He died here in 1798. The unbroken 125 km beach at Cox's Bazar is sandy with a gentle slope. Since the rise and fall of the tide here is not great, it is a good place for sea bathing. A large variety of fish, including excellent pomfret, soles and oysters are also caught here.
In addition to the long sea-beach with its silvery waves breaking at the foot of hills and sea-bathing, the attractions of Cox's Bazar include a drive along the beach, the view of the sun setting on the rolling sea-waves, the moonlit night, and the exciting interior of the bazar and its people. Interesting places around Cox's Bazar include Himchhari, ramu, Sonadia Island, maheshkhali, teknaf and st. martin's island.
Cox's Bazar is about 150 km from chittagong and is connected to the port city by bus, air and steamer services. It is a district town and is also the headquarters of the Cox's Bazar forest division. The town and surrounding places have many clolourful pagodas and Buddhist temples and are inhabited by, among others, many tribal people who have their own distinct customs and traditions.
Himchhari, located 18 km south of Cox's Bazar along the sea beach, is a nice place for picnic and film shooting. The broken hills and waterfalls here are unique spots. Another attraction is the Christmas trees. Ramu, about 10 km from Cox's Bazar on the main road to Chittagong, is a Buddhist village and boasts a number of Buddhist temples (khyangs) containing statues and images of Gautam Buddha in gold, bronze and other metals inlaid with precious stones. The most beautiful among the khyangs is the one near Bakkhali on Tiger Canal. The khyang houses relics and Burmese handicrafts and a 10-feet high bronze statue of Buddha resting on a 6-feet high pedestal. The wood carving of this khyang is very delicate and refined.
Sonadia is a crescent shaped island about 7-km north-west of Cox's Bazar. The area of the island is about 9 sq km. Its western coast is sandy and is rich in different kinds of shells. Every winter thousands of fishermen camp here and make large hauls. The island is a centre of the dry fish industry. Another attraction of the island is the sight of game birds migrating here in great numbers during the winter season. Maheshkhali, also an island off the coast of Cox's Bazar, has an area of 268 sq km. A range of low hills, about 300 feet high, stretches through the centre of the island and along its eastern coastline. On the top of the hills is famous Hindu temple, the adinath temple, which becomes a place of pilgrimage during the month of Falgun (March). The coasts of the island on the west and north form a low-lying tract that is fringed by mangrove forests.
Teknaf is a small township on the naf river at the end of the hilly region. It is 80 km south of Cox's Bazar and is a beautiful place facing Myanmar across the Naf. One of the major attractions of Teknaf is the journey by boat or sampan. A picturesque hilltop resort has also been developed at Teknaf. The town and its surrounding areas provide outsiders an opportunity to see the people and culture of the Arakan and Magh communities.
St. Martin's Island, named after a British Governor, the country's only coral island, is situated in the Bay of Bengal about 100 km off from Cox's Bazar and 8 km south of Teknaf. Local people call the island Narikel Zinjira (coconut rows) since coconut trees grow in large numbers in the island. The area of the island is about 9 sq km and different varieties of shells and mother of pearl such as conch shells, spanish drill and cowries are plenty here. Living corals can be seen about 20 feet deep into the transparent water around a part of the St. Martin Island named Chhera Dip, which becomes detached from the island during high tide. Flying fish, dolphins and sea tortoises are also often seen in the water around the island.
One of the frequently visited site in Teknaf is Ma-Thin's well at the compound of Teknaf upazila. Ma-Thin was the daughter of the Magh king. Accompanied by many of her friends, she used to come to the well, the only one of its kind in the area at that time. Dhiraj Bhattacharya, the officer-in-charge of the police station and a handsome young man, fell in love with her. He wanted to marry her but the king initially did not agree to the proposal because Dhiraj was a Hindu and a Magh girl was not supposed to marry outside her community. The king, however, could not refuse his daughter and her lover and finally gave his consent. The message reached the father of Dhiraj at calcutta and made him furious. He, in turn, stressed that a Hindu could not marry a Magh girl and recalled his son through a telegram urging him to return to his ailing father. Dhiraj left for Calcutta promising Ma-Thin that he would return very soon. Ma-Thin waited for him for months. At one stage, she stopped believing that Dhiraj would ever come back. Despite the insistence of her parents, relatives and friends Ma-Thin did not take any food or even a drop of water until she breathed her last. The well still remains as a memorial to this great story of love and a tragedy that has its origin in differences in culture and religion.
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