Jhenaidah, Khulna
A single banyan tree that has spread into a small forest of aerial roots and trunks, often called one of the largest banyan trees in Asia.
At Mallikpur, near Kotchandpur, a single banyan tree has grown for centuries, dropping aerial roots that thickened into new trunks until the tree covered a large area of ground. Walking beneath it feels like walking through a grove rather than past one tree.
The tree became famous in the 1980s, when a widely repeated report described it as the largest banyan in Asia. Whether or not that title still holds, it is one of the most remarkable trees in Bangladesh, and the area around it is now protected, with paths for visitors.
The tree is also part of village life: people rest in its shade, children play among the roots, and it is treated with respect by the community. Birds and monkeys may be seen in the canopy.
Take a morning bus or CNG from Jhenaidah to Kotchandpur.
Ride through village roads to the tree.
Spend an hour wandering between the trunks and resting in the shade.
In winter, buy patali in Kotchandpur, then return to Jhenaidah.
October to March; mornings and late afternoons are pleasant
In Kotchandpur upazila, south-west of Jhenaidah town: about an hour by bus or CNG to Kotchandpur, then a van or auto-rickshaw the last few kilometres to Mallikpur. Ask locally for the boto gach.
