Travel guide
নেত্রকোণা · Netrokona district, Mymensingh Division
Bangladesh's main china clay deposit, identified by geological survey in 1957, where hills of layered black, reddish, brown and bluish clay and a lake formed by mining have become a popular tourist destination. Extraction was halted by court order in 2016 on environmental grounds, but visits to the hills and blue lakes continue. On the way, the ornately carved Kullagora temple is worth a look.
The village of Birishiri on the Someshwari River at the foot of the Garo Hills, with the striking white and multi-coloured china clay hills, is the most popular tourist attraction of Netrokona district. One trip can combine the clay cliffs and clear winter-blue river with the Birishiri Tribal Cultural Academy, Sagar Dighi (Kamala Rani's pond), Durgapur Rajbari and a boat crossing to Ranikong Mission. Much of the local population is Garo and Hajong indigenous, giving the area a distinct cultural character.
A trans-boundary river originating in the Nokrek Range of Meghalaya (where it is called Simsang), flowing through Susang-Durgapur in Netrokona until it joins the Kangsha River; it is the longest river of the Garo Hills region. In winter its water turns clear and blue, and the river running past the china clay hills forms the classic Birishiri view. Local boats ferry visitors across to Bijoypur and Ranikong.
In the old riverside town of Susang Durgapur stand the Durgapur Rajbari — known as the residence of the last Pal king — and Sagar Dighi, also called Kamala Rani's pond, whose south-western bank still survives. Mattagorh and the Tribal Cultural Academy can be visited on the same walk. These sights are why Durgapur has earned a solid reputation among tourists.
Updated: January 1, 1970
