Rangpur

The capital of Bangladesh’s far north: a green, unhurried divisional city with the Tajhat Palace, the domed Carmichael College and, an hour away, the village where Begum Rokeya was born.

Local food to try

Haribhanga mango
Rangpur
Rangpur’s own mango, from the Mithapukur area: fibreless, sweet and fleshy, in season around June–July.
Shidol bhorta
Rangpur
A pungent paste of fermented small fish, mashed with chilli and garlic — a northern taste worth trying with rice.
Pelka
Rangpur
A homely Rangpuri dish of leafy greens cooked soft, a reminder of village kitchens; easier to find in homes than in restaurants.

Where to eat

Jahaj Company crossing
Rangpur city centre
The busy heart of the city, with restaurants, sweet shops and tea stalls all around.
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Station Road and the central bazars
Rangpur city
Simple rice-and-curry hotels and, in season, mango sellers.
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Where to stay

The city centre
Rangpur city
Most hotels and guesthouses are around the central crossings, close to buses and restaurants.
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A base for the north
Rangpur city
Pairaband is an easy half-day trip, and Dinajpur and Saidpur are within reach, so many travellers stay a night or two in the city.
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Culture

Rangpur is the heartland of Bhawaiya, the long, lilting folk songs of the north about love, the river and the bullock-cart driver, made famous across Bengal by Abbasuddin Ahmed. People here speak the Rangpuri dialect, warm and distinctive.

Shatranji, the flat-woven cotton rug of Rangpur, is still made by weavers at Nisbetganj on the edge of the city.
Rokeya Day on 9 December brings programmes at Pairaband and in the city.
The haribhanga mango harvest in early summer is a local point of pride.

History

Rangpur is one of the old districts of northern Bengal, a land of rice fields between the Teesta and the Ghaghat. In 1783 its farmers rose against the tax farmer Debi Singh in the revolt led by Nuruldin, one of the first peasant uprisings of the British period.

The zamindars of the region left grand houses behind them, the finest being the Tajhat Palace, and in 1916 the town gained Carmichael College, which became one of the great colleges of the north. Rangpur became the headquarters of its own division in 2010.

The district’s best-known daughter is Begum Rokeya (1880–1932), born at Pairaband in Mithapukur, who wrote Sultana’s Dream and spent her life opening schools for Muslim girls. The public university in the city bears her name, and 9 December, the day of her birth and death, is observed as Rokeya Day.

Plan your visit

Best time to visit

October to February, when the days are dry and pleasant; June–July for haribhanga mangoes

How to get there

By bus: Day and night coaches from Dhaka cross the Jamuna bridge and reach Rangpur in about 6–8 hours, depending on traffic.
By train: Intercity trains run from Dhaka to Rangpur station; the journey takes most of a day or night.
By air: The nearest airport is Saidpur in Nilphamari, with domestic flights from Dhaka; Rangpur city is about an hour away by road.

Getting around

Inside the city, rickshaws and battery auto-rickshaws reach Tajhat, Carmichael College and the centre easily.
For Pairaband and Mithapukur, take a local bus or hire a CNG or car for half a day.
Buses to Dinajpur, Saidpur, Lalmonirhat and Kurigram leave from the city’s bus terminals.

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