The Tangail District of Bangladesh
Situated on the banks of the Louhajang River, the town of Tangail is the main town of the Tangail District, Dhaka Division, Bangladesh. Tangail is renowned for its delicate traditional handmade Tangail Saris and Cham cham – a sweet desert made of sugar, flour, cream, lemon juice, coconut flakes and saffron which originated in Tangail and is enjoyed throughout the country, as well as in Pakistan and India. Made from cotton, silk, or a mixture of these products, Tangail Saris have an exceptionally smooth and fine texture, making the fabric quite transparent. They are woven in vibrant colors and decorated with a wide variety of attractive motives and geometric designs.
Tangail district is in the central region of Bangladesh with Dhaka and Manikganj districts to the south, Jamalpur district to the north, Mymensingh and Gazuoyr districts to the east and Sirajganj district to the west. Rivers that crisscross across the district include the Dhaleshwari, Jamuna, Bangshi, Jhenai, Louhajang, Jugni, Langulia and the Turag, a tributary of the Buriganga. During the rainy season, the Jamuna river can measure up to four miles wide and other rivers in the districts are also known to flood. These seasonal changes in the rivers have resulted in silt building up and washing away to the degree that rivers no longer run the course they did a century or more ago.
In addition to a number of schools and facilities for higher education, Tangail district has more than 3,800 mosques, over 700 Hindu temples, two Buddhist temples and 44 churches.
Most people in Tangail district make a living through agriculture, growing products such as rice, jute, sugarcane, potatoes, linseed, sesame, wheat, mustard seeds and various pulses. With the plentiful rivers running through Tangail, fishing is another prime economic activity, as are dairies and poultry farms. Fruit grown in the area include pineapples, bananas, litchis, mangos and jackfruit, the latter considered to be the national fruit of Bangladesh. Be sure to enjoy some when visiting the Tangail district of Bangladesh.
