Rajshahi, where the evenings turn soft and the world slows down. There’s something unhurried about this city, as if it has seen too much history to rush anymore. People here like to call it the “Silk City”, and you understand why once you’ve walked through its narrow lanes lined with looms and threads hanging out to dry. The story of Rajshahi isn’t told in grand monuments or loud voices; it’s woven patiently into silk, into faith, into everyday life. It doesn’t try to catch your eye , it just lives, steady and graceful, by the river’s edge.
A Heritage Wrapped in Silk
Rajshahi’s reputation as a centre of silk production stretches back to medieval times. Records show sericulture in the region dating to the 13th century, when it was known as Bengal silk or Ganges silk.
The region later became formally involved in structured silk production under the then-Pakistan government around 1952, and the state-owned factory opened in 1961.
A short drive outside the city takes you to Puthia, a village where time seems to slow and concentrate around stone and clay. The Puthia Temple Complex is home to the largest number of historic Hindu temples in Bangladesh. The temples here , notably the Pancha Ratna Shiva Temple and the intricate Pancha Ratna Gobinda Temple , rise in warm shades of red and gold, their walls covered with carvings of gods, dancers, floral motifs. The terracotta details are especially prized.
The River City’s Gentle Rhythm
Rajshahi moves differently. Evenings gather slowly by the Padma embankment, where locals sit in quiet conversation while the river mirrors the fading sun.
Then there’s the mango season: the ripe fragrance of Langra and Fazli mangoes fills the streets in summer. Trucks piled high with fruit leave at dawn, and for a few months, the entire city smells like sunshine.
Education and culture also thrive here , institutions like the University of Rajshahi (1953) and the Bangladesh Sericulture Research and Training Institute (originally founded 1898) point to the city’s role as both a heritage site and a living, learning place.
Balancing Past and Present
Today, Rajshahi is a city of both classrooms and temples. Modern structures rise alongside centuries-old looms and temple bells. Yet the character remains calm, unhurried.
The beauty lies in its simplicity: silk threads drying in courtyards, mango sellers at dawn, temple bells ringing somewhere across the river.
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