a documentary movie on tourism in SAARC, promotion of sustainable development of Eco-Tourism, Cultural Tourism and Nature Tourism, collaboration in HRD in tourism sector by having programmes for exchange of teachers, students, teaching modules and materials, Promoting Cooperation in the fi eld of tourism with other relevant regional and international tourism organizations. It also proposed a number of activities to celebrate the South Asia Tourism Year?2005 in a befitting manner. When comparing the progress made on the ground and by otherregional tourism initiatives that began much later than SAARC?such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Pacifi c Tourism Commission, European Union (EU) Tourism, and the Mekong Tourism Initiative?progress must be classified, at best, as wanting.

With the backdrop of the frustration of SAARC?s underperformance, in 1997, a separate initiative was undertaken by several governments of the South Asian region, titled the South Asian Growth Quadrangle, consisting of Bangladesh; Bhutan; the north, east, and north-east states of India; and Nepal. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) supported the initiative under the South Asian Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) programme, which includes a tourism component. This is an ongoing program me within the South Asian development framework of the ADB.

In addition, also in 1997, another initiative was created to link some of SAARC?s countries with Myanmar and Thailand, as the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), to take advantage of the historical link and turning them into economic opportunities. Named BIMSTEC to represent Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand Economic Cooperation, it set up a Tourism Working Group and has conducted several rounds of meetings, but to date, it has not achieved much progress. Since 2005, the ADB has supported this initiative as well.

South Asia can indeed be described as a dichotomy. Although it has not lived up to expectations as a regional grouping, at the individual country level, tourism development in SAARC presents several unique models, containing some successful best practices.

Bhutan has presented a model of tourism development, in which its operations are based on the model of a kinked demand curve (Sen 2004)to create a premium value for the destination. Bhutan limits access to a few tens of thousands of tourists each year at a premium charge, placing the per capita yield from one tourist at a high level. Bhutan has a business model aimed at conserving its heritage, culture, and natural resources. This model is in keeping with its unique development indicator of ?Gross National Happiness,? in contrast to the conventional development measurement of gross national product.

Maldives, known today as one of the most successful island destinations in the world, works on a business model of establishing strong partnerships with foreign investors and tour operators. Beginning with investments from Sri Lankan conglomerates in the early 1980s (still accounting for about 20 percent of all hotel rooms), Maldives Tourism, offering the ?sunny side of life? as its positioning platform is driven by some of the best international and regional brand names in the island tourism business.

Nepal is an example of a pioneering brand of unique community based tourism initiative. With its early model of the Annapurna Tourism Development Project8 and the Bhakthipur Conservation Project9 of the 1980s, Nepal introduced a good tourism operational model, offering its unique nature and heritage conservation, community benefit, and sustainable funding features.

Sri Lanka is addressing the challenge of global warming and climate change faced by all nations of the world. It has extended its conventional position as a tourist destination of a treasured island with a warm people offering nature, culture, and adventure to include an extensive green cover. Through its Tourism Earth Lung initiative it is working toward being a carbon-neutral destination by 2018.

Extract from the World Bank Report on Promoting Economic Cooperation in South Asia.

• share:
• Bookmark on Delicious
• Digg this post
• Recommend on Facebook
• share via Reddit
• Share with Stumblers
• Tweet about it
• Subscribe to the comments on this post
• Tell a friend

Business and tourism in South Asia are increasingly being hit by airline inactivity caused by the spread of volcanic ash from Iceland.The export of garments and perishable goods from the region to Europe has been severely affected, as has the tourism industry in South Asia.
No country in the region has escaped from the economic impact of the crisis.
But officials say the priority is dealing with thousands of people across the region who are unable to fly.
Peak season

A spokesman for Pakistan International Airlines told that he expected the company to lose up to $25m because of flight cancellations to Europe.

The volcano will disrupt flight schedules for days to come
“Already 65 flights have been cancelled,” he said, “which has cost us something in the region of $10m. This cost will continue to escalate – even if normal services are resumed soon – because of the interruption to our schedules.”

The airline estimates that 16,000 passengers are stranded in Pakistan and Europe.

Tourism in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives has also been badly damaged. For Nepal and Bhutan the crisis is even more serious because this time of the year is peak season.

We are worried that buyers may reject these shipments because they are so late

Abdus Salam Murshedy,
Bangladesh garment exporters
Officials say that at this time of the year Nepal can expect in excess of 40,000 tourists for the climbing season, about half of those from the US and Europe.

Many will not have arrived at pre-booked hotel rooms, meaning that hotels and guest houses in Kathmandu and Pokhara – which make their core income at this time of the year – will be without guests at a time of good weather and relative political stability.

