Bharat Rajar Deul Jessore

Bharater Deul is located on the banks of Bhadra River in Gourighona Union, Gourighona Union, Jessore District . The hill-shaped deul is 12.20 meters high and 266 meters in circumference. Bharata Deul is believed to have been built in the 2nd century AD during the ancient Gupta period. The Deul was damaged by the earthquake of 1897. On 10 January 1923, the deul was listed as an archaeological site. Various rounds of excavations from 1984 to 2001 yielded the structure of the Deul, stage, temple and about 94 rooms. Apart from 12 rooms surrounded by 4 wing walls, the remaining 82 rooms are made of Buddhist stupas. And 8 smaller rooms can be seen on either side of the 4 rooms at the top of the stack.

Artifacts from Bharata Deul include burnt clay female faces, patterned bricks, clay daubs, terracotta ornaments and terracotta fragments of deities. The size of terracotta and bricks used in Bharat Deul is the largest among all other ancient structures of Bangladesh. The distance of Bharat Deul from Keshabpur Upazila Sadar is 19 km. This archaeological site is better known as Bharat Rajar Deul to the locals .

Bharat Deol is easy to reach from Khulna even though it is located in Jessore district. Reach Khulna city by bus or train and come to Chuknagar. From there you can visit Bharat Deul by van or motorcycle.

Again, you have to take a rickshaw or auto from Khulna and come to Mohsin intersection. From Mohsin Mor, you can come to Shahpur Bazar and take a van to Bharat Deul. It is important to remember that van drivers know the place as 'Bharat Del'.

There is no overnight accommodation around Bharat Deul. If you want to stay at night, you have to return to Khulna city. There are various quality residential hotels to stay in Khulna city. These include Tiger Garden, Hotel Royal, Castle Salaam, Western Inn, Hotel Holiday International and Hotel Millennium.

After watching Bharat's Deul, you can try Khasi meat at the famous Abbas Hotel in Chuknagar.

Feature Image: Md Russell Raihan