Mymensingh
Mymensingh
A green river town on the Old Brahmaputra, home to Shashi Lodge, the Zainul Abedin Museum and the zamindar houses of Muktagachha — and to Muktagachha’s famous monda.
Local food to try
Where to eat
Where to stay
Culture
Mymensingh is a university and student town, with Bangladesh Agricultural University and Mymensingh Medical College, and a long tradition of music, theatre and folk song.
- The Mymensingh Gitika ballads — Mahua, Malua, Dewana Madina and others — were collected from village singers of this region and are still performed.
- Zainul Abedin, the father of modern art in Bangladesh, best known for his sketches of the 1943 famine, grew up by the Brahmaputra here; the town’s art museum carries his name.
- The hills to the north are home to the Garo (Mandi), Hajong and Koch communities, whose culture is easiest to see in Netrokona and Sherpur.
History
Mymensingh was one of the largest districts of British Bengal, and for long the name stood for the whole region between the Brahmaputra, the Garo Hills and the haors. Its zamindars — above all the Acharya Chowdhury family of Muktagachha — built palaces, temples and schools in the town and the countryside, and many of their buildings still stand.
The town grew along the Brahmaputra, which was once the main channel of the great river until, from the late eighteenth century, its main stream shifted west into what is now the Jamuna. What remains, the Old Brahmaputra, still shapes the town: its riverside park, the art museum of Zainul Abedin, who grew up here, and the large campus of Bangladesh Agricultural University.
The region is also the home of the Mymensingh Gitika, the folk ballads collected in the villages of greater Mymensingh in the early twentieth century — tales such as Mahua and Malua that are still sung and staged. Since 2015 Mymensingh has been the headquarters of its own division, with Netrokona, Sherpur and Jamalpur.
Plan your visit
Best time to visit
October to March, when the roads are dry and the river is calm; winter is best for pitha and sweets
How to get there
- By bus: frequent buses from Dhaka’s Mohakhali terminal take about 3–4 hours on the Dhaka–Mymensingh highway, depending on traffic around Gazipur.
- By train: several trains a day run from Dhaka (Kamalapur and Airport stations) to Mymensingh Junction, about 3–4 hours. Check the current timetable before you travel.
Getting around
- In town, rickshaws and battery auto-rickshaws go everywhere; the riverside, Shashi Lodge and the museum are close to each other.
- For Muktagachha, take a local bus, CNG or auto from town, about 30–45 minutes.
- Buses to Netrokona, Sherpur and Jamalpur leave from the town’s bus stands; Mymensingh is the usual base for the whole division.