Kishoreganj, Dhaka
A slender old Shiva temple in Patuari village, linked to Chandrabati, the sixteenth-century poet often called the first woman poet of Bangla.
Chandrabati lived in the sixteenth century in Patuari, on the bank of the Phuleshwari river. The daughter of the poet Dwija Bangshidas, she wrote a Bangla Ramayana told from Sita’s point of view and other verse, and is widely called the first woman poet of the Bangla language.
Her own life became a ballad. In the Mymensingh Gitika her love for Joychandra ends in heartbreak; she vows never to marry and devotes herself to worship and writing. Her father is said to have built a Shiva temple for her, and the tall, eight-sided temple that stands in Patuari is known as Chandrabati’s temple.
The temple is small but elegant, and the quiet village setting makes it a moving visit for anyone who knows her story.
Take a CNG from Kishoreganj town in the morning.
See the eight-sided Shiva temple and its surroundings.
Walk through the village and towards the old course of the Phuleshwari.
Return to Kishoreganj for lunch and a visit to Sholakia.
October to March, when village roads are dry.
In Patuari village, a few kilometres from Kishoreganj town. Take a CNG or battery auto-rickshaw from the town; the ride takes around 20–30 minutes.
