CoxsBazar or Kaksabājāra kɔksbadʒaɾ is a major city, fishing port, tourism center, in southeast Bangladesh. It is famous for its long natural sandy beach. Located 150 km south of Chittagong; Cox’s Bazar is also known by the name Panowa, which translates literally as “yellow flower” or “Palongkee”. The city is famous for being home to the longest sea beach in the world. Built-in 1869 Cox’s Bazar derives its name from Captain Hiram Cox, an officer of the British East India Company. Cox’s Bazar is consists of miles of golden sands, towering cliffs, surfing waves, rare conch shells, colorful pagodas, Buddhist temples, and tribes. Cox’s Bazar became part of East Pakistan in 1947.
Captain Advocate Fazlul Karim, the first post-independence chairman of Cox’s Bazar Municipality, established the Tamarisk Forest along the beach. He wanted to attract tourists as well as to protect the beach from tsunamis. Karim was inspired to build Cox’s Bazar as a major tourist spot after seeing beaches of Bombay and Karachi. Karim established a maternity hospital, the stadium, and the drainage system. The major economic activity in Cox’s Bazar is tourism. A number of hotels, guest houses, and motels have been built in the city and coastal region that offer luxurious, mid-range, and budget accommodation.
A large number of shops sell oysters, snails, pearls and other ornaments to tourists, there are numerous places worth visiting in and around Cox Bazar besides Cox’s Bazar Beach. These include Himchari National Park. It consists of lush tropical rain forest, grasslands and trees, and features a number of waterfalls. The National Park was established in 1980 also worth visiting is Aggmeda Khyang, a large Buddhist monastery. It has a prayer chamber and an assembly hall along with a repository of large and small bronze Buddha images and a number of old manuscripts. The nearby Ramu village is a shoppers paradise to buy lots of hand made made products such as handicrafts, homemade cigars.
A temple, on the bank of the Baghkhali river, houses relics and Burmese handicrafts, and a large bronze statue of Buddha. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park developed on an undulating landscape is a tropical evergreen forest rich with herbs, shrubs, and creepers. A declared protected area, animals are kept in a fairly large area with natural environment and visitors can easily see the animal whenever they visit by bus, jeep or on foot, including elephants, lions, Bengal tigers, crocodiles, bears, chitals and a variety of birds and monkeys.
People are involved in fishing and collecting seafood and sea products for their livelihood. Cox’s Bazar is one of the few major spots for aquaculture in Bangladesh. Along with Khulna, it is considered a major source of revenue from foreign exchange providing employment to thousands of people. Garment production and weaving, woodworking, and metalworking are prominent cottage industries a mix of small-scale agriculture, marine and inland fishing and salt production.
Cox’s Bazar is well connected by rail, road and air with Chittagong and other major cities of Bangladesh. The only aquarium in Bangladesh is in Cox’s Bazar. Adventure seekers can try out scuba diving, parasailing, waterbiking, beach biking, horse riding. Also worth visiting is the Cox Carnival circus show, Daria Nagar Ecopark, numerous architectural attractions, Shishu Parks and numerous photogenic sites. restaurants serve a variety of delicious Bangladeshi cuisine at various prices. Tourist can also visit a number of nearby islands such as Maheskhali, St. Martin’s and Sonadia. Cox’s Bazar is also a major education centre with numerous schools and colleges. Known for its sunset and sunrise, Cox’s Bazar is a must-visit for tourist in Bangladesh.
