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Cox's Bazar
Cox's Bazar is
a town, a fishing port and district headquarters in Bangladesh.
It is known for its wide sandy beach which is the world's longest natural sandy
sea beach It
is an unbroken 125 km sandy sea beach with a gentle slope. It is located
150 km south of Chittagong. Cox’s Bazar is also known by the name
"Panowa", the literal translation of which means "yellow
flower". Its other old name was "Palongkee". The modern Cox's
Bazar derives its name from Captain Cox (died 1799), an officer serving in British India.
In the 18th century, an officer of British, Captain Hiram Cox was appointed as
the Superintendent of Palongkee outpost after Warren Hastings became the Governor of Bengal. Captain Cox was specially
mobilised to deal with a century long conflict between Arakan refugees and
local Rakhains. The Captain was a compassionate soul and the plight of the
people touched his heart. He embarked upon the mammoth task of rehabilitating
refugees in the area, and made significant progress. A premature death took
Captain Cox in 1799 before he could finish his work. But the work he had done
earned him a place in the hearts of the locals and to commemorate his role in
rehabilitation work a market was established and named after him as Cox's
Bazaar ("Cox's Market"). Although Cox's Bazar is one of the most
visited tourist destinations in Bangladesh, it has yet to become a major
international tourist destination, due to lack of publicity.
History of the Town
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The greater Chittagong area including Cox's Bazar was under
the rule of Arakan Kings from the early 9th century till
its conquest by the Mughals in 1666 AD. When the Mughal Prince Shah Shuja was passing through the hilly terrain
of the present day Cox’s Bazar on his way to Arakan,
he was attracted to the scenic and captivating beauty of the place. He
commanded his forces to camp there. His retinue of one thousand palanquins stopped there for some time. A place
named Dulahazara, meaning
"one thousand palanquins", still exists in the area. After the
Mughals, the place came under the control of the Tipras and the Arakanese,
followed by the Portuguese and then the British.
The name Cox's Bazar/Bazaar originated from the name of a British East India Company officer, Captain Hiram Cox who was
appointed as the Superintendent of Palonki (today's Cox's Bazar) outpost after Warren Hastings became the Governor of Bengal following the British East India Company Act in 1773. Captain Cox was
especially mobilised to deal with a century long conflict between Arakanrefugees & local Rakhains at Palonki. The Captain made
significant progress in rehabilitation of refugees in the area, but had died
(in 1799) before he could finish his work. To commemorate his role in
rehabilitation work a market / bazaar was established and was named after him
as Cox's Bazaar (market of Cox). Cox's Bazar Thana was first established in
1854 and a municipality was constituted in 1869.
After the Sepoy Mutiny (Indian Rebellion of 1857) in 1857,
the British East India Company was highly criticised & questioned
on humanitarian grounds, specially for its Opium trade monopoly over the Indian
Sub-Continent. However, after its dissolution on 1 January 1874, all of the
company's assets including its Armed Forces were acquired by the British Crown. After this historic
take over, Cox's Bazar was declared a district of the Bengal Province under the British Crown.
After the end of British rule in 1947, Cox's Bazar remained as a
part of East Pakistan. Captain Advocate Fazlul Karim, the
first Chairman (after independence from the British) of Cox's Bazar
Municipality established the Tamarisk Forest along the beach to draw tourist
attention in this town and also to protect the beach from tidal waves. He also
donated many of his father in law’s and his own lands for establishing a Public
Library and a Town Hall for the town. He was inspired to build Cox's Bazar as a
tourist spot after seeing beaches of Bombay and Karachi, and one of the
pioneers in developing Cox's Bazar as such. He founded a Maternity Hospital,
the Stadium and the drainage system by procuring grants from the Ford
Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation through correspondence. Mr. T. H.
Matthews, the principal of the Dacca Engineering College (1949~1954) was his
friend who had helped him in doing this. Engineer Chandi Charan Das was the
government civil engineer who had worked on all these projects. In 1959 the
municipality was turned into a town committee.[6] In
1961 the erstwhile Geological
Survey of Pakistan initiated
investigation of radioactive minerals like monazite around the cox's bazar sea-beach area
and a number of precious heavy minerals were identified the same year.
