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Cox's Bazar Arguably the most
attractive tourist resort of the country located on a
low range of sand hills between the river
bakkhali
and the
bay of bengal
with a long open beach towards the sea. The town was
named after Lieutenant Cox, who had rehabilitated here a
group of
maghs
seeking shelter in British territory after the conquest
of
arakan
by the Burmese. He died here in 1798. The unbroken 125
km beach at Cox's Bazar is sandy with a gentle slope.
Since the rise and fall of the tide here is not great,
it is a good place for sea bathing. A large variety of
fish,
including excellent
pomfret,
soles and
oysters
are also caught here. Cox's Bazar is about 150 km from
chittagong
and is connected to the port city by bus, air and
steamer services. It is a district town and is also the
headquarters of the Cox's Bazar forest division. The
town and surrounding places have many clolourful pagodas
and Buddhist temples and are inhabited by, among others,
many tribal people who have their own distinct
customs and
traditions. In addition to the long sea-beach
with its silvery waves breaking at the foot of hills and
sea-bathing, the attractions of Cox's Bazar include a
drive along the beach, the view of the sun setting on
the rolling sea-waves, the moonlit night, and the
exciting interior of the bazar and its people.
Interesting places around Cox's Bazar include Himchhari,
ramu,
Sonadia Island,
maheshkhali,
teknaf
and
st. martin's
island. Himchhari, located 18 km south of
Cox's Bazar along the sea beach, is a nice place for
picnic and film shooting. The broken hills and
waterfalls here are unique spots. Another attraction is
the Christmas trees. Ramu, about 10 km from Cox's Bazar
on the main road to Chittagong, is a Buddhist village
and boasts a number of Buddhist temples (khyangs)
containing statues and images of Gautam Buddha in gold,
bronze and other metals inlaid with precious stones. The
most beautiful among the khyangs is the one near
Bakkhali on Tiger Canal. The khyang houses relics and
Burmese handicrafts and a 10-feet high bronze statue of
Buddha resting on a 6-feet high pedestal. The wood
carving of this khyang is very delicate and refined.
Sonadia is a crescent shaped island about 7-km
north-west of Cox's Bazar. The area of the island is
about 9 sq km. Its western coast is sandy and is rich in
different kinds of shells. Every winter thousands of
fishermen camp here and make large hauls. The island is
a centre of the dry fish industry. Another attraction of
the island is the sight of game birds migrating here in
great numbers during the winter season. Maheshkhali,
also an island off the coast of Cox's Bazar, has an area
of 268 sq km. A range of low hills, about 300 feet high,
stretches through the centre of the island and along its
eastern coastline. On the top of the hills is famous
Hindu temple, the
adinath temple,
which becomes a place of pilgrimage during the month of
Falgun (March). The coasts of the island on the
west and north form a low-lying tract that is fringed by
mangrove forests.
Teknaf is a small township on the
naf
river at the end of the hilly region. It is 80 km south
of Cox's Bazar and is a beautiful place facing Myanmar
across the Naf. One of the major attractions of Teknaf
is the journey by
boat
or sampan. A picturesque hilltop resort has also been
developed at Teknaf. The town and its surrounding areas
provide outsiders an opportunity to see the people and
culture of the Arakan and Magh communities. St.
Martin's Island, named after a British Governor, the
country's only
coral
island, is situated in the Bay of Bengal about 100 km
off from Cox's Bazar and 8 km south of Teknaf. Local
people call the island Narikel Zinjira (coconut
rows) since coconut trees grow in large numbers in the
island. The area of the island is about 9 sq km and
different varieties of shells and mother of pearl such
as conch shells, spanish drill and
cowries
are plenty here. Living corals can be seen about 20 feet
deep into the transparent water around a part of the St.
Martin Island named Chhera Dip, which becomes detached
from the island during high tide. Flying fish, dolphins
and sea tortoises are also often seen in the water
around the island. One of the frequently visited
site in Teknaf is Ma-Thin's well at the compound of
Teknaf upazila. Ma-Thin was the daughter of the Magh
king. Accompanied by many of her friends, she used to
come to the well, the only one of its kind in the area
at that time. Dhiraj Bhattacharya, the officer-in-charge
of the police station and a handsome young man, fell in
love with her. He wanted to marry her but the king
initially did not agree to the proposal because Dhiraj
was a Hindu and a Magh girl was not supposed to marry
outside her community. The king, however, could not
refuse his daughter and her lover and finally gave his
consent. The message reached the father of Dhiraj at
calcutta
and made him furious. He, in turn, stressed that a Hindu
could not marry a Magh girl and recalled his son through
a telegram urging him to return to his ailing father.
Dhiraj left for Calcutta promising Ma-Thin that he would
return very soon. Ma-Thin waited for him for months. At
one stage, she stopped believing that Dhiraj would ever
come back. Despite the insistence of her parents,
relatives and friends Ma-Thin did not take any food or
even a drop of water until she breathed her last. The
well still remains as a memorial to this great story of
love and a tragedy that has its origin in differences in
culture and religion.
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