Ramsagar National Park travel guide

At a glance

Excavation

1750–1755

Built by

Raja Ramnath Roy

Water area

About 77.9 acres (about 148 acres with the banks)

National park

2001

History and details

During a famine in the 1750s Raja Ramnath Roy of Dinajpur had this huge pond dug to give his subjects work and water; about 1.5 million labourers are said to have taken part. The pond is named Ramsagar after the raja.

The pond is about 1 km long, one of the country's biggest man-made ponds. Legend says that when no water came up after the digging, the raja, told in a dream, sacrificed a young man, and water rose — local songs and plays tell the story.

The area was declared a national park in 2001; its banks have rows of trees, a small zoo, a deer enclosure and picnic spots.

Things to do

• Walk or cycle along the banks
• See the deer enclosure
• Have a picnic in winter

How to get to Ramsagar National Park

About 8 km from Dinajpur town.

Dinajpur is about 330 km from Dhaka; the journey takes 7–8 hours.

• 🚌 By bus: Nabil, Hanif, Shyamoli, SR from Gabtoli/Mohakhali; non-AC ৳800–900, AC ৳1,300–1,800.
• 🚆 By train: Ekota, Drutojan, Panchagarh Express from Kamalapur to Dinajpur, fare ৳500–1,400.
• ✈️ By air: Via Saidpur airport (about 40 km).

Where to stay

• Parjatan Motel Dinajpur
• Mid-range hotels in town

What to eat

Dinajpur litchis (Bedana, China-3 — May–June), Kataribhog rice

Good to know

• You can cycle along the banks
• Crowded with picnics in winter

More to see nearby

• Dinajpur town (8 km)
• Dinajpur Rajbari (10 km)
• Kantajew Temple (20 km)

More places to visit in Dinajpur district

• Kantajew Temple — Built in 1752; scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata in terracotta, the country's finest terracotta temple.
• Swapnapuri — A big North Bengal amusement park with a lake and zoo.
• Dinajpur Rajbari — Ruins of the Dinajpur rajas' palace.
• Nayabad Mosque — An 18th-century three-domed terracotta mosque.

Location on the map