In 1971,
Cox's bazar wharf was used as a naval port by the Pakistan Navy's gunboats. This and the nearby airstrip of the Pakistan Air Force were the scene of intense shelling by
the Indian Navy during Bangladesh Liberation War.
During the war, Pakistani soldiers killed many people in the town including
eminent lawyer Jnanendralal Chowdhury. The killing of two freedom fighters
named Farhad and Subhash at Badar Mokam area is also recorded in history
After the
independence of Bangladesh Cox's Bazar started to get the administrative
attention. In 1972 the town committee of Cox's Bazar was again turned into a
municipality. In 1975, The Government of Bangladesh established a pilot plant
at Kalatali, Cox's Bazar to assess the commercial viability of the heavy
mineral content in the placer deposits of the area with the cooperation of the
Australian Government.[7] Later,
in 1984 Cox's Bazar subdivision was promoted to a district and 5 years later
(in 1989) the Cox's Bazar municipality was elevated to B-grade.[6] In
1994 (jobs) the Marine Fisheries and Technology Station (MFTS) was established
at Cox's Bazar. MFTS is a research station of Bangladesh Fisheries Research
Institute (BFRI) headquartered in Mymensingh.
The station covers a land area of 4 hactor and is equipped with 5 specialised
laboratories, and one indoor and one outdoor cistern complex.[9] In
April 2007 Bangladesh got connected to the submarine cable network as a member
of the SEA-ME-WE-4 Consortium, as Cox's Bazar was selected as the landing
station of the submarine
Geography
and climate
Cox's
Bazar town with an area of 6.85 km², is located at 
21°35′0″N 92°01′0″E and bounded by Bakkhali River on the
north and East, Bay of Bengal in the West, and Jhilwanj Union in the
south.
21°35′0″N 92°01′0″E and bounded by Bakkhali River on the
north and East, Bay of Bengal in the West, and Jhilwanj Union in the
south.
The
climate of Bangladesh is mostly determined by its location in the tropical
monsoon region: high temperature, heavy rainfall, often excessive humidity, and
distinct seasonal variations. The reversal of the wind circulation between
summer and winter is another important feature of the climate of the country.[11] The
climate of Cox's bazar is mostly similar to the rest of the country. It is
further characterised by the location in the coastal area. The annual average
temperature in Cox's Bazar remains at about a maximum of 34.8 °C and a
minimum of 16.1 °C. The average amount of rainfall remains at
4,285 mm.
Climate data for Cox's Bazar
|
|||||||||||||
Month
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
Average high °C (°F)
|
27
(80) |
28
(83) |
31
(87) |
32
(90) |
33
(91) |
31
(87) |
30
(86) |
30
(86) |
31
(87) |
31
(87) |
29
(85) |
27
(80) |
29.9
(86) |
Average low °C (°F)
|
14
(57) |
16
(61) |
20
(68) |
24
(75) |
26
(78) |
25
(77) |
27
(81) |
25
(77) |
25
(77) |
24
(75) |
19
(67) |
16
(60) |
21.7
(71.1) |
Precipitation mm (inches)
|
3
(0.1) |
13
(0.5) |
38
(1.5) |
107
(4.2) |
323
(12.7) |
790
(31.1) |
902
(35.5) |
706
(27.8) |
389
(15.3) |
183
(7.2) |
84
(3.3) |
25
(1.0) |
3,559
(140.1) |
Tourist attractions near the town
The beach is the main attraction of the town. Larger hotels provide exclusive beachside area with accessories for the hotel guests. Visitors in other hotels visit the Laboni beach which is the area of the beach closest to the town. Other than the beach there are several places of interest near the town which can easily be visited from town center.
