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Netrokona, Mymensingh

Birishiri and the Someshwari River

A Garo and Hajong village at the foot of the Meghalaya hills, beside the Someshwari — a river of clear water and wide sandbanks coming down from the hills.

Local food to try

  • Garo dishes

    Birishiri and the Someshwari River

    Bamboo-cooked meat or fish and dishes with kharu, where a local cook or guest house can arrange them.

  • River fish

    Birishiri and the Someshwari River

    Small fish from the Someshwari and local beels, with rice.

  • Balish mishti

    Birishiri and the Someshwari River

    Netrokona’s pillow sweet, to pick up on the way through the district town.

Where to eat

  • Durgapur bazar

    Durgapur, Netrokona

    Simple restaurants with rice, fish and curry.

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  • Guest house kitchens

    Birishiri

    Many guest houses cook meals for guests if you ask in advance.

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Where to stay

  • Birishiri and Durgapur guest houses

    Durgapur, Netrokona

    Simple guest houses and hotels, some run by church and community organisations; book ahead in winter.

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Culture

Birishiri is one of the best places in Bangladesh to meet Garo (Mandi) and Hajong culture. The cultural academy holds music and dance programmes, the Garo harvest festival Wangala is celebrated after the harvest, and Christmas is a big event in the Christian villages around the hills.

History

Birishiri lies just south of Durgapur, the old seat of the Susang zamindars, where the plains of Bangladesh meet the Garo Hills of Meghalaya. The Someshwari river flows out of those hills past the town, its water clear in winter and its bed wide with sand; across it lie Bijoypur’s clay hills and the border villages.

The area is home to Garo (Mandi) and Hajong communities. Birishiri has a cultural academy for the region’s ethnic peoples, and on a hill near the river stands the Rani Khong Catholic mission, founded in the early twentieth century, with views over the Someshwari.

Nearby are memorials to the Tonk movement of the 1940s and its Hajong martyrs, a reminder that this quiet corner has a strong history of its own.

Tour plans

Two days at Birishiri

2 days

  1. Step 1: Arrive in Birishiri

    Take an early bus from Dhaka or Netrokona and check in by early afternoon.

  2. Step 2: Someshwari at sunset

    Walk on the sandbanks of the Someshwari with the hills behind.

  3. Step 3: Cross to Bijoypur

    Next morning, cross the river and visit the china-clay hills and their blue-green lakes.

  4. Step 4: Rani Khong mission

    See the hilltop church and the view over the Someshwari.

  5. Step 5: Cultural academy and the road home

    Stop at the Birishiri cultural academy, then take an afternoon bus back.

Plan your visit

Best time to visit

November to March, when the river is clear and low and the roads are dry

How to get there

About 1.5–2 hours north of Netrokona town by bus or CNG to Birishiri and Durgapur. Direct buses also run from Dhaka’s Mohakhali terminal, about 5–6 hours.

Getting around

  • Auto-rickshaws and motorbikes link Birishiri, Durgapur, Rani Khong and the riverbank.
  • Boats or the crossing in use at the time take you over the Someshwari to Bijoypur; ask locally.
  • Walking along the sandbanks in winter is easy.

Travel tips

  • This is a border area: carry your national ID or passport, follow instructions from BGB (Border Guard Bangladesh), and never go near or past the border pillars.
  • Do not fly drones near the border.
  • Sand is dug from the Someshwari; keep away from working machines and dredged holes, and do not swim where you cannot see the bottom.
  • Respect Garo and Hajong homes and churches: ask before photographing people.
  • Rooms are limited; book ahead in winter and on holidays.
  • Mobile and ATM services can be patchy; carry cash.

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