Kishoreganj to Sherpur: History, Umanathpur and a Wrong Turn

From Kishoreganj to Sherpur: History, a One-House Village, and a Wrong Turn

Our journey began at Hotel Royal Palace in Kishoreganj. We hired one rickshaw for the local part of the trip so that we could visit several places without looking for new transport each time.

The day became much more than a normal sightseeing tour. We visited religious places, historic buildings, a temple connected to one of Bengal’s earliest female poets, the remains of Isa Khan’s Jangalbari Fort, and a village known mainly for having only one house. We also took a wrong turn, got caught in the rain, and finally reached Sherpur late at night.

Muktomoncho and Gurudayal Government College

Our first stop was the Muktomoncho area beside the Narasunda River. While walking around, we also visited Gurudayal Government College and the memorial dedicated to the freedom fighters of Kishoreganj who were killed during the Liberation War of 1971.

The college was established in 1943 as Kishoreganj College. Later, it was named after Gurudayal Sarkar, who made an important financial contribution to its development.

The college is also connected with several well-known people. Former president and chief justice Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed studied here. Former president Md. Abdul Hamid was also a student of this college. Other former students include judges, university teachers, vice-chancellors, public figures, and freedom fighters.

Seeing the college and the memorial together gave us a strong sense of the educational and political history of Kishoreganj.

Pagla Mosque beside the Narasunda River

After that, we visited the famous Pagla Mosque and Islamic Complex.

The mosque stands beside the Narasunda River and is widely known for people’s faith, donations, and vows. Many people from different parts of Bangladesh visit the mosque to pray and make donations.

According to a popular local story, an Islamic spiritual figure named Dewan Zilkadar Khan used to worship in this area. He was known as “Pagla Saheb,” and many people believe the mosque later became known as Pagla Mosque because of him.

The large mosque complex, its minarets, the river, and the movement of visitors created a special atmosphere. The place is not famous only for donations. It is also connected with faith, prayer, and stories passed down through generations.

Chandrabati Temple

Our next destination was the ancient Shiva temple connected with poet Chandrabati.

Chandrabati is known as one of the earliest female poets in Bengali literature. She retold the story of the Ramayana from a woman’s point of view. Instead of focusing mainly on Rama’s heroism, her unfinished Ramayana gives more importance to Sita’s pain, humiliation, separation, and suffering.

A well-known folk story says that Chandrabati was supposed to marry Jayananda. However, Jayananda married another woman. After this, Chandrabati decided not to marry. She spent the rest of her life writing poetry and worshipping Shiva.

The temple is not Chandrabati’s grave. It is an old Shiva temple connected with her memory.

The area was quiet and peaceful. There were trees, a pond, old walls, and a narrow entrance. Worship was still taking place inside the temple. It felt as if history was not only being remembered there—it was still part of everyday life.

Beside the temple, there is also a government primary school named after Chandrabati, where children study up to Class Five. On one side stood the old temple, and on the other side was a school full of young students. The past and the future seemed to exist in the same place.

Isa Khan’s Jangalbari Fort

From Chandrabati Temple, we went to Isa Khan’s Jangalbari Fort, which local people often call Isa Khan’s house or museum.

Isa Khan was one of the main leaders of the Baro-Bhuiyans. He played an important role in resisting Mughal control in Bengal. Jangalbari is known as one of his residential and military centres.

At the site, we spoke with a local resident named Dewan Jamal. He introduced himself as a fifteenth-generation descendant of Isa Khan.

According to him, the inner residential building once had around forty rooms. Today, only a few rooms remain. Some rooms have been repaired, but much of the main residential area is still damaged.

Inside the repaired section, we saw white walls, green doors, wall niches, ceiling designs, a glass-covered display case, and a family tree of Isa Khan’s descendants.

Outside, the situation was very different. Plaster had fallen from the walls, bricks were exposed, and some sections were close to collapse. Several descendant families are still living in and around these old buildings.

Dewan Jamal also told us that some family property had been occupied or used by other people. According to his account, there has not been enough long-term support for the families living there.

Some work has been done on the old mosque and a small office or meeting room. However, much of the main house remains in poor condition.

These claims are based on the oral account of a family member. Still, the damaged walls and weak structures clearly show that the historic site needs better care and preservation.

