Manikganj, Dhaka

Manikganj

A green river district just west of Dhaka, where the Padma and the Jamuna meet, known for its old zamindar palaces, Hazari gur and the ferry ghats of Paturia and Aricha.

Local food to try

Hazari gur
Manikganj
Light, fragrant date-palm jaggery from Jhitka, made in winter. Buy from trusted sellers, as imitations are common.
River fish
Manikganj
Fresh fish from the Padma and the Jamuna, hilsa in season, fried or in curry at the ghats.
Winter pitha
Manikganj
Bhapa and chitoi pitha with date-palm gur, sold at roadside stalls on winter mornings and evenings.

Where to eat

Manikganj town centre
Manikganj town
Simple restaurants serving rice, fish and meat, plus sweet shops.
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Paturia and Aricha ghats
Shivalaya
Ghat-side eateries frying fresh river fish, especially hilsa in season.
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Where to stay

Manikganj town
Manikganj Sadar
A few modest hotels and guest houses near the highway and the town centre.
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Day trip from Dhaka
Dhaka
Manikganj is close to Dhaka, so most visitors come for the day and return in the evening.
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Culture

Manikganj is rich in folk music: baul songs and bichar gaan, the sung debates between two singers, are still performed at village fairs and night-long gatherings in winter.

Hazari gur, a fine date-palm jaggery from Jhitka in Harirampur, is the district’s best-known product.
Many villages keep their Hindu temples and zamindar houses, and Durga Puja is celebrated widely.
The Language Martyr Rafiq is remembered in his home village of Paril, Singair, with a memorial and library.

History

Manikganj lies between Dhaka and the great rivers. The Dhaka–Aricha highway runs through it to the ferry ghats at Paturia and Aricha, so for generations travellers bound for the south-west have passed this way, and the district’s market towns grew up along the rivers and the road.

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries wealthy merchant and zamindar families built grand houses here. The palace complex at Baliati and the zamindar house at Teota are the best known of them, and many smaller, crumbling mansions still stand in the villages.

Manikganj is also the home district of Rafiquddin Ahmed, one of the martyrs of the 1952 Language Movement, who was born in Paril village in Singair. Today it is a farming district of jute, rice and vegetables, close enough to Dhaka for an easy day trip.

Plan your visit

Best time to visit

November to February, when the roads are dry and the weather is mild; winter is also the season for Hazari gur.

How to get there

By bus from Dhaka: buses for Manikganj, Paturia and Aricha leave from Gabtoli and run along the Dhaka–Aricha highway; Manikganj town is about 1.5–2 hours away, depending on traffic at Savar.
From the south-west: buses from Khulna, Jashore, Kushtia and Rajbari cross the Padma by ferry from Daulatdia to Paturia and then pass through the district on the way to Dhaka.
There is no railway in Manikganj.

Getting around

Rickshaws and battery auto-rickshaws inside Manikganj town.
Local buses and CNG auto-rickshaws along the highway to Saturia, Shivalaya, Paturia and Aricha.
For Baliati and Teota on the same day, hiring a CNG or a car is easiest.

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