Nilphamari, Rangpur

Nilphamari

A quiet northern district where the Teesta enters Bangladesh: the Teesta Barrage at Dalia, the old Nilsagar lake, and Saidpur, the railway town with the region’s airport.

Local food to try

Shidol bhorta
Nilphamari
The north’s fermented fish paste, mashed with chilli and garlic and eaten with rice. Strong and much loved.
Pelka and shoilka
Nilphamari
Traditional Rangpur-region dishes of leafy greens cooked soft, a taste of home cooking in the north.
Saidpur kebabs and parathas
Saidpur
Grilled kebabs, chaap and parathas from the town’s evening stalls, shaped by its Urdu-speaking community.
Winter pitha
Nilphamari
Bhapa and chitoi pitha sold hot at roadside stalls on winter mornings and evenings.

Where to eat

Saidpur town centre
Saidpur
Restaurants and evening kebab stalls near the main roads and the railway area.
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Nilphamari town
Nilphamari Sadar
Simple rice-and-curry restaurants and sweet shops around the town centre.
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Where to stay

Saidpur
Saidpur, Nilphamari
The widest choice of hotels in the district, close to the airport and the railway station.
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Nilphamari town
Nilphamari Sadar
Modest hotels and guesthouses, convenient for Nilsagar and the road north to the barrage.
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Day trips from Rangpur
Rangpur city
Saidpur and Nilphamari are within easy reach of Rangpur, where there are more places to stay.
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Culture

Nilphamari shares the culture of the old Rangpur region.

Bhawaiya, the slow, lilting folk song of the north, is sung to the dotara; its songs of cart drivers, boatmen and longing are still heard at fairs and on local stages.
Along the Teesta, char families farm the sandbanks and move with the river when floods reshape the land.
Saidpur has a distinct railway-town life and an Urdu-speaking community whose food — kebabs, parathas and rich meat dishes — is part of the town’s character.

History

Nilphamari lies in the far north-west of the Rangpur region, on flat, fertile land between the Teesta and the smaller rivers that drain towards it. The name is usually linked to the indigo (nil) farms of the British period, when European planters grew indigo across the north. It was a subdivision of Rangpur until it became a district in 1984.

The Teesta enters Bangladesh in Nilphamari, and the district’s best-known landmark is the Teesta Barrage at Dalia, which feeds a large irrigation project across the greater Rangpur region.

Saidpur, in the south of the district, grew up around the railway: its workshop, set up in 1870, is one of the oldest and largest in the country. The town still has a strong railway character and a large Urdu-speaking community, and its airport is the gateway to the whole north.

Plan your visit

Best time to visit

October to March; winter brings migratory birds to Nilsagar, but mornings are cold and foggy

How to get there

Bus: coaches from Dhaka run to Nilphamari and Saidpur via the Jamuna bridge and Rangpur, about 8–10 hours, with day and night departures.
Train: intercity trains between Dhaka and Chilahati stop at Saidpur and Nilphamari; check the current timetable.
Air: Saidpur Airport has domestic flights from Dhaka of about an hour. From Saidpur, Nilphamari town is a short road trip.

Getting around

In Nilphamari and Saidpur towns, use rickshaws and battery auto-rickshaws.
For Nilsagar, Dimla and the Teesta Barrage, take a local bus or hire a CNG or car for the day.
On the Teesta, small country boats cross to the chars; ask at the ghat and go only in calm weather.

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