Mymensingh

Bangladesh is divided into 64 administrative districts, and Mymensingh is one of the districts of the Dhaka division. The British had originally demarcated Mymensingh as an administrative unit in 1787.

Lying in the northern part of the country, Mymensingh is bordered by the Indian state of Meghalaya in the north, lying on the foot of the picturesque Garo Hills. The Susang hills on the southern border are the only other hilly area.

The plains of the Dhaka region lie to its south. It forms a part of the alluvial valley of the easterm Brahmaputra river. The Jamuna river makes up Mymensingh's western boundary. Large boats ply on the river the whole year through, and in the rainy season, the river becomes huge in many areas through which it flows. The district is mainly level with open country all around, and is full of cultivated fields, and the land is criss crossed by many rivers. The main crops are jute, rice and oil-seeds. It also has some small valleys lying between tall forests.

The slightly higher area of the Madhupur jungle extends from the northern Dhaka district to the middle of Mymensingh. The jungle is rich in sal, which is valuable as timber.

The administrative headquarters are at Mymensingh town, which was formerly known by its older name Nasirabad; it is located on the western bank of the Brahamaputra river.

Mymensingh town is also a centre for trade in jute, rice, oilseeds, sugarcane, and tobacco. In the past, it was noted for producing beautiful glass bangles, Now Mymensingh is known for jute-processing and electrical supply industries.

The region is also home to a large number of aboriginal tribes living in its north boundaries; the tribes of the Kochis, Garos and Hajongs are ethnically quite different from the rest of the Bengali populace.

You will find a game sanctuary and national park at Madhupur (160 kilometers from Dhaka) as you travel from Dhaka to Mymensingh. You will also find reserve forests in this area, with picnic spots and rest houses.

Bangladesh is a country full of folklore and Mymensingh district occupies a place in the very heart of this tradition. The district has a premier position in Bengal's literature for its rich store of folk songs and folklore.

There are several places in Mymensingh district associated with the memory of poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, who had ancestral lands in this part of the country. Shilaidaha Kuthibari (country house) and Shahjadpur kuthibari are among these places where the poet spent considerable periods of his life in writing and personal work.

Sagardari, which is 90 kilometers from the town of Jessore, is the birth place of the famous 19th century Bengali poet Michael Madhusudhan Datta.

Seven kilometers from Meherpur town, you will find a Memorial dedicated to the first provisional revolutionary government of Bangladesh, which was formed here during the time of the liberation war of 1971.

There is an Art Gallery in Myensingh displaying the paintings of the famous painter Zainul Abedin.