At this time of the year tourism in the cooler north of India is also hugely popular.

According to figures from the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), 41,435 passengers have been affected by the flights crisis and it will take several days to clear the backlog.

All flights from India to London and Paris were cancelled on Monday, but Air India and Jet Airways resumed services to the US and Canada through Cairo and Athens respectively.

Many passengers whose visas have expired have been unable to leave the airport premises while several airlines are reported to have stopped paying for food and accommodation – arguing that they are not obliged to do so in the event of a natural calamity.

Meanwhile, exporters in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have borne the brunt of exporting losses.

Huge consignments of garments in Dhaka and Colombo are waiting to be loaded onto aircraft. In Bangladesh an estimated 350,000kg of garments is stockpiled at the airport.

“We are worried that buyers may reject these shipments because they are so late,” Bangladesh Garments and Manufacturers and Exporters Association President Abdus Salam Murshedy said.

Perishable exports from those countries in the region exporting products such as tea, spices and fish have also been badly hit.

• share:
• Bookmark on Delicious
• Digg this post
• Recommend on Facebook
• share via Reddit
• Share with Stumblers
• Tweet about it
• Subscribe to the comments on this post
• Tell a friend

Bangladesh has a primarily agrarian economy. Agriculture is the single largest producing sector of the economy since it comprises about 30% of the country’s GDP and employs around 60% of the total labour force. The performance of this sector has an overwhelming impact on major macroeconomic objectives like employment generation, poverty alleviation, human resources development and food security.

Most Bangladeshis earn their living from agriculture. Although rice and jute are the primary crops, wheat is assuming greater importance. Tea is grown in the northeast. Because of Bangladesh’s fertile soil and normally ample water supply, rice can be grown and harvested three times a year in many areas. Due to a number of factors, Bangladesh’s labor-intensive agriculture has achieved steady increases in food grain production despite the often unfavorable weather conditions. These include better flood control and irrigation, a generally more efficient use of fertilizers, and the establishment of better distribution and rural credit networks. With 35.8 million metric tons produced in 2000, rice is Bangladesh’s principal crop. National sales of the classes of insecticide used on rice, including granular carbofuran, synthetic pyrethroids, and malathion exceeded 13,000 tons of formulated product in 2003 . The insecticides not only represent an environmental threat, but are a significant expenditure to poor rice farmers. The Bangladesh Rice Research Institute is working with various NGOs and international organizations to reduce insecticide use in rice .

The climate of Bangladesh is tropical, hot and humid in summer and cool in winter. It rains heavily in monsoon. The temperature in summer ranges 21 degree Celsius while the minimum during the winter is 9 degree Celsius.

Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated areas of the world with a population of about 130 million. About 86.6% of the total population is Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians make up the rest of the population. Bangladesh offers the extremes of wildlife from the blue whale, which occasionally appears in the Bay of Bengal- and the Asian elephant to the tiny pigmy shrew, the smallest mammal. The bird life ranges from the showy peacock to the tiny sparrow and the talkative Mynas, while the reptile world has the king Cobra, one of the world’s most deadly snakes and the Python, one of the largest Top of the wildlife atractions are of course, the cats-from Royal Bengal Tigers and leopards to the small fishing cat

Tourists can enjoy easily because of the language. The state language and mother language is Bangla. English is widely spoken and understood.

In transport sector, Bangladesh is now very rich. Bangladesh can be reached by air from any part of the world. Biman Bangladesh Airlines connects Dhaka with 25 major cities of the world. It also operates in 8 domestic routes. Besides Biman international carriers also fly to and for from Dhaka. Private airlines also fly on the domestic routes.

Here is a good accommodation capacity also. Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, the national tourism organization, runs a number of modern hotels, motels and cotages throughout the country. There are also many private hotels that provide efficient service and competitive prices. Visitors can also take accommodation in rest houses belonging to different government departments and other agencies. Besides, Dhaka, Chitagong, and Cox’s Bazar have quite a few international standard hotels.

Bangladesh is also a land of very tasty food. Local and foreign foods are available hare. Western, Chinese. Thai, Japanese and Korean cuisinne are available in most standard restaurants and hotels in major cities. Local delicacies include a wide verity of curries, vegetable dishes, and meat and fish preparations such as Korma, Rezala, Bhoona and Mosala roast, Muton, Chicken and Prawn are also popular. Most local restaurants serve a variety of rice preparations-Polao, Biriyani, Khinchuri-as well as substitutes such as Moglai and plain Parata, Naan Ruti, Chapati, which go well with curries. Sea fish and sweet water fish are available in most restaurants.

