In our mechanical life, picnics have become a clich lately. Traveling to a particular place, chatting and eating there and enjoying a little bit of natural beauty can no longer change the mechanical life. But in mechanical life when a thrill like adventure comes, anyone is bound to emerge. When the expedition was planned in a hurry on the verandah in front of the university classroom, my mind was agitated like ten other people.
Initially our plan was to go to Chandranath hill in Sitakunda, Chittagong. Despite having many places of interest in Chittagong, we choose Chandranath hill due to lack of time. Because, we can't travel for 2/3 days. We have to go day by day and come back day by day, and we definitely need to come back with some thrilling memories on the inaccessible mountain road. Therefore, it was decided that we would leave very early in the morning so that we could reach Sitakunda quickly. For this we took the help of microbus. Because if you go out in the morning, there is no other option but to reach in this way. But if one wants to see Chandranath hill and some beautiful places around it and has enough time on his hands, it is best to go by train. If you board the Chittagong Mail from Dhaka at night, you can reach Sitakunda station very early in the morning. .
When I left in the early morning, the familiar Dhaka showed a different picture. The familiar road, which is busy all day, seems to be creepy in the light and darkness of the night. Asadgate, Khamarbari - The roads that are jammed all day are empty, deserted. Very quickly we proceeded towards the destination on the empty road. It was just dawn, the sun had not risen. As we proceeded to enjoy the beauty of the vast Kanchpur Bridge, Suryimama just started peeking.
After a long time, as if I saw a beautiful dawn, a sunrise in the midst of natural beauty was deposited in our memory. Leaving Dhaka, we entered Chittagong via Narayanganj and Comilla at ten o'clock in the morning. Even then Sitakunda did not come, but on the way to Chittagong I saw a vast mountain in the distance. Arriving at Sitakunda, one has to go to Chandranath hill through Sitakunda market. But at first misguided. We passed Sitakunda Bazaar and proceeded towards Eco Park. By the time I saw the map, it was too late. It wasted another hour to come back to find the U-turn. But when we get to the bottom of the hill, the clock strikes a little over eleven o'clock.
We went out very early in the morning. I got out of the car and realized that we didn't have breakfast properly due to the excitement. Then calm down before the expedition. Sitakunda has many small shops around the hills. Picking a good one from there, we went in for breakfast. After a quick breakfast with luchi and vegetables, we set off in search of sticks. Even if the food is not ahamri, the price is high. However, it is conceivable that the price of everything in such a scenic place will be a little higher.
Bamboo sticks cost 20 rupees. This bamboo stick is very effective so that the balance is not lost in the steep hills. However, if it is not damaged or broken after coming down the hill, you can get 10 rupees back. Adequate water and light food were with us. So I did not have to go to the trouble of buying these. And this is where our main campaign phase begins.
Where the road to climb the hill first begins, a new road has been built by cutting the hill road and paving it beautifully. Although it is not too much. Isolated from the Himalayas, the mountain turns south and southeast of the Himalayas, crosses the Feni River through the Indian states of Assam and Tripura, and then merges with Chittagong. The Chandranath Temple is the highest point in Chittagong city. So the two temples established on the top of the two hills could be seen from below. The majesty of this place became clear before we started walking on the sloping road of the hill. Around austerities and worship. Some distance ahead, Sri Sri Sita Mandir came into view. This temple shook the memory of history. This place is not only one of the biggest pilgrimage places of the Hindus, but also one of the great Shakti-peeths of the Chandranath temple situated on the Chandranath hill. What is the power-seat, and the relationship with the temple? Let's tell the story.
In the Satya Yuga, a skilled king organizes a yajna to take revenge on Mahadev. The reason for this sacrifice was Sati, the daughter of that skilled king. Because Sati married Mahadev without her father's permission. Daksha was angry with his own daughter, he was also upset with Mahadev. The skilled king invited all the gods and goddesses except Mahadev and Sati to the sacrifice. Despite Mahadev's reluctance, Sati attended the Yajna ceremony with all of Mahadev's followers.
