Bandarban District Information

Bandarban is a district within the Chittagong Division and a part of Chittagong Hill Tracts. Ninety two kilometer from Chittagong by metal led road, Bandarban is the district headquarters of the Bandarban Hill District. This district is located in South-Eastern Bangladesh and also known as Arvumi or the Bohmong Circle . Bandarban town is the home town of the Bohmong Chief (Raja) who is the head of the Marma population. Bandarban district was established in 1983. It consists of 7 upazilas, 32 unions, 140 mouzas, 1482 villages, 1 municipality, 10 wards and 62 mahallas. 7 sub districts are-Bandarban Sadar, Thanchi, Lama, Naikhongchhari, Ali kadam, Rowangchhari, and Ruma.

Area: 4479 square kilometers.

Boundary: Rangamati district on the north, Arakan (Myanmar) and the river naf on the south, Arakan and Rangamati district on the east and Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar district on the west.

Rivers: The district has river Sangu, also known as Sangpo or Shankha, the only river born inside Bangladesh territory. The other rivers are Matamuhuri and Bakkhali.

Population: 292,900. Bandarban is the least populated district in Bangladesh. Male 53.39%, female 46.61.

Religion: 47.62% Muslim, 38% Buddhist, 7.27% Christian, 3.52% Hindu and 3.59% others.

Average literacy: 39.5%; male 49.5%, female 25.4%.

Educational institutions: College 2, high school 24, junior school 26, residential school 3, government primary school 219, non-government primary school 150, non formal education centres 45 and madrasa 6.

Geographical Specialty of the district:
Bandarban is a part of Chittagong hill tracks and the remotest district of the country.
Meranja, Wailatong, Tambang and Politai are the four hill ranges here. The three highest peak of Bangladesh – Tahjindong (1280 meters, also known as bijoy), Mowdok Mual (1052 m), and Keokradong (1230 m) are located in Bandarban district. The newly reported highest peak of Bangladesh – Saka Haphong (3488 ft) is also here.
This district posses the major part of the biggest lake in Bangladesh – Kaptai Lake .
Raikhiang Lake is the highest lake in Bangladesh .Chimbuk peak and Boga Lake are two more highly noted features of the district.

Main agricultural crops: Paddy, mustard, cotton, tobacco, vegetables. Jumm farming(slash and burn agricultural technique) contributes a lot in economy.

Main fruits: Banana, pineapple, jackfruit, orange, papaya.

Ethnic community:
There are more than fifteen ethnic minorities living in Bandarban besides the Bengalis. Some of them are

• Marma( the Arakanese descendants )
• Arakanese (Rakhine, also know as Magh)
• Mru (also known as Mro or Murong)
• Bawm
• Khyang
• Tripuri (also known as Tipra or Tipperah)
• Mizo (also known as Lushei)
• Khumi
• Chak
• Kuki
• Chakma
• Tenchungya (also known as Riyang)
• Uchoi (also known as Usui)
• Pankho.

Get in: Bandarban lies by bus, eight hours away from Dhaka(capital of Bangladesh), two hours from Chittagong and three hours from Cox’s Bazaar.

Places of interest and Tourism:
The district has numerous Buddhist temples, known as kyang in local toungue, and vihars in the town.
The Buddha Dhatu Jadi is the largest Buddhist temple in Bangladesh, located in Balaghata, 4 km from the town. This Theravada Buddhist temple ,set atop a 60 meter hill, is made completely in the style of South-East Asia. This contains the second largest statue of Buddha in Bangladesh.
The Rajvihar (royal Monastery) at Jadipara and the monastery at Ujanipara, known as Ujanipara Vihar is also a major place of interest.
The waterfall named Shoilo Propat at Milanchari, 4 km from the town on the road to Thanchi, is also excellent site maintained by Bangladesh Parjatan.
Meghla, 4 km from the town is also a beautiful place which features a mini-safari-park, a zoo, and a hanging bridge.
The District Administration has also developed the Nilachal tourist site near Meghla in Tigerpara .
Chimbuk is one of the tallest peaks in Bangladesh . it lies some 14 km from the town. Bawm villages around Chimbuk and Mru villages a little further off are also interesting place to visit.
Nilgiri is one of the tallest peaks and beautiful place in Bangladesh . it lies 46 km from the town. This place is famous for the natural beauty. There is a beautiful resort in the top of the mountain maintained by the Bangladesh Army also a restaurant and helipad.
Boga Lake (1200 ft) is a beautiful lake surrounded by high hills and a small village just beside the lake. Prantik Lake, Jibannagar and Kyachlong Lake are some more places of interest.
The biggest lake in Bangladesh – Kaptai Lake is a wonderful place to visit.
The three highest peak of Bangladesh – Tahjindong (1280 meters, also known as bijoy), Mowdok Mual (1052 m), and Keokradong (1230 m) located in Bandarban district are great places of interest. The newly reported highest peak of Bangladesh – Saka Haphong (3488 ft) is also here in Thanchi. A hike to any of the tall peaks is an exhilarating experience. Any tribal village may be very wonderful place to visit.
Cruise on River Sangu( A boat trip in a sampan, a double oared boat with a blunt aft and a flat bottom) may be a wonderful experience.

Small and Cottage Industry :
Clothes are made by cotton which is spun and woven by hand. Clothes are mostly made of cotton, wool imported from Myanmar and silk cotton which is rare in Bangladesh. To promote local textile there now is a Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industry Corporation (BSCIC) center in Bandarban with a wonderful sales center.
Bamboo and tobacco grows in significant quantity.Bamboo is used, along with canes to make the traditional stilt houses, tribal bamboo smoking pipe, a major health hazard. Some bamboo-craft and local-made cigarillos are now exported out of the district.
Both the Bandarban Bazaar and the Marma Bazaar sell, hawk and peddle that are used to make dresses in Marma style. Custom fit Thami (sarong) and Angi (Blouse) are tailored in a day in the tailor shop.

Bandarban Town:
Bandarban town is a unique town in Bangladesh with a wonderful view of hills. Administration Bandarban district was established in 1983. The area of Bandarban town is 51.80 sq km. It has a population of 31806. Among them , male 60.22%, female 39.78%. It consists of 10 wards and 62 mahallas. Literacy rate among the town people is 56.8%. There are 2 dakbungalows, 1 cinema hall, 2 public libraries, 1 community centre and 3 playgrounds in the town. There is a Tribal Cultural Institute here, which features a library and a museum. The town also features Bandarban Town Hospital (offering the best medical service in the district), the District Public Library, Bandarban Government College, the District Stadium etc.