The locally taken hot drink known as Cha is the most popular drink. Tea produced in Bangladesh ranks among the best in the world. Coffee is served in most hotels and restaurants in cities. Among cold drinks, Lassi, a refreshing yoghurt drink is a popular summer time treat Soft drinks of most global brands are available everywhere in the country. Only big hotels and bars serve hard drinks. All bars are closed on Friday.

Besides, Misti Doi-sweetened yoghurt, Halua-a common dessert which comes in many shades from egg Halua to carrot, wheat cheese. Almond, Pistachio and so on. Sandesh-milk made dessert, Zarda-sweetened rice with nuts, Firni rice flower cooked in milk and sugar with flavouring, Rasogolla and Kalojam-two popular milk- based dessert (sweetmeat) made with sugar, flour and ghee. Rosho Malai-sweet floating in thick milk, Pitha-a common name for cakes or pasties-in varieties such as Chitoi, Dhupi, Puli, Bhapa, Pakan etc that are available throughout the country.

Among wide varieties of seasonal fruits of Bangladesh are Leechies, Mangoes, (king of fruits), Blackberries, Kanthals, Bananas, Jackfruits, Watermelons, Papaws, Pineapples, Coconuts and Oranges.

Places of historical interest: Dhaka

Dhaka founded in 1608 as the seat of the Imperial Moghuls victory over Bengal. Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, has grown from a placid litle town to a bustling city of close to 13 million people. Dhaka is the hub of most industrial and commercial activities in the country.

Suhrawardy Udyan (garden): Located at a stone’s throw from Dhaka Hotel and partly within the campus of Dhaka University, this udyan formerly a race course bears testimony to our historical struggle for Independence. It is here where the Commander of the occupation forces surrendered with 95,000 soldiers on 16 December in 1971.

Lalbagh Fort: The fort of Aurangzeb popularly known as the Lalbagh Fort was built in 1678 by Prince Muhammad Azam, son of Moghul Emperor Aurangazeb, who was the Viceroy of Bengal.

Mosques: Dhaka is renowned as a city of Mosques. Among more than a couple of thousands of Mosques, the prominent ones are the Seven Domed Mosques (17th century), the Star mosque (18th century) and Baitul Mukkarram, national Mosque built in 1960′s.

Temples- Among the more prominent of the Hindu Temples are the Dhakeshwari Temple (11th century) and Ram Krishna Mission.

Buddhist Monasteries- The Kamlapur Buddhist Monasteries at Kamalapur and Merul Badda are two notable Buddhist temples of Dhaka.

Churches- Dhaka has a number of old churches of which the Armenian Church (1781), St Marry’s Cathedral in Ramna and St Thomas’s Cathedral (1677) at Tejgaon are the most prominent

Shahid Minar- The graceful monument situated near the Dhaka Medical College Hospital commemorates the martyrs of the historical Language Movement of 1952.

Banga Bhaban- A splendid piece of architecture, Banga Bhaban is the official residence of the President of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.

National Museum- Housed in an impressive building at Shahbag, the Museum contains a large number of exhibits including sculpture, coins, paintings and inscriptions.

Ramna Green-Ramna Green is the largest park in the city with vast stretches of well-kept ground with a lake that cuts it into half. The park is also the venue for many national functions.

National Park- The National Park is situated at Rajendrapur, 40 km north of Dhaka in the magnificent Bhawal region along Dhaka-Mymenisngh highway. The vast 1600 acres of forested area is an ideal destination for eco-tourism).

National Mausoleum- Located at Savar, in the suburb of Dhaka city, the splendid memorial commemorates the Martyrs of the War of Independence in 1971. The sprawling campus of Jahangirnagar University is located nearby.

Memorial for the Martyrs of 1857 (Bahadur Shah Park)- The Memorial commemorates the martyrs of the first Liberation War (1857-59) against the British rule. It was here that rebel soldiers and their civilian compatriots were publicly hanged.

Muktijuddho Museum- Situated at Segun Bagicha, it possesses a rich collection of rare photographs of Liberation War and articles used by the freedom fighters.

Ahsan Manzil-Located at on the bank of River Buriganga in the old part of Dhaka. Ahsan Manzil is a reminder of the nation’s rich cultural heritage. The large mansion was built in the Victorian style with some elements of late Braque thrown in. It was the home of the Nawabs of Dhaka. Recently renovated and painted in bright pink, the mansion has been converted into a museum containing articles and utensils used by the Nawabs.

National Assembly Complex-The magnificent National Assembly complex building with ancillary traces was designed by the world renowned architect Luis Kahn and is considered one of the landmarks of modern architecture. Baldah Garden-Baldah Garden situated in the old part of the city, has a very rich collection of rare species of plants and flowers.