Jangalbari is an important symbol of Bengal’s resistance and political history. Yet much of it is slowly disappearing.

Sholakia Eidgah

After Jangalbari, we visited the historic Sholakia Eidgah.

This large field is one of the best-known Eid prayer grounds in Bangladesh. During Eid, a huge number of people gather there. On a normal day, however, the field was quiet.

A large old tree beside the field caught our attention. Its wide branches created a cool place where visitors and local people could sit and rest.

We performed the Zuhr prayer there. After visiting several historic places, the calm environment of Sholakia gave us a much-needed break.

Searching for the One-House Village

From Sholakia, we travelled by rickshaw to the bus stand and then took a bus towards the Rajibpur Union area of Ishwarganj.

Our destination was Umanathpur, a village that has become known in the media as a village with only one house.

However, after reaching the area, we discovered something interesting: many local people did not recognise the name “Umanathpur.” When we asked for “the village with one house,” people understood immediately.

This shows that the official name and the local way of identifying the place are not always the same.

We also realised that the story sounds more dramatic than the actual place. Umanathpur is not a large empty village with only one house in the middle. It is a very small administrative village or mouza located beside other villages.

Because of the way the area was recorded and divided, only one house remained inside the official boundary of Umanathpur for a long time. Nearby houses belonged to other villages or mouzas.

We could not meet the family living in the house. We spoke with a resident from a neighbouring village instead.

There was no historic building, museum, natural attraction, or special structure to see. The main interest of Umanathpur is its unusual administrative identity and the story of one house representing an entire village.

So, for travellers, the reality is simple: there is not much to see there visually. The value of the visit comes from understanding the story behind the village.

A Wrong Decision in the Rain

After visiting the area, we returned by rickshaw to the nearby market and boarded another bus.

Our plan was to travel towards Sherpur. However, during the journey, my friend suddenly became confused and thought we should be going towards Netrokona.

Near the Balipara area, we got off the bus because we believed we were travelling in the wrong direction.

Then it started raining.

While waiting in the rain, we checked the route again and realised that our destination was Sherpur, not Netrokona. The direction we had been travelling was actually correct.

It was a small mistake, but it became one of the funniest memories of the trip. Sometimes Google Maps can be confusing, but a confused travel partner can be even more confusing.

After the rain became lighter, we boarded another bus and continued towards Mymensingh.

Why We Did Not Stay in Mymensingh

At first, we planned to spend the night in Mymensingh.

However, the hotels we checked did not meet our expectations. In our experience, the room quality, environment, and prices did not feel well balanced.

As there were still a few hours left in the evening, we decided not to stay there. We drank tea, rested for a short time, and then boarded a bus for Sherpur.

A Comfortable Stay at Hotel Heritage

We reached Sherpur at around 11:30 at night and checked in at Hotel Heritage.

The hotel was new, clean, and comfortable. At first, it seemed that no suitable room was available. However, after speaking with the hotel staff, they supported us and offered a room at a very good discount from the regular rate of Tk 1,800.

We appreciated their cooperation, especially because we had arrived late after a long and tiring journey.

Compared with our experience in some other cities, the hotels in Sherpur seemed to offer better rooms at more reasonable prices.

After checking in, we freshened up, had dinner, and finally went to sleep.

One Day, Many Different Experiences

The day began at a hotel in Kishoreganj and ended at another hotel in Sherpur.

In between, we visited a freedom fighters’ memorial, a historic college, Pagla Mosque, Chandrabati Temple, Isa Khan’s Jangalbari Fort, Sholakia Eidgah, and the so-called one-house village of Umanathpur.

We learned that famous places are sometimes different from the stories told about them. Umanathpur was not a major tourist attraction, but its unusual official identity made it interesting. Jangalbari was historically important, but its damaged buildings showed how easily heritage can disappear without proper care.

We also got off a bus in the wrong place, waited in the rain, changed our plan in Mymensingh, and finally found a comfortable place to stay in Sherpur.

This was not only a sightseeing trip. It was a journey through faith, literature, history, local stories, human problems, and unexpected moments.

Standing beside the damaged walls of Jangalbari, one question stayed in my mind:

> Do we protect our history, or do we only tell its story after it has disappeared?