Jessore, officially Jashore, is a major city in Jashore District in the south-western region of Bangladesh. It is the third largest city in Khulna Division. It is situated on the Bhairab river, a distributary of the vast Padma or Ganges and Jamuna or Brahmaputra delta. According to tradition, its name is a corruption of yashohara. It is one of the most industrialized and developed cities in Bangladesh. Jessore is bordered by India on the west, Khulna District and Satkhira District to the south, Khulna and Narail to the east, and Jhenaidah and Magura District to the north.
The city being a major economic hub it is center of production and trade in fish and a variety of crops year-round, including rice, sugarcane, date sugar also called patali made in a traditional method. In the 15th century, Jessore was a part of the kingdom of Pratapaditya. It was then conquered by the Mughals, and eventually the Bengal Sultanate until the Battle of Plassey, after which control passed to the British. Since then Jessore is the capital of the namesake district established in 1781. In 1947, Jessore was divided between India and (then) Pakistan. The Bengali soldiers stationed at Jessore cantonment mutinied against the Pakistan Army on 29 March 1971.
On 6 December 1971, Jessore became the first district of East Bengal or East Pakistan to be liberated from Pakistani forces. Jessore is the first digital district in Bangladesh. Well connected air, rail and road, Jessore is a major education hub since before independence. Jessore as a city has numerous places worth visiting for tourist. It is hometown of several noted personalities including Michael Madhusudan Datta, Jnanadanandini Devi, Jadunath Majumdar and Prafulla Chandra Ray, as such tourism in Jessore is mostly around historic places.
A historic city Jessore has numerous places worth visiting in and around the city including Bharat Raza’s Dewl or Bharter Dewl, as well as ancient Buddhist Temple at Keshabpur, Dhalijhara Buddha Bihar, Mirzanagar Hammamkhana from Mughal era in Keshabpur, Imam Bara, as well as hindu temples in Abhaynagar, Vaatnogor. Ancient buildings including the Rajbari of Chanchra and the shrines of the Muslim saints Bahram Shah and Gharib Shah can be found at some distance from the city.
The city has numerous parks. Being a important border town and business centre there are numerous hotels, resorts and lodges in the city that offer luxurious, mid-range and budget accommodation. There are several restaurants that offer delicious food at reasonable prices. Numerous shopping malls have opened in recent years that sell variety of products. Markets sell not just Bangladeshi products but also from India as the border is not very far. Jessore is nice pce worth visiting on a extended weekend.