Narayanganj-16 km away from Dhaka on the bank of River Sitalakhya,. Narayanganj is the biggest inland river port of Bangladesh.

Sonargaon-30 km to the south-east of Dhaka lies Sonargaon, an ancient capital of Bengal. It was the seat of Dev dynasty until the 13th century. From this period onward until the advent of the Moghuls Sonargaon was a subsidiary capital of the Sultanate of Bengal.

From all the aspects we are very proud to say that bangladesh is full of natural agricultural environment. but besides this we are not using this treasure with properly. If we can use our DESI product properly we can earn a lots of foriegn currenncy and also the country people could enjoy the DESI product.

• share:
• Bookmark on Delicious
• Digg this post
• Recommend on Facebook
• share via Reddit
• Share with Stumblers
• Tweet about it
• Subscribe to the comments on this post
• Tell a friend

With a great pleasure of nature sitakunda Eco park ..Hill walk of 2 hours through Eco park ,you will reach Chandranath-Dham An International Vedic Conference Shiva Chaturdashi observe at Sitakunda Shrine Estate in Sitakunda Chandranath Dham, Chittagong on the occasion of Shiva Chaturdarshi, a Hindu festival in worship of Lord Shiva. Chandranath Dham at Sitakunda, Kanchannath at Fatikchari and Adinath at Maheshkhali have been honoured from time immemorial for having Vedic roots and are profoundly regarded as holy places of pilgrimage. The Sitakunda Chandranath Dham is, of course, among the most ancient holy places.
Millions of Hindu pilgrims, devotees, tourists and representatives of shrines and temples all over the world especially from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cyprus, Bali, USA, UK, Australia and other countries assemble at Sitakunda on the occasion. In this International Vedic Conference of Hindus, a healthy and fruitful discussion continues on Hinduism, a religion of tolerance and service to the mankind, as well as on problems of shrines, temples and places of pilgrimage in different countries by the saints, religious leaders and other dignitaries of the community. Besides these, religious and cultural functions including Kirtan, Bhajan are arranged with the spirit of total surrender to God and the hope to receive the divine blessings.

Sitakunda Chandranath Dham is a holy place of pilgrimage known all over the sub-continent for centuries. It is mentioned in the puranas that Lord Ramchandra visited this place during his exile in the forests. The great sage Vargaba, brought into existence by his supernatural powers a reservoir for Sita Debi (wife of Ramchandra) to bathe in, which was called ‘Sitakunda’ after her. Later, when people came to live around it, the whole locality took the same name.

We know that there is no unbroken history of the Hindu holy places. None is available of Chandranath either, specially because of the long conflicts between Hindus and others in Chittagong, the destructive work of which has made the collection of evidence for a complete history impossible. In the Sanskrit Rajmala we find that in 610 Bengali era, that is to say about 800 years ago, Raja Biswambhar Sur, a descendant of the famous Adisur of Gour, made an attempt to reach Chandranath by sea. We find in the Nigamkalpataru that poet Joydeb Goswamy lived for a long time in Chandranath. We also find in the Rajmala that at the time of Dhanya Manikya, ruler of Tripura and a votary of Siva, Chandranath received almost all its endowments. Dhanya Manikya reportedly attempted to remove the icon of Shiva from Chandranath to his own dominion but failed. Whatever the stories of Chandranath, the place is known to the people for time immemorial.

In the 8th century, Sankaracharya advanced greatly the prosperity of Hindu places of pilgrimage by establishing the Sanyasi Sect and setting up four principal monasteries in four corners of India. Of the ten different sects of the Sanyasis, ‘Tirtha’ and ‘Ashram’ were founded by Biswarupacharya, the first disciple of Sankaracharya. From his 2nd disciple Padmacharya came ‘Ban’ and ‘Aranya’; from his 3rd disciple Trotokacharya ‘Giri’, Parbat’ and ‘Sagor’; and from his forth disciple Sarupacharya, ‘Saraswati’, ‘Bharati’ and ‘Puri’. Biswarupacharya was at the head of Sringery Math at Rameswar in the southern India, Trotokacharya of Joshi Math in Badrikasram in the North, Sarupacharya of Saroda Math in Dwarka in the west and Padmacharya of Gobordhan Math in the East. Chandranath is within the jurisdiction of Gobordhan Math.

