Chittagong

Chittagong (Bengali: চট্টগ্রাম, Chaṭṭagrām) is the major sea-port and second largest city of Bangladesh. It is located in the south-eastern portion of the country near Myanmar (Burma). The city was built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, which ends nearby, in the Bay of Bengal. Chittagong has a population of over 3.5 million, and is continuing to grow. One of the cleanest cities of Bangladesh, it has had an ancient reputation of great mystique and beauty.

Topography

Chittagong is very different in terms of topography from the rest of Bangladesh, as the city is part of the hilly regions that branch off from the Himalayas. This eastern offshoot of the Himalayas, turning south and southeast, passes through Assam and Tripura, and enters Chittagong across the river. The range loses height as it approaches Chittagong City and breaks up into small hillocks scattered all over the town. This range appears again on the southern bank of the Karnaphuli River and extends from one end of Chittagong District to the other. Mt. Sitakunda is the highest peak in the district, with an altitude of 1152 feet (351 m) above sea level. Nangarkhana to the north of Chittagong City is 289 feet (88 m) high. In the town itself, there is a peak known as Batali Hill, which used to be 280 feet (85 m) high and was the highest point in the town. There was a light post at the top of Batali Hill for the guidance of vessels far away in the sea.

Related Topics:
Himalayas - Assam - Karnaphuli River

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The district of Chittagong possesses no natural lakes. As a result, several artificial lakes and ponds or dighis, as they are popularly known, are found all over the district. A large number of dighis, both big and small, were dug during the Muslim period. A popular explanation, perhaps rumour, given for the presence of such a large number of ponds is that during the Muslim period it was felt necessary to provide ponds for the use of the womenfolk of the town. Therefore almost every well-to-do house had a pond or a dighi. Among the big ponds of Chittagong, the most interesting and beautiful might be Laldighi, Kamal Daha's Dighi, Askar Khan's Dighi and Belowa Dighi. Many of these dighis have been filled up. Laldighi is still an important place. A boundary wall has protected the entire dighi. Most of the large public meetings in Chittagong are held in the field next to Laldighi. This field is known as the Laldighi Maidan. The Assam-Bengal Railway dug two artificial lakes (in 1920 and 1924) near the Pahartali Railway Station. These lakes served as reservoirs to supply water to the Railway.

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Foy's Lake was dug in 1924 and was named after the Railway engineer Foy. It is beautiful, serene, blue, surrounded by lush, green hills, symbolizing Chittagong's eternal image, and has thus been the subject of an amusement park, headed by Concord, the makers of the world-class Fantasy Kingdom amusement park in Dhaka, and Bangladesh's largest construction company,

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Nature has favoured Chittagong city, like the entire district, with many natural springs. The sources of most of these springs are to be found in the hill ranges. The water from these springs is used for irrigation purposes as well as to supply drinking water. In the city proper there are a number of springs, which are bounded by concrete walls by the Municipal authorities and supply drinking water.

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