BANGLADESH: Visit The Waterfalls Of Mirsharai In Chittagong

Even two years ago the Napittyachora village in Mirsharai upazila of Chittagong was rarely visited by outsiders.

But now, several hundred tourists pay their visit on a daily basis.

The key attraction of the remote village located in the foot of hills in Mirshara upazila’s Khoyachora union is its four beautiful waterfalls Ujalia, Kupikatakum, Napittyachora and Bandorkum. Tourists started flocking the area after the beauty of the waterfalls and the scenic trail that leads to the water falls inside the hills spread through social media in the last two years.

The waterfalls of Napittyachora trail are attracting daily 500 to 1000 visitors, said locals. During holidays, it crosses thousand.

For visiting the waterfalls one needs to go to Noyduara area of Mirsharai upazila. It takes around three hours to reach the waterfalls from Noyduara area.

After walking for half an hour, one could reach the first two waterfalls, Ujalia and Kupikatakum.

On crossing the first two waterfalls it would take more than two hours to reach the other two waterfalls. Local youths and teenage boys work as guide to show the ways through deep jungle. They charge Tk 300 to 500 for the whole journey.

Way to the other two waterfalls takes over two hours to reach and it needs ascending-descending the steep hills, walking through the ankle to knee deep water course, going through green jungle, walking on large slippery stones that resemble like eggs of prehistoric animals.

In addition, chirping of wild birds and sound of insects would make it a memorable journey.

For visitors it could become quite difficult and risky to reach the four waterfalls deep inside the jungle as there is no sign boards with directions were seen on the way.

Besides, the tourists have to suffer a lot as the road is not much developed.

Mentionable, a tourist was killed after falling from hill in the Napittyachora trail last year after a group of tourist lost their way on August 15, 2016.

Other than these hazards, the waterfalls could become a great tourist attraction in Chittagong.

An inhabitant of Chittagong is called Chittagonian in English. For centuries, the port city has been a melting pot for people from all over the world. Its historic trade networks have left a lasting impact on its language, culture and cuisine. The urban Chittagonian dialect of Bengali has many Arabic, Persian, English and Portuguese loanwords.

The immensely popular traditional feast of Mezban features the serving of hot beef dish with white rice.The cultivation of pink pearls is a historic activity in Chittagong. Its Mughal-era name, Islamabad (City of Islam), continues to be used in the old city. The name was given due to the port city's history as a gateway for early Islamic missionaries in Bengal.

Notable Islamic architecture in Chittagong can be seen in the historic Bengal Sultanate-era Hammadyar Mosque and the Mughal fort of Anderkilla. Chittagong is known as the Land of the Twelve Saints due to the prevalence of major Sufi Muslim shrines in the district.

Historically, Sufism played an important role in the spread of Islam in the region. Prominent dargahs include the mausoleum of Hazrat Shah Amanat and the shrine of Bayazid Bastami. The Bastami shrine hosts a pond of black softshell turtles.

During the medieval period, many poets thrived in the region when it was part of the Bengal Sultanate and the Kingdom of Mrauk U. Under the patronage of Sultan Alauddin Husain Shah's governor in Chittagong, Kabindra Parameshvar wrote his Pandabbijay, a Bengali adaptation of the Mahabharata.

Daulat Qazi lived in the region during the 17th century reign of the Kingdom of Mrauk U. Chittagong is home to several important Hindu temples, including the Chandranath Temple on the outskirts of the city, which is dedicated to the Hindu goddess Sita.

The city also hosts the country's largest Buddhist monastery and council of monks. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Chittagong is the oldest catholic mission in Bengal.

Major cultural organisations in the city include the Theatre Institute Chittagong and the Chittagong Performing Arts Academy. The city has a vibrant contemporary art scene.

Being home to the pioneering rock bands in the country like Souls and LRB, Chittagong is regarded as the birthplace of Bangladeshi rock music.

Chittagonian, as a norm, are lover of art and beauty. The artistic taste of Chittagonian can be found in the articulation of the city. Even a common household can be found to be a collection of art. Sometimes, antiques, or the memorial matters of a family are preserved as art-pieces. Apart from this, home decoration is, commonly, of common interest of Chittagonian women.

As a consequence, art is not only a part of the museums of the city, rather arts can be found on the walls, floor and any part of the living place of a Chittagonian.

Art plays an important role in the way the people of the city enjoy their leisure. As the city itself is a natural blessing full of stunning natural elements, the people domesticated the artful natural element to celebrate the beauty on their own. For instance, people domesticate pigeons as a hobby.

While pigeon-meat is considered as a delicious food, there are certain species of pigeon that are kept only for the purpose of beautification.

The hospitality of Chittagonian culture is, most probably, the reason of the city's enriched food culture. Cooking and serving is considered as act of honoring guests(mehman) while presenting the taste and warm personality of the host.

Mezbaan: Mezbaan e gosht/ Mezbaan aur gorur gosht (Traditional beef dish) - Mezbaan is a century-old tradition of the city where a host slaughter cow/s to celebrate a big feast with neighbors and relatives.

Musallam: Most offen a chicken musallam is offered to a guest.

Khorma: (Chicken and mutton)

Dried fish: Dried sea food is one of the most common food in Chittagong

Kebab: Chittagonians are traditionally fond of kebabs. The old kebab houses like lahams and royal hut bear the sign of Chittagong's food culture.

Vegetables: Beans(soi), pumpkin (mida hodu), lentils (da'el), eggplants(bayun), cauliflower, cabbage etc. are among the most popular vegetables.

Snacks and appetizers: Tea is the most popular drink in Chittagong. In fact, Chittagong has unique style of tea making method, and 'tea-kettle on the stove' is a day-to-day scenario inside a kitchen of Chittagonian house. Dried dates (khurma), dried grapes (kishmish), nuts, puffed rice, rice cakes, breads, bakeries, etc. are popular snacks of the city.

Cake-art is an age-old tradition of the city. Pickle is the most common appetizers in Chittagong. Usually, pickles are made from olive, mango, plum, eggplants, etc.

The astonishing beauty of the city is most probably the main reason for her diversified demographics. Settlers from ancient Persia, or medieval Europe may have settled in Chittagong due to political and economic benefit.

But, the unique attraction, and strong breeze of the city seem to be the driving force to led those global explorers to find their permanent home in the city. Although little known, Chittagong is the home of the longest sea-beach of the world.

It is not the size, but the mystic and vivid nature of the city that creates the degree of admiration of the city.