Sati came to the ceremony without getting an invitation. The skilled king did not respect him at all, on the contrary he insulted Mahadev. Sati could not bear this insult of her husband and immediately committed suicide. On hearing the news of Sati's death, Mahadev became very angry with grief and insult. Twelve of Daksha's yajnas are played, Sati's body is carried on her shoulders and a worldwide cataclysmic dance is started. In this act of Mahadev, the world is about to be destroyed. Other deities try to appease Mahadev by making many requests and at the request of all the deities, Vishnu cuts Sati's body with his handsome chakra. As a result, different parts of his body fell in different parts of the Indian subcontinent. The areas where the body part falls into are considered to be the seat of power. According to legend, the left hand of Sati's body fell in this Chandranath hill area of Sitakunda. To the followers of Shakta religion, this Shakti-peetha is considered as a holy place of pilgrimage. And the number of these Shakti Peeths is 51.
When the road made of brick-cement is finished, there are two roads in front. A steep staircase leads straight to the Chandranath Temple. The other is the hilly road, which is the path to the opposite temple. It is easier to climb a hilly road than to climb a steep staircase. So are the rules. We also followed that rule and started climbing the mountain. At 1,200 feet, it is easy to climb the Chandranath Temple first. I was getting more and more thrilled amidst the noiseless solitude, cozy cool breeze and greenery while nature was becoming visible after getting some distance. Gradually, the beautiful nature of the surroundings was emerging in front of my eyes, which cannot be ignored. So sometimes we all sat lost in the middle of this nature in the name of rest.
However, at first it was not difficult, but when the path to the opposite temple was crossed halfway, the harsh face of nature appeared. Almost steep hill. Sometimes I had to walk with hills on one side and deep ravines on the other. The road is so narrow that it is difficult for two people to walk side by side. Again the steps of the ancient road are quite large. So walking on this steep road is as tiring as it is dangerous. The road is dry in winter, but it is unthinkable how dangerous it can be in the rainy season. However, as I was climbing this road, I noticed that there are also memorials of how many people built this ancient road by cutting down the hill.
We don't climb mountains every day anymore, we had to stop sometimes because everyone in the group was not used to it. So it took about 2 hours to reach Sri Sri Birupaksha temple. It is said that this temple is the house of Shiva. Shivaratri is worshiped in this temple every year. And on the occasion of worship of this temple, a big fair is held in Sitakunda, which is popularly known as Shivchaturdarshi Mela. More than one lakh tourists visit this temple area during these fairs and pujas. After resting for a while and enjoying the beauty of nature, we set off for the second hill. The path from the first temple to Chandranath hill is quite difficult. Because here you have to cross the whole path up the steep hill. Where it is very difficult to control yourself. And this time I realized the effectiveness of bamboo sticks on hilly roads.
Although difficult, the path is short. It took us about 45 minutes. Standing at the highest point of Sitakunda is the vastness and solitude of the sea on one side and the mountains on the other. The pain of climbing 1,200 feet vanished in an instant. And the road we have climbed is more dangerously visible from Chandranath hill. So I was proud to cross this difficult road. More interesting than that - climbing this mountain and seeing the sea in the distance is the real change in our plan. We decided to go to Guliyakhali beach, because Guliyakhali beach is not too far from Chandranath hill.
It took us about 45 minutes to get down from Chandranath hill. I was forced to be fascinated to come down from the mountain. The road down the hill seems to be blocked by various types of trees. And there is a tunnel between the two hills. There is also a small fountain at the far end of this road. Although it is not so interesting. As soon as I came out of the mountain, my mind was filled with sadness. It is not pleasant to have such an environment for such a short period of time. But there is nothing to do. We have to return to Dhaka at night after visiting the beach.
Forgetting to get down from the hill to freshen up or have lunch, we got in the car. And Google map started showing the way to Guliyakhali beach. Although we followed the path shown by him, we lost our way. So the local people have to take help. Towards the end of the afternoon when we reached the beach the tide was flowing. The sea is far away and there is a lot of mud in the middle of the road. So without going too close to the sea, I started to enjoy the environment there.
Guliyakhali beach is quite different from all other beaches. The green carpet-like grass across the beach fascinated. The water level in the distance and the Keora forest on one side were also noticeable. What surprised me the most was the green carpet-like grass on the beach, where the ditches were twisted one by one. According to the locals, when the canal is filled with water at high tide, it looks even more wonderful. However, we did not have the luck to wait until the tide to see this scene. We quickly took pictures on the beach and left for Dhaka before evening.
This small success and adventure of one day will remain in the pages of our memory, and there will be a little sadness. Chandranath hill is one of the resources and tourist center of our country. But there is no place in the mountains where polythene, water bottles and half of cigarettes do not fall. And these are slowly creeping into the deep forest, which will damage the environment for a lifetime. But with a little care, it is possible to free the environment from this pollution.
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