Cox`s Bazar
- Womenscorner Desk
- June 17, 2020
Cox's Bazar is a city, fishing port, tourism centre and district headquarters in southeastern Bangladesh. It is famous mostly for its long natural sandy beach, and it is infamous for the largest refugee camp in the world. It is located 150 km (93 mi) south of the divisional headquarter city of Chittagong. Cox's Bazar is also known by the name Panowa, which translates literally as "yellow flower". Another old name was "Palongkee".
The name Cox's Bazar 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. He succeeded Warren Hastings, who became the Governor of Bengal following the British East India Company Act in 1773. Cox embarked upon the task of rehabilitation and settlement of the Arakanese refugees in the area. He rehabilitated many refugees in the area, but died in 1799 before finishing his work. To commemorate him, a market was established and named after him, called Cox's Bazar. Cox's Bazar was first established in 1854 and became a municipality in 1869.
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 (6 mi) from Cox's Bazar is a village with a sizeable Buddhist population. The village sells handicrafts and homemade cigars. There are monasteries, khyangs and pagodas containing images of Buddha in bronze, gold and other metals with precious stones. One of the temples, on the bank of the Baghkhali river, houses relics and Burmese handicrafts, and also a large bronze statue of Buddha measuring thirteen feet high which rests on a six feet high pedestal. Weavers ply their trade in open workshops and craftsmen make handmade cigars in their pagoda like houses.
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park is the first Safari Park in Bangladesh. Dulahazara Safari Park was developed on an undulating landscape of around 2,224 acres (9.00 km2) of area at Chakaria Upazila in Cox's Bazar District. The nature of the forest is tropical evergreen and rich with Garjan, Boilam, Telsur, and Chapalish along with herbs, shrubs, and creepers. Safari Park is a declared protected area where the animals are kept in a fairly large area with natural environment and visitors can easily see the animal whenever they visit by bus, jeep or on foot.
The only aquarium in Bangladesh is in Cox's Bazar. Attractions also include parasailing, water biking, beach biking, horse riding, Cox Carnival circus show, Daria Nagar Ecopark, Cox's Bazar Development Authority, numerous architectural attractions, Shishu Parks and numerous photogenic sites. The largest safari park in the country, Bangabandhu Safari Park, is nearby.
There is a forest reserve at Teknaf which also has a cable car planned.
Inani is a stony beach near Cox's Bazar. Darianagar a beach with waterways flowing through it. Radiant Fish World Radiant Fish World is a sea aquarium.
The Bangladesh Government formed the Tourist Police unit to protect local and foreign tourists better, as well as to look after the nature and
wildlife in the tourist spots of Cox's Bazar.
