©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Dhaka Division Includes ¨ Why Go? Sonargaon ...........57 Enveloping the city of Dhaka, and including some desti- Dhamrai .............58 nations that make great day trips from the capital, Dhaka Mymensingh .........59 division stretches for more than 250km from south to north, reaching right up to the border with the Garo Hills in India. Around Mymensingh ..61 It’s a rural wonderland, comprising some 25,000 villages, and much of the region is given over to radiant rice paddies, filling your vision with more hues of green than you ever knew existed. A smattering of wonderfully romantic, slowly Best Places for decaying ruins also lends a historic air to the region, but it’s History the land in the far north of Dhaka division that has perhaps the greatest pull. Here, the green carpet of paddy fields gives ¨ Sonargaon (p57) way to dappled forests, great rivers and hilly panoramas, ¨ Mymensingh (p59) and the indigenous culture of the Garo people awaits the more adventurous traveller. Best Landscapes ¨ China Clay Hills (p62) ¨ Someswari River by Birisiri (p62) When to Go ¨ Sonargaon (p57) Mymensingh °C/°F Te mp Rainfall inches/mm 40/104 24/600 30/86 16/400 20/68 8/200 10/50 0/32 0 J FDM A M J J A S O N Oct–Mar The dry Jun & Jul Dham- Jun–Sep Mon- season means rai has chariot- soon brings boggy off-the-beaten- pulling during roads, but the track trips in the the Rath Jatra landscape is a far north. festival. sight in itself. : : : : : : : : : 56 : : : INDIA RANGPUR : : (MEGHALAYA) : : # 0 40 km DIVISION e 0 20 miles : : : : : #3 #\ China #\ : : Haluaghat #2 Birisiri : : Clay Hills #\ : : Sherpur Mahasthangarh R #\ J #\ a Netrakona #\ Bogra m u : : :n : Muktagacha SYLHET a #\ : : : #\ #4#\ Gouripur DIVISION R DHAKA DIVISION DIVISION DHAKA #\ i Mymensingh : : Sherpur : v : e : r #\ Madhupur : : : : : Bangabandhu Bridge : : : : RA:JSHAHI : :DIVISION #\ #\ Kishoreganj : : : : : DHAKA : : DIVISION #\ : : : #\ DIVI Tangail Bhawal National Park S : B #÷ 5 5 ION HIG ION r a : : h 5 5 5 m #\ Pabna : a 5 5 pu #\ : : tr Gazipur 5 5 5 a Dhamrai Narsingdi ##\5 #\ H Shibalaya P #\ LIG a #\ dm f# Manikganj a iver a R P #\ Savar n r a h e hts dm g v e i Madhupur R #\ a er #_DHAKA M R Riv 5 i ve ##\1 Sonargaon INDIA #\ r #\ #\ 5 Faridpur Narayanganj Mograpara (TRIPURA) Munshiganj #\ e f# M KHULNA Comill#\a g h CHITTAGONG DIVISION n a DIVISION Shariatpur#\ :Kash:iani : : : Chandpur #\ #\ #\ : : : : #\ R Madaripur i : : : : : v e : : : : r : :Gopa:lganj : : #\ : : : : : : : : : BARISAL #\ Lakshmipur : : : DIVISION : : : : #] Khulna 5 : : : 5 : : : : Dhaka Division Highlights 1 Sonargaon (p57) of life at this remote forested market streets and enjoying Exploring charmingly village. tree-shaded riverside walks in dilapidated ruined mansions, 3 China Clay Hills (p62) this laidback town. little-visited ancient mosques Hiking, boating or riding a 5 Dhamrai (p58) and a stunning rajbari-turned- rickshaw to the small but Meeting the craftspeople museum in Bangladesh’s stunning turquoise lake by at the unusual metalcraft one-time capital. the hills. workshops of this Hindu 2 Birisiri (p62) Plugging 4 Mymensingh (p59) village. yourself into the Adivasi way Wandering the old-town .