How to go
You may stop at Kachhi Kata (কাছিকাটা) on the Natore-Dhaka highway. From there, you have to reach Chhaikula (ছাইকুলা) Ghat using van. It is 40 Taka ride for 4 people. From the boat ghat, you can hire an engine boat for the whole day. Using that long boat you can reach to the Handial village to visit the temple.
But there are other ways by which you can reach near the temple. You can come from the Chatmohor Upazila using CNG auto vehicle. But that will be a long way. Another way is from Mohishluti (মহিষলুটি) which is located at the Dhaka-Natore highway. From there you can reach to the temple using CNG auto vehicle or using a van.
How To Reach: পাবনা জেলা
It is approximately 219 km away from Dhaka. You can reach by using both road and rail transports.
Dhaka is about five hours by road, through the Jamuna Bridge. Cities and towns of Dhaka Division, Chittagong Division and Sylhet Division are also connected though it. Kushtia District and other parts of Khulna Division and Barisal Division is connected through Lalon Shah Bridge. River crossing (ferry ghat) at Nogorbari on the Jamuna River is the old route to Dhaka and the eastern part of Bangladesh.
It requies three to four hours to cross only the Jamuna from Nogobari to Aaricha river port in Manikgonj District. Najirgonj river crossing on the Padma River connects Pabna town with neighbouring Rajbari District as well as Faridpur, Madaripur, Shariatpur and Gopalganj Districts, and Barisal Division. Pabna is also well connected to all the districts and towns of Rajshahi Division by road.
Pabna town has no rail network. Nearby railway stations are situated at Iswardi and Chatmohar Upazila. Nearby airport is at Ishwardi Upazila. Biman Bangladesh Airlines used to operate twice- weekly services to Ishwardi from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka. However, no airlines is operating to and from Ishwardi at the moment.
Several Dhaka bound private bus services are available such as Pabna Express, Shyamoli, Shorkar Travels, Raja Badsha, Badol, Mohanagar, Shorkar Travels, Ishurdi Express, Night Star, Kings, Esha, Capital Service, etc. Government owned Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) provides bus services to Rajshahi and Bogra cities. Water transport is important as the Padma and other rivers, and Chalan Beel are situated in Pabna. In Pabna district ride by Nosimon, rickshawvan and Korimon are pleasure worthy.
Dhaka is about five hours by road, through the Jamuna Bridge. Pabna is also well connected to all the districts and towns of Rajshahi Division by road.
1. Pabna Express:
Kollyanpur Counter: BRTC Market,
Mobile: 01750-143095, 01193-086077
2. Shyamoli Paribahan:
12, South Kollyanpur, Mirpur Road, Dhaka.
Tel: 02-900331, 02-8034275.
3. Green Line:
Address: 9/2, Outer Circular Road,
Momen Bagh, Rajarbagh, Dhaka – 1217
Phone: 8331302-4, 8353004-5, 9339623, 9342580
Email: greenline@greenlineparibahan.com
Web: www.greenlineparibahan.com
Other bus services are- Shorkar Travels, Raja Badsha, Badol, Mohanagar, Shorkar Travels, Ishurdi Express, Night Star, Kings, Esha, Capital Service, etc.
Pabna town has no rail network. Nearby railway stations are situated in Iswardi and Chatmohar Upazila.
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[0] => Array
(
[name] => Khelaram Datar Kotha
[post_id] => 10252
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/bn/places/andharkotha-khelaram-datar-kotha/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/18-225x300.jpg
[post_content] =>
Previously, the actual color of Khelaram Datar Kotha (খেলারাম দাতার কোঠা) was reddish (first three photographs added). But after a renovation done by the Department of archaeology, it is colored white now.
Possibly the most intriguing, interesting and uniquely confusing archeological structures of Nawabganj is the Khelaram Daata’r Kotha, which has recently been renovated. Yet they have not put up a sign board describing the building.
It is confusing, who was Khelaram? What was he known for? What is this building all about? What is the story behind it? When was it built? One could come up with several such questions, but apparently there isn’t much available documentation. It’s hardly possibly to rely on local folklore, as that is far more fiction than facts. To start with some confusion, some say the name of the founder of this structure was Khelaram Dutta, Banglapedia mentions him as Khelaram Dada, while the locals say he was known as Khelaram Daata.
According to Banglapedia he was a Zamindar, but the locals claim he was a dacoit. Since Banglapedia mentions nothing about him apart from naming him as Zamindar Khelaram Dada. So, there isn’t any other way except relating oral history along with the information of Banglapedia.
Some 200 years ago, there lived a ferocious dacoit named Khelaram, who was dreaded by the rich, but loved by the poor, because similar to Robin Hood, he generously donated much of his spoils from each mission amongst the poor people. Hence he was known as “Daata” the beneficent. But he still retained quite a bit and needed to store the loot. So he built this structure consisting of many rooms just overnight (within a short time). The building had five floors (it now has only two) and the roof had a large tank. There still is a large pond nearby. Poor people had to come to this pond to bathe, and anything they asked for was granted.
Oral History Or Myth :
Khelaram was extremely obedient to his mother. She once wanted to drink some milk and eat some ripened bananas, so Khelaram arranged the rooftop tank to be filled to the brim with ripened bananas and pure milk, so she could swim there and eat and drink to her heart’s content. But one day something Khelaram did severely angered his mother. She sternly rebuked and cursed him and then left for a bath in the pond. But as soon as she left the building, three floors of the building simply sank into the ground, leaving only the top two floors to be seen over the surface. Khelaram was not seen any more from then. Some believe he got trapped in one of the lower floors. Some believe he drowned in the pond, trying to save his mother. Within a short time, all his belongings got stolen, leaving behind just an empty house.
