Beautiful Keokradong: A Fairy Tale Mountain 2021

I have been buying a hill for a long time. But I don’t know who sells the hill. If I had seen him, I would not have stopped for the price. I have a river of my own, I would use it instead of the mountain.

– Sunil Gangopadhyay

Keokradong

The famous Bengali writer Sunil Gangopadhyay in his poem ‘Pahara Churaya’ has expressed his desire to buy mountains in this way. To find the answer to why the poet has such a strong desire to own a mountain, one has to stand in front of the vastness of the mountain. Then the reason for the intense love of thousands of mountain lovers for the mountains can be understood.

Keokradong: A fairy tale mountain

Keokradong is a fairy tale mountain, just as the beauty of a mountain is described in a fairy tale. and Keokradong is one of the most beautiful mountains in Bangladesh and this route is one of the most beautiful. Although there is a lot of disagreement about its height, it is currently the fifth highest peak in Bangladesh. According to the latest data, its height is 3235 feet. At present Saka Huffong or Madak Tung is the highest peak in Bangladesh. Its height is about 3465 feet. However, in terms of beauty, Keokradong is not far behind all the other hills. This is like a green paradise.

When we reached Bandarban very early in the morning, the sun started peeking a little. Our destination was first to reach Bagalek, then from there to Keokradong. When we were leaving Bandarban city in a 3 moon car with a huge team, we could feel the beauty of the mountains little by little. Although you can’t see anything around when you come by bus at night, when the clouds move in the light of day, you can see the captivating beauty of Bandarban. Bandarban is full of beauty with such a winding mountain road and the fast speed of the moon car. 

From Bandarban city, you have to go to Ruma Bazar by moon car or bus. You can rent a bike but it is safer and faster to go by moon car. Must carry an ID card and identity card on the way. After entering each check post you have to go. On the way, you have to make an entry at Milnachhari and Y junction army check post. We can reach one end of the Y junction at Ruma Bazar and the other with Thanchi. You can also go to Keokdang via Thanchi, but as that route is very inaccessible and very risky, you have to go through Bagalek. 

Arriving at Ruma Bazar, they have to pick up a local tourist guide from the MES Gate Army check post and sign a pledge from the tourist support center. After finishing all the work, we left for Bagalek. It took about 2 hours to reach Bagale. Extraordinary mountain roads, clouds and green have created a heavenly world. As soon as we reached Bagalek, heavy rain started. Rent a cottage there, leave the bag with you and start trekking with only the things. You can start trekking from one night to the next morning. But our plan was to stay in Bagalek after returning from Keokdang. 

The food in Bagalek Para tastes great. Rice, khichuri, pulses, mountain chicken, mashed potatoes, salad, fried eggs are all on the menu. There are also barbecue facilities. After finishing the meal, we all left for Keokradong without delay. Basically 4/5 hours trekking here. Depending on the speed, it may take more or less time. At one time I had to go to Keokradong for complete trekking. Currently, a paved road is being constructed from Bagalek to Keokradong. In the dry season, the moon car rises to Keokradong. So if you don’t want to do trekking, you can also go by car. However, the genuine beauty of trekking can be felt. 

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On the way, sometimes you have to cross high and low roads, bushes, jhiri and sometimes very steep hills. However, there was a lot of leeches infestation due to rain. Be very careful to avoid leech. After a long walk, the evening came closer. In the evening, light and mountain bushes created a haunting atmosphere. Our destination is still a long way off. We still did not reach Darjeeling. After reaching Darjeeling, the steep road to Keokradong begins. 

I said Darjeeling to be the cleanest neighborhood in Bangladesh. I found out from the guide that there are about 30 families here. Most are Bum race. There are innumerable flower gardens in this very neat neighborhood. Here we took a brief break and set off again on the way to Keokradong. Keokradong is not too far from here. Accommodation is also available in Darjeeling. Many tourists spend the night here and start their journey the next day. We are still 1 hour away, but then the evening is over and it is very dark. What is in front of one hand can not be seen. So the torch light or the light of the mobile with everyone’s trust. Thus, when we reach the foothills of Keokradong, there are steep hills. 

