Visiting Kuakata Beach, the Daughter of Sea

kuakata sea beach Known as Sagar Kannya or the Daughter of the sea, Kuakata is famous for its panoramic sea beach. This 18 km long and 3 km wide sea beach is located at Kalapara Police Station of Patuakhali district. Kuakata sea beach about 320 km from Dhaka and 70 km from Patuakhali Sadar. It is a unique place where you can witness both sunrise and sunset unobstructed. This beach is a lovely combination of picturesque natural beauty, blue sky, sandy beach, vast bay, and evergreen jhaubon. Here one can see 100 years old Buddhist temple and two wells of about 200 years old.

History:

In 1780s Rakhaines settlers came here after being expelled from Arakan (Myanmar) by the Mughals. To collect fresh water, they used to dig wells on the seashore. As the Bengali word for “well” is kua, this place got its name Kuakata.

To See:

Sun Rise and Sun Set:

You can enjoy the full view of the amazing sunrise and sunset from the same sandy beach in the Bay of Bengal.

Jhaubon:

This forest is a man made one and it is the result of initiative taken by the government of Bangladesh. Located at the walking distance from the beach Jhaubon is covered by Jhau and coconut trees. From here you can enjoy the amazing sunrise. There is an eco park here where many people come for picnic.

Gangamoti or Gajamati forest:

Gangamoti canal is the last point of the sea beach. This is the beginning point of Gangamoti or Gajamoti forest. You can go there on foot or by bike along the beach. Visiting Gangamati in the afternoon will make a memorable experience in your life. You may see here the rare species of moorhen (a type of water bird).

Fatrar Char:

This island is on the west side of the sea beach. Accessible by boat and trawler this place is a mangrove forest and actually a part of Sundarbans. It is also called Fatrar Bon. Tourists can enter the forest after taking permission from forest camp. Here, you can see wild birds, monkeys, rabbits, deer and some other animals.

Mishripara

This charming Rakhain village is 9 km northwest of Kuakata. Here you will see a rural Buddhist temple which is the biggest in the subcontinent. There is a 30 feet high statue of Buddha in the temple. You can hire a motorcycle to visit this Rakhain village.

Shutki Polly:

This place is located 4 km west of Kuakata. Here tourists can see the process of making dry fishes. Generally, in winter season fishes are dried to make shutki. From here shutki or dry fish is supplied in many places of the country, especially in Dhaka.

Narikel Bagan:

This nice place is situated at the eastern side and not so far from Kuakata sea beach. It is at the walking distance from the main beach. Local people think that this coconut garden is more than 40 years old. Now major part of this garden has been destroyed by the waves of the sea but still now there is a part where can tourist go and enjoy the beauty of this place.

Lebur Char:

This place is situated 5 km east of Kuakata beach. This 1000 acres place of natural beauty is locally known as Lembur char. Once Lebur Char was a part of the Sundarbans but now it’s detached from the Sundarbans. Here tourist will see trees like Keura, Geowa, Goran, Golpata, Koroi etc. you can visit this place easily by motorcycle and Zip-car.

Pilgrimage

It is the pilgrimage for both Hindus and Buddhists. Hindus come here at the festival of Rush Purnima and Buddhists come here at Maghi Purnima. On these occasions, pilgrims take holy bath at the bay and take part in the traditional fair.

How to go:

To go to Kuakata from Dhaka, you have to reach in Barisal first. You can go to Barisal by road air and water. Non-stop A/C and non-A/C bus service is available from Dhaka to Barisal. It takes 10-12 hours to reach in Barisal by bus. Launches and Paddle Steamers also go to Barisal from Sadarghat. If you have enough time then you can enjoy the launch journey. On the journey you will be able to enjoy the picturesque panoramic beauty of the rural Bengal. If you are out of time then you can go to Barisal by plane. From Barisal you can go to Kuakata by bus or rent cars. It will take 5-6 hours due to bad road condition.

Food:

The major hotels offer Indian and Chinese foods besides Bangladeshi dishes. But you can try some local seafood prepared in a different way. You can get freshly caught fishes like coral, Lakka, prawn, poa, hilsa, and crustaceans like crabs and lobsters in most of food chains near the main road. In Lebur Char, you will find some barbecue stands where you will be served fresh fish and crab cooked in front of you on the beach. Before ordering anything first confirm the price.

Drink:

You will find plenty of green coconuts here to drink and the price is very cheap. Hard drinks are available in the major restaurants.

Shopping:

There are two small markets in Kuakata: Beach Market and Rakhain Market. The market next to the beach area is popular among the tourists. The shops in the market are very small in size.  Here they mainly sell different types of products such as clothes, shoes and souvenirs. Different types of Souvenirs are mainly made from wood, glass and sea shells.  Here you can also buy clothes and other items made by the Rakhain community in the Rakhain Market.

Where to stay:

The major hotels offer well decorated accommodations, panoramic view of the Bay of Bengal, good security, excellent room service, hot and cold water facilities and all type of modern facilities for the tourists. But these hotels can be really expensive for you. If you think so you can find some modest hotels which will suit your spending plan easily.  Most of the hotels provide easy access to all parts of the city, beach and tourist attractions which is very convenient for the travelers.