)
[1] => Array
(
[name] => Bhai Girish Chandra Sen's Old House
[post_id] => 23726
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/bn/places/bhai-girish-chandra-sens-old-house/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Old-House-of-Bhai-Girish-Chandra-Sen-9-200x300.jpg
[post_content] => Girish Chandra Sen also known as Bhai Girish Chandra Sen ( ভাই গিরিশ চন্দ্র সেন), a Brahmo Samaj missionary, was the first person to complete the translation of the Qur'an into Bengali in 1886. It was his finest contribution to Bengali literature. Born in the village of Panchdona of Narsingdi in 1835 in the famed Dewan Baidya clan, he learnt Persian and Sanskrit in early life and started working as a copywriter in the court of the deputy magistrate in Mymensingh. He also taught for a short while at the Mymensingh Zilla School before engaging wholeheartedly in journalism and literary activities. He was attracted to the Brahmo Samaj under the influence of Keshub Chunder Sen and Bijoy Krishna Goswami and joined it as a missionary in 1871. He traveled through India and Burma to propagate his new faith.
The plasters on the walls of this two floor house have almost completely fallen off, baring the brick work, which is covered in a thick moss. The ceilings on both the floors have entirely caved in. Trees have grown all over the walls, thereby creating large cracks. The wood work from doors and windows is completely stolen. To overcome those destruction and deterioration of this old House owned by this famous Scholar, Government has taken necessary steps to renovate the building immediately.
In the year of 1869, Keshub Sen chose four persons amongst his missionaries and ordained them as professors of four old religions of the world. Girish Chandra was selected to study Islam. The others selected to study different religions were Gour Govinda Ray for Hinduism, Protap Chandra Mazoomdar for Christianity, and Aghore Nath Gupta for Buddhism.
This was a time, when even translating religious scripts from Islam was considered as desecration of the sanctity of the scripts. The Holy Qur’an was considered too sacred for translation, as such most of the Muslim scholars refrained from even trying.
A firm believer in the basic unity of all religions, Girish immersed himself in his studies and later went to Lucknow in 1876 to study Arabic, Islamic literature and the Islamic religious texts. He was involved in intense studies for about five years. His keen interest in different religions and his liberal outlook earned him the respect of followers of other religions.
On completion of his studies, he returned to Kolkata and engaged in translation of Islamic scriptures. After hard labor of six years from 1881-1886, he produced an annotated Bengali version of the Qur’an via Persian.
Girish Chandra wrote and published a total of 42 books in Bengali. His books were greatly appreciated by the Muslim community which referred to him as 'Bhai Girish Chandra'. The Muslim society, in his days, respected him enormously and gave him the title of a Maulavi.
Girish Chandra Sen spoke fluently in Bengali, Urdu & Persian. A simple soft-spoken person, he endeared himself to all those who came in contact with him. His autobiography, 'Atmajivani' (আত্মজীবনী), was published in 1906. He passed away in 1910.
)
[2] => Array
(
[name] => Teota Zamindar Palace
[post_id] => 13757
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/bn/places/teota-zamindar-palace/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Teota-Zamindar-Palace-2-300x225.jpg
[post_content] =>
Teota Zamindar Palace (তেওতা জমিদার বাড়ী) is located at the Shibalaya (শিবালায়া) Upazila of Manikganj District. This palace is locally known as Teota Rajbari (তেওতা রাজবাড়ি) and Teota Zamindar Bari (তেওতা জমিদার বাড়ী). This palace is possibly over 300 years old. This old dilapidated palace was the home of two brothers named Babu Hemsankar Ray ( বাবু হেমসংকর রায়) and Babu Joy Sankar Ray (বাবু জয় সংকর রায়) who were the ruler of Teota. The whole premise has over 50 rooms. Currently those are occupied by the homeless people.
At the Western side of the building, there is a large pond and beside the pond a temple is located named as Noborotno Temple (নবরত্ন মন্দির). The temple is a four storied building having a glorious example of classical architecture.
The whole palace is situated just beside the bank of mighty river Jamuna. After a few miles from the palace premise, the river merged with another big river, Padma. The palace is a two storied building and from the roof you can easily see the Jamuna river.
This palace is the birth place of Promila Debi (প্রমীলা দেবী), the wife of our national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam (নজরুল ইসলাম). Poet first saw her in this palace when he came here to visit Promila's cousin-Dhiren Sen (ধীরেন সেন).
)
[3] => Array
(
[name] => Nahabatkhana
[post_id] => 11529
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/bn/places/nahabatkhana/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/IMG_34281-225x300.jpg
[post_content] =>
Nahabatkhana (নহবতখানা) or Probeshdar (প্রবেশদ্বার) is one of the well known features in Mograpara, Sonargaon Upazila in Narayanganj. This gateway or entrance was built in at the end of 17th century. According to the description of 'Zames Wise' (civil surgeon of Dhaka in 1860s), it is located at South Ward from the Hazrat Abu Tawama Mazar and Ibrahim Mosque. There are two doors being traced on north & south side of this feature.
A story has been circulated among the local people that there was a musical Instrument around this feature which was being used for different purposes. Mainly, this instrument being used to awake people to take Seheri (সেহরি) and Iftar (ইফতার) at the month of Ramadan. Another notion is said that, it was being used to notify poor people and Musafir for Kangalivoj (কাঙ্গালিভোজ). This instrument was used for inviting people too. Now, one of the doorways of Nahabatkhana is used by public, and another one is preserved with less care.
)
)