§Aggmeda Khyang: a large Buddhist monastery, and a place revered by around 400,000 Buddhist people of Cox’s Bazar; and the Chittagong Hill Tracts. The main sanctuary is posted on a series of round timber columns. It has a prayer chamber and an assembly hall along with a repository of large and small bronze Buddha images and a number of old manuscripts
§ Ramu: about 10 km from
Cox’s Bazar,[14] is
a village with a sizeable Buddhist population. The village is famous for its handicrafts and
homemade cigars. There are monasteries, khyangs and pagodas
containing images of Buddha in gold, bronze and other metals inlaid with
precious stones. One of the most interesting of these temples is on the bank of
the Baghkhali river. It houses not only interesting relics and Burmes
handicrafts but also a large bronze statue of Buddha measuring thirteen feet
high and rests on a six feet high pedestal. The wood carving of this khyang is
very delicate and refined. The village has a charm of its own. Weavers ply
their trade in open workshops and craftsmen make handmade cigars in their
pagoda like houses.
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§ Dulhazra Safari Park:
This safari park is an extension of an animal sanctuary located along the
Chittagong-Cox's Bazar road about 50 km from Cox's Bazar town. The
sanctuary itself protects a large number of wild elephants which are native to
the area. In the safari park there are domesticated elephants which are
available for a ride. Other animal attractions include lions, Bengal tigers,
Crocodiles, Bears, Chitals and lots of different types of birds and
monkeys.which is wonder full project to attract the tourist.
§ ""Inani
Beach"" This is another magnificent place to see. Inani is
full of stony beach and the calmness and serenity of Inani is mind blowing.
Don't miss the chance to visit Inani while going to Cox's Bazar.
§ There
are other spots too. Some names are: Himchori, Inani Beach, Saint Martin
Island, Sonadia, Maheshkhali etc.
The main attraction of Cox's Bazar is the
long sandy beach that stretches from the mouth of the Bakkhali river going all
the way to Teknaf. Although commonly known as Cox's Bazar beach, it stretches
far beyond the area designated as Cox's Bazar town.
Tourists and accommodation
Cox's
Bazar, arguably the most popular tourist spot in Bangladesh, is visited by a
large number of tourists from Britain, America, Korea, Japan,
India, Nepal,
Pakistan and many other countries each year. Though there is no record kept by
the Bangladesh Porjatan Corporation (BPC) on how many people visit the beach
annually, an AFP report says that during the winter there can be 10,000
available rooms in the beach area.[15] Accommodations
near the beach range from expensive high-end resorts to more reasonable
options. Many private hotels, BPC Motels and two "Five star" hotels
are located on or near the beach
Places of interest along the beach
§ Laboni
Beach: This is the main beach of Cox's Bazar and is considered the
main beach due to the fact that it is closest to the town. Close to the beach,
there are hundreds of small shops selling souvenirs and beach accessories to
the tourists.
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§ Himchari: Located
about 18 km south of Cox’s Bazar[14] along
the sea beach, is a nice place for the picnic and film shooting. This picnic
spot is famous for its waterfalls. The road to Himchari runs by the open sea on
one side and hills on the other which makes the journey to Himchari very
attractive. Its another attraction is the Christmas tree.
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§ Enani
Beach: Located 35 km south of Cox’s Bazar, this white sandy beach
is located within Ukhia Thana.[17] This
beach is famous for its golden sand and clean shark free water which is ideal
for sea bathing. Most tourists prefer to come down here for relaxing because it
is free from the crowd of tourists that is usually seen at the Laboni beach.
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Mineral content in beach sand
The sand
at Cox's Bazar beach and surrounding areas is rich in heavy-metal mineral
content.The heavy minerals of Cox's Bazar beach sands are dominated by hornblende,
garnet, epidote, ilmenites (both unaltered and altered) with magnetite, rutile,
pyrite and some hydroxides.[19] Cox's
Bazar beach alone is believed to have a deposit of 5.119 Mt of minerals @ 0.04%
mon, while nearby Enani beach is expected to have another deposit of 0.729 Mt.
of minerals @ 0.13% mon.[18] Surrounding
islands of Maheshkhali, Kutubdia and Nijhum Deep as well as mainland beach in
Teknaf area are also believed to have similar large deposits.[18] The
total deposit in these locations is about 20.5 million tons of raw sand,
which contains 4.4 million tons of heavy minerals (sp gr > 2.9).