There are bushes and huge tall trees on both sides. The call of insects all around and thousands of stars in the sky. The sky is clear. Slowly I felt a lot of cold air. I understand that the bone-chilling cold is waiting above. After a 1 hour walk of about 2 hours, we finally reached the peak of our coveted Keokradong. The fifth largest mountain peak in Bangladesh. Everyone on our team slowly reached the top. About 10 minutes walk to our cottage by entering the army check post. The most beautiful cottage in Keokradong stands on a part of the hill and all the other cottages are close by. We can see this cottage from Darjeeling neighborhood. Named Keokradong Tourist Motel. 

Arriving at the cottage, I realized what I was thinking. Extremely bone-chilling cold and lots of wind. So much fresh air and the sky of Keokradong combined to forget all the hardships of our trek. Suddenly, a red moon appeared in the distance. The purple moon is slowly peeking near the mountain. After a while, the moon took shape in the light of the full moon. Although the full moon had passed a few days before, it was no less in the light of that moon.

That moon seen in Keokdang was the most beautiful moon I have ever seen. In the moonlight, in the distance, all the clouds in the mountains could be seen. Clouds are flying like cotton in the mountain’s lap. There are thousands of stars in the sky and flickering lights in the distant mountains. Everything was like a fairy tale. 

After a while from the cottage, we went to the only food hotel there. There is one surprising event waiting for us. I went there and found out that there is an owner of Keokradong. This hill is owned by a person and he has been the owner of this hill for many years. His name is Lala Bam or Lala Moon Than. I basically leased most of the hills in Bandarban and it named some small and big hills after the people there, but it surprised me to think that such a big hill belongs to a person. He owns about 20 bighas of land around Keokradong and we lease this hill for a hundred years. This hill is a vast kingdom of saliva bombs. 

After eating, I sat for a while and left for the cottage. On the way we saw a beautiful green medium sized snake. I knew it as Bora snake or green Bora snake. This snake is always seen in Keokradong and we also forbidden it to go near too many bushes at night. Holding the path for a long time, the snake slowly moved away from the path. So I quickly set foot in the cottage without delay. Our guide told us that the fish tigers have been a nuisance in the mountains for some time. Chickens are disappearing and even attacking people. So he forbade me to go anywhere alone unless I needed to.

I went to the cottage and saw that it was like a festival. There is a lot of music and all the tourists come together to create a beautiful, friendly atmosphere. The deeper the night, the brighter the moonlight. Yet he did not want to sleep with a tired body. I wanted to pull everything inside of such a beautiful night. The chilly wind was blowing louder and louder and louder. I felt very lucky for such a beautiful night.

I woke up in the morning and stood in front of the helipad to watch the sunrise. It is said that the most beautiful view of Keokradong is the sunrise scene. Just as the sun was peeking out of the middle of the mountain, the surroundings changed. Everything around seemed to be green. Everything came back to life. It seemed like the most beautiful morning and sunrise I’ve ever seen.

As soon as I saw the sunrise, I went to the highest peak in Keokradong. We inscribe its height on the stone. About 10 minutes walk from that place is found in the highest village of Bangladesh, Passing Para. However, it is forbidden for tourists to go there. After passing, you can reach Jadipai Jharna and Nafakhum, Tlabong or Double Falls, the place of origin of Amiyakhum. There were many higher hills all around. In the distance, small neighborhoods could be seen, and the clouds were merging with the mountains.

After spending the morning in Keokradong, our next destination is the shrimp fountain. Its location is near Keokradong. If there is enough water, this fountain becomes amazing. You can also go to Keokradong to see the shrimp fountain. They repeatedly drew the beauty of it while leaving Keokradong. I wish I had a mountain. I remembered that intense desire of Sunil Gangopadhyay. He also wanted to own a hill. But there is one who owns this hill. I left the kingdom of Lala Bam and went to Darjeeling. From there I reached Boga Lake Park in the afternoon through the shrimp fountain. In this way I conquered Keokradong, the mountain of fairy tales, and left my footprints there.

The ideal time to visit Keokdang is in the rainy season or in the autumn. Then exquisite clouds can be seen. Bagalek, Shrimp Fountain and Keokradong can be easily visited at the same time.

We should not throw plastic wherever you go in the mountains. Lots of plastic and polythene ruin the beauty of the hill. This mountain is our resource, so it is our responsibility to protect its beauty. Make everyone’s journey enjoyable and safe.