Now, as ever, traditional rules regulate the work of this Shrine. And through the munificence of the pious rich of this country as also the devotion of the late poet Nabin Chandra Sen for improvement of this beautiful and unique place of pilgrimage, the work proceeds and progresses as days pass and the glory of the shrine grows. The place is easily accessible today. The natural beauty of this place is excellent. Water from the spring is available night and day, Sitakunda Shrine Committee is vested with the responsibility for managing the said Sitakunda, Adinath and Kanchannath shrines. And Shiva Chaturdashi happens to be main or one of the main occasions for these shrines.

• share:
• Bookmark on Delicious
• Digg this post
• Recommend on Facebook
• share via Reddit
• Share with Stumblers
• Tweet about it
• Subscribe to the comments on this post
• Tell a friend

Bangladesh for the last 20 years trying to bring out a super infrastructure of Tourism sector. having unlimited natural resources Bangladeshi policy makers get the potentiality of Tourism sector. Many proposals, many plans but in reality we get poor.

Planning problem is the main goast for this failure. Second is politics. New govt new policy- rejecting old policies resulting the blind future of?Tourism Sector.

Current political government ,Minister ,personally? Sheik Hasina??the prime Minister also shown her consciousness about the tourism Infrastructure development. from the beginning of chair. Started to develop a super plan for sustainable infrastructure of Tourism. if we analyze the reality again …it will found again failure way. Evaluating the clear decision needed for real development we found it near zero. because of all development is stopped.

The private initiator also awaiting for the master plan of tourism infrastructure. So it is deeply noted for a Master plan by next 1 month. if we allow more time for that so implementation can be far away……………

• share:
• Bookmark on Delicious
• Digg this post
• Recommend on Facebook
• share via Reddit
• Share with Stumblers
• Tweet about it
• Subscribe to the comments on this post
• Tell a friend

Bangladesh is situated in the north-eastern part of south Asia.??It lies between 20′ 34′ and 2e 36′ north latitude and 88′ I’ and 92′ 41′ east longitude.??The heary and great Himalayas stand as the northen ramparts, while the southern frontier is guarded by the Bay of Bengal.

On the west lies the expansive gangetic plains (West Bengal) of India and on the eastern frontier lies the almost impassable forest of Myanmar (Arakan Province) and India (Tripura and Assam hills).

These picturesque geographical boundaries delineate out a low lying plain of about 144,000 sq.km. (55,598 sq. miles) criss -crossed by innumerable brooks, rivers, rivulets and streams. Mighty rivers the Padma, Jamuna, Meghna, Karnaphuli and others flow through Bangladesh.

The unscalable blue is stretched high above, and the green and silvery landscape below runs far and beyond.??This is Bangladesh, a fertile land where nature is bounteous.

Bangladesh is a deltaic region.??Much of the country’s land area has been built up from alluvial deposits brought down by the major rivers.??The land is mostly flat except for a range of?hills in the south-east.

Wooded marshylands and jungles mainly characterize it?with forest regions in Sylhet, Rangamati, Khagrachari and Bandarban Hill Tracts, Sundarbans, Mymensingh and Tangail.

Bangladesh as a vacation land has many facets. Her tourist attractions include archaeological sites, historic mosques and monuments, resorts, beaches, picnic spots, forest and wildlife.Bangladesh offers opportunities for angling, water-skiing, river cruising, hiking, rowing, surfing, yachting and sea bathing as well as bringing one in close touch with Mother Nature.??She is also rich in wildlife and game birds.

The Bangladeshi government has commenced work, by preparing a proposal for approval, to create an exclusive tourism zone in Cox’s Bazar and Bandarban districts.

A comprehensive development of the Chittagong Hill Tracts region has been envisaged and a long-term plan costing between US$2.1 billion to US$2.8 billion has been budgeted.

Similarly, approval has been given for the development of cable car facilities in five areas in Rangamati and Bandarban.

• share:
• Bookmark on Delicious
• Digg this post
• Recommend on Facebook
• share via Reddit
• Share with Stumblers
• Tweet about it
• Subscribe to the comments on this post
• Tell a friend

Yesterday , In the discussion session of parliament Prime minister Sheak Hasina informed that govt has initiated to build an attractive Aquarium at cox’s bazar for the tourist pleasure and to present the sea life culture, beside this to attract child there will be more initiatives?like cartoon gallery ,International standard Hotel of 300 bed.

To develop the tourism infrastructure the government is showing the best level interest. In this part prime minister cleared the vision and initiatives. through this vision? PM also declare? kuakata ,Mujib Nagar? development.

PM also deliver her plan to Market Bangladesh tourism through SAARC package tour.

• share:
• Bookmark on Delicious
• Digg this post
• Recommend on Facebook
• share via Reddit
• Share with Stumblers
• Tweet about it
• Subscribe to the comments on this post
• Tell a friend