Noakhali, Chattogram
The ashram at Jayag remembers Mahatma Gandhi’s 1946–47 peace mission in Noakhali, with a museum of photographs and records of his walk through the villages.
In October 1946, as Bengal moved towards partition, Noakhali was torn by communal violence. In November Mahatma Gandhi arrived and stayed for about four months, walking barefoot from village to village, sleeping in villagers’ homes and holding prayer meetings to rebuild trust between Hindu and Muslim neighbours.
Jayag was one of the places he stayed. A local barrister, Hemanta Kumar Ghosh, gave his property here for Gandhi’s work, and the ashram that grew from it continues as a trust devoted to his ideas of non-violence and village self-help, with work in education, health and handicrafts.
The memorial museum inside the campus tells the story of the Noakhali mission through photographs, letters and objects. It is a modest, peaceful place, and one of the few in Bangladesh tied so closely to Gandhi.
Take a bus or CNG north through Chowmuhani in the morning.
Stop at Bajra to see the Mughal-era three-domed mosque and its large pond.
Continue to Jayag, walk the quiet campus and spend an hour in the memorial museum.
Eat in Sonaimuri or Chowmuhani and head back to Maijdee.
October to March, in the morning, when it is cooler
From Maijdee, take a bus or CNG north through Chowmuhani to Sonaimuri, then a CNG or auto-rickshaw to Jayag; allow about an hour or a little more. Bajra Shahi Mosque is on the way and easy to combine.