Other tourist attractions near Cox's
Bazar
§ Maheshkhali is a small island (268 square kilometres) off
the Cox’s Bazar coast. The island offers panoramic scenic beauty and is covered
by a range of low hills, about 300 feet (91 m) high, streatches through
the center of the island and along its eastern coastline. The coasts of the
island on the west and north form a low-lying tract that is fringed by the mangrove forests.[20] Adinath Temple, a temple of Shiva,
and a Buddhist pagoda are
also located on this island.
§ Sonadia Island, a small
crescent shaped island of only 9 square kilometres, it is 7-km north-west of
Cox's Bazar. The western side of the island is sandy and different kinds of
shells are found on the beach. Off the northern part of the island, there are
beds of window pane oysters. During winter, fisherman set up temporary camps on
the island and dry their catches of sea fish. Sonadia Island supports the last
remaining part of mangrove forest in southeast Bangladesh. Sonadia's mangroves
are distinct from the well-known sunderbans, due to their development in a
coastal lagoon setting rather than in a delta.[21] Another
attraction of this island is the sight of game birds migrating here in great
numbers during the winter seasons.[20]
§ Teknaf, a place situated by the side of Naf river is
the southernmost part of mainland Bangladesh. This also marks the end point of
Cox's Bazar beach. Tourists usually come here to have a river cruise along
beautiful Naf river, which flows between Bangladesh and Myanmar.
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§ St. Martin's Island, a small
island in the northeast part of the Bay of Bengal, about 9 km south of the
tip of the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf peninsula. It is the only coral island in Bangladesh. It is about 8 km west of the
northwest coast of Myanmar at
the mouth of the Naf River. The local name of the island is নারিকেল জিঞ্জিরা Narikel Jinjira (also spelled "Narical Gingira",
"Narikel Janjina", and "Narikel Jinjera"), meaning
"Coconut Island" in Bengali. St. Martin's Island has become a
popular tourist spot. Three shipping liners run daily trips to the island. They
are Kutubdia, Sea-Truck and Keary-Sindbad.
Tourists can book their trip either from Chittagong or
from Cox's Bazar. The surrounding coral reef of the island has an extension
named Chera Dwip. The
island is home to several endangered species of turtles, as well as the corals, some of which
are found only on this island.
§ Bandarban:
Bandarban lies three hours away from Cox's Bazaar by bus. The Buddha Dhatu
Jadi, the largest Buddhist temple in Bangladesh, located in Balaghata,
4 km from the town, is an excellent place to visit. This Theravada Buddhist
temple is made completely in the style of South-East Asia and houses the second largest statue
of Buddha in
Bangladesh. The waterfall named Shoilo Propat at Milanchari is also an
excellent site. In addition, the numerous Buddhist temples, known as kyang in local tongue, and vihars in the
town include the highly notable the Rajvihar (royal vihar) at Jadipara and the
Ujanipara Vihar. Bawm villages around Chimbuk, and Mru villages a little
further off, are also lie within a day's journey from the town. Prantik Lake,
Jibannagar and Kyachlong Lake are some more places of interest. And, a boat
ride on the river Sangu is also an excellent proposition.
§ Rangamati: One can
reach Rangamati from Cox's Bazar either via Chittagong or Bandarban. Rangamati offers several
attractions including local tribal museum, Buddhist temple, tribal markets,
hanging bridge and even the palace of traibal kings. The major attraction of
the district is Kaptai Lake. It is a man-made lake in the Kaptai upazila
of Rangamati District.
The lake was created as a result of building the Kaptai Dam on
the Karnaphuli River, as part of the Karnaphuli
Hydro-electric project. The beautiful view of surrounding green hills has
turned the lake into a wonderful spot for boating and cruising.
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