e-Travel Agency

Teknaf is situated in the extreme southern tip of Bangladesh at the border of Burma and on the bank of river Naaf in the district Cox’s Bazar. From the capital Dhaka it is 490 km and from the district head quarter Cox’s Bazar it is 85 km away. It was a very back ward place in the beginning of the last century. The mode of transport to reach Teknaf from district head quarter Cox’s Bazar and other big cities like Chittagong and Calcutta was only the big steamer. Mr.Dhiraj Bhattacharjee, a police officer in the British Indian police was posted to Teknaf as the Officer-in-Charge, had a longer travel time. Coming from Calcutta, he took the train from Sealdha, arrived at Goalnanda to board the steamer to Chandpur. From Chandpur steam engine driven train, touching all stations on the way would take the entire night to reach Chittagong. Then spent the day in the police mess and set out for Teknaf the following morning. Finally reach Teknaf in the evening. Now it is very easy to reach Teknaf, if you are in Cox’s Bazar, you can avail any one of the many buses that ply between District city Cox’s Bazar and Teknaf and be there in two hour. Or you can drive leisurely all the way to Teknaf, along the sea beach and the Naaf riverhighway, you can take rest and stop at Neila, fascinating picnic spot at Himchari, and Inani beach take some pictures, have your lunch at Teknaf Bazar or Bangladesh Parjatan Motel. Wide open sea beach is just behind the Upa-zilla campus of Teknaf within walking distance, overlooked by the low hill range of Arakan across the Naaf in Myanmar in the distance, sleepy village close by, wild elephants abound in the jungles upstream. If you have time, stay at Teknaf for a night to have a dreamy day-trip to Saint Martin. The beauty spot of the Bay of Bangle, a coral island is just about an hour by engine boat or by steamer from the Naaf harbour place. If you have no time to spear, you come back to Cox’s Bazar in time to enjoy the picturesque sunset. It is also possible nowadays to just take the last bus in Cox’s Bazar to reach Chittagong and get the mid night bus to Dhaka to be in time for the next morning’s business as usual. Teknaf is a story-book place, ideal for leave-me-alone leisurely type of tourism. In the early twenties, Teknaf was very busy international business place between Bangladesh and Burma (Myanmar). Commodity like rice, timber, beetle leaf, and dried fish were imported and exported through this border. At that time, it was a very back ward place, so law and order situation was unsatisfactory. Teknaf was haven of smuggler’s. Rice and precious stones were smuggled from Burma (Myanmar) through this way. Local people were mostly Rakhine. But they were very peaceful. The local community and the traders were unprotected by Pirate. A police station (Thana) in Teknaf was established to protect the traders and local community and to improve the law and order situation in the area. A young handsome officer named Mr.Dhiraj Kumar was posted to Teknaf thana. After joining as Officer-in-Charge, Dhiraj found that the local communities specially the Rakhine’s were quit friendly and helpful. So after his joining the law and order situation become OK. Teknaf is a saline area; Drinking water was a problem all the time. Water well was only the source of drinking water which was situated in the thana campus. Everyday, early in the morning Rakhine girls come to fetch water in the thana campus. The well was in front of Dhiraj quarter. Sitting with a cup of tea Dhiraj regularly watch the girls fetching water from the well. One morning, the daughter of the local Rakhine Zamindar, Maathin, came to fetch water. She was stunningly beautiful. Dhiraj saw Maathine and Maathine saw Dhiraj. They were impressed each other. For them, it was love at first sight. After that day, Maathine regularly come to thana campus to fetching water and to spend some romantic moments with Dhiraj. In this way both of them become very close and planning a happy life. But highly respected Rakhine Zamindar family (Maathine’s family) refuses to accept Dhiraj, who was not from their community. But “real love recognizes no boundaries”. None can stop them. Time passes the romance and love between Maathine –Dhiraj ran deeper and deeper. One day, Dhiraj got a telegram that he sould come back to home to saw his father as he (father) was very ill. Dhiraj gave the news to Maathine and telling her that he will come back very soon but had to leave for home to saw his father. Maathine requested Dhiraj to marry her before he left teknaf, unless she will not let him go. Dhiraj tried to convince Mathine but he failed. He took one month’s leave and one evening silently he left for Calcutta to saw his father. After some days, Maathine realized that it was not Dhiraj’s father illness rather it was Dhiraj’s indecision to marry her, he makes an excuses to see his father he left Teknaf silently. She become nervous and can think of what to do. Always she was thinking about her Dhiraj. She stopped every thing, always absent minded and thinking stopped taking food and became sick. All the family members and her father and mother give all assurance to back Djiraj to her. But none could change her mind. She regularly come and sits near the well in front of Dhiraj’s house and waited for beloved Dhiraj all day long from morning till evening hopping Dhiraj would return. Gradually she became frail and weak. One day Maathine take her last breath, leaving her family members, father and mother, friends and the neighbours in great grief and sorrow. The only drinking wathe well of the Teknaf thana campus has become a symbol of sorrow and love after the death of Maathine The police authorities took measures to preserve the well naming it as “Maathine’s Koop”. When you visit Teknaf do not forget to drop a petal in “Maathine’s Koop”.