A small country in southern Asia, surrounded on almost all sides by India, today hides many mysteries for Europeans. The state of Bangladesh, whose sights are little studied, mainly due to the underdeveloped tourism industry, has its own zest and exotic.
Climate and weather
The main distinguishing feature of the weather is a conditional division into seasons. The temperature regime here is approximately the same in winter and summer. What distinguishes time periods is the amount of rainfall. When planning a trip to consider all of Bangladesh's attractions, consider three main climatic periods:
- October – February: winter. Local winter coolness is average daily temperatures of 18-25 o . The period is most favorable for visiting this exotic country: there is no rainfall and strong winds.
- March – June: hot and wet summers. The hottest (average temperature - 34 o ) and the wettest is April. The rainy season is characterized by tropical cyclones, sometimes with a tornado.
- June – October: soft rainy monsoon period.
Monsoon exotic
80% of all precipitation falls from April to October. This is what the sights of Bangladesh hide! - The climate! The traditions of the tourism business in this country are weakly rooted, few five-star hotels. Summer weather conditions scare away tourists who are looking for a relaxing beach holiday.
Those who are interested in the history, nature and sights of Bangladesh can quite safely visit this pearl in the winter. And there is something to see here!
Historic Bangladesh: attractions, currency, flag
Compared to the centuries-old history of ancient states, the history of this country is relatively young. The People's Republic of Bangladesh appeared on the site of East Pakistan in 1971 after gaining independence. In honor of this event, the celebration of Independence Day was approved on March 26th. Own flag and currency were also born from this period.
The flag of the country is a bright green cloth with a red circle. The circle designation is unambiguous - it is a symbol of the sun and independence, but the green color is interpreted in two ways. Some sources see it as the color of Islam - the main religion of the country, according to others, it personifies the lush greenery that the country is covered throughout the year.
Currency: Bangladeshi Taka.
Ancient monuments
In the small territory of the state of Bangladesh, the sights of antiquity are so densely located that it is amazing how it all fit here. Most of the monuments have a truly unique value and are present only in this region.
- The Center for the Study of Antiquities in the city of Rajshani has collected more than 50 monuments of architecture of ancient Buddhists.
- Paharpur. The largest Buddhist monastery, 11 hectares of area literally crammed with objects of historical significance.
- Putia. The place of the most beautiful ancient temples: Shiva, Govinda, Jagannath.
Unique nature
The sights of Bangladesh, the description of which is briefly given in this article, is only a small part of all the advantages of a power. We can say that the natural landscapes of this territory are already one complete exotic.
- Sundarban National Park - the largest mangrove forest in the world!
- Ragmati Lake - the landscape surrounding it with fabulous huts of local residents, worthy of the artist’s paintings.
- "Chittagon Hills" - an area 60 km from the city of the same name. These are places of residence of ancient Buddhist tribes that preserved the nature of this area in its pristine, fantastically beautiful form.
Resorts
The lack of a developed resort industry and luxury hotels has its advantages: attractions in the country of Bangladesh are much cheaper compared to other Asian countries. Cheaper does not mean worse. The only official sea beach of this country - Cox's Bazar - is distinguished by huge clean beaches, clear sea water and, importantly, the absence of sharks. And low prices make it possible to enjoy the exotic not only to owners of thick wallets.
Mentioning the sights of Bangladesh resort, you can not ignore a small island 10 km from the mainland. If you dreamed of a coconut tropical paradise with white sand - it was Saint Martin.
Capital
Dhaka is the capital of the state of Bangladesh. Sights of this city: the world's largest population density and the largest number of rickshaws and rickshaws.
Overpopulation is obvious. To imagine the number of people living here, you need to try to mentally push 10 million people into an area 10 times smaller than Moscow.
Local rickshaws are still exotic. In this city there are about 400 thousand. To attract attention to themselves, rickshaws paint themselves and their vehicles with various bright ornaments.
What else catches your eye is the close proximity of the picturesque modern city quarters with slums clogged with garbage and waste. Historical exclusive values coexist with exclusive dubious ones. For example, the river flowing through the capital is the dirtiest in the world, water is almost invisible due to floating debris.
The rules of the road in Dhaka, as well as throughout the country, simply do not exist. The city’s congestion with vehicles, rickshaws and people leads to a feeling of complete chaos. It’s worth visiting Dhaka just to understand that you have seen everything.
You noticed that the sights in Bangladesh are constantly mentioned with the epithets: "the most", "the only one in the world." This definition attracts here not just vacationing tourists, but the most curious travelers.
Population and language
The People's Republic of Bangladesh is 98% Bengalis. The rest are Biharians (a population with roots from northern India) and small ethnic tribes: Chakma, Marma, Tipra, Murang and others. Accordingly, the main official language of the country is Bengali, or Bengali. The second language that serves for international communication, the media, government agencies, has become English. Nationalities and tribes communicate among themselves in their languages and dialects belonging to the Tibetan group.
Culture and religion
Despite the fact that the territory of the state is replete with Buddhist monuments, modern Bengalis are 83% Sunni Muslims. Only half a percent of the population worship the Buddha. Biharians profess Hinduism. There are Christians in Bangladesh. A feature of local Islam can be considered its certain saturation with elements of other faiths, which explains the peaceful coexistence of all faiths in one territory.
Respect for all believers, regardless of religion, is imprinted in the law, therefore, religious conflicts are rare here.
Special customs
What a traveler in Bengal needs to know and why not be surprised:
- Pagan rituals are very popular among the provincial population. Spells, talismans, omens, sorcerers and healers are popular here.
- Although the local people are quite friendly towards foreigners, they receive them at their holidays, this does not apply to the funeral procedure. No need to tease the participants in the funeral procession with your presence, or, God forbid, filming. They can respond aggressively.
- The level of education in this generally backward country is such that scientists from Bangladesh are gladly invited by world famous universities.
- The familiar handshake among Europeans is one of the rules of bad taste, since it is considered indecent to touch another person. This is especially true for women and children. The unpretentious desire to pat the curls of a cute baby can cause serious anger of relatives.
- Given Muslim restrictions on clothing, women tourists are advised to adhere to the classic style of clothing: long skirts, cotton trousers with blouses.
- Once in the house of a Bangladeshi family, you need to praise the hostess, the house and the treats. With gifts - carefully. Jewelry and clothes for a woman can only be given by a husband. It is better to present any sweets.
- Showing your feet is considered the height of indecency.
Kitchen
What is customary to be served in Indian restaurants in Europe is nothing but Bangladeshi cuisine. The inhabitants of this country from the simplest and most familiar products create a variety of and original dishes. Common Bangladeshi food: vegetables, cereals, legumes, wheat, lentils, mustard, fish and seafood.
And of course, rice. This is the basis of all the nutrition of the country, like most of the eastern powers. Rice is boiled, stewed, fried. Bread and sweets are prepared from it, it replaces meat. The simplest dish - rice with vegetables and seasonings - Bangladeshis are prepared in hundreds of variations.
From exotic cuisine of this country - dishes from snakes and insects.
This is Bangladesh. Sights that have no equal in the world are surrounded by the poverty of the local population; the tranquility of paradise natural landscapes is adjacent to the chaos of the capital's streets. The direction of the new government to the development of the tourism sector will probably create more conditions for exploring this country and its wealth.