Idrakpur fort in Munshiganj

Idrakpur fort is located at the center of the Munshiganj town that was built by Mir Jumla II (who was a Subadar or governor of Bengal). He built this small fort beside the river during 1660. That time river Ichhamati was almost near to the fort, which now a days has changed its course a bit further. In Bangla this fort is known as Idrakpur kella or Idrakpur Durjo. This fort is smaller than the fort of Hajiganj and Shonakanda (which are located in Narayanganj).

The purpose of the Idrakpur fort was to protect the Dhaka and Narayanganj from the pirates (i.e. Portuguese pirates). The size of the fort is 82m x 72m a rectangular shape. It has a round shaped bastion at each corner of the fort. It has a bigger bastion at the middle (front) which probably used to put cannon to intimidate the pirates. To shoot the gun the fort wall has rectangular holes, through which the guards could see and fire.

The main gate of the fort is at the North side. Inside the fort premises it has a small pond. In 1949 the government declared Idrakpur fort as a protected architecture. But since then they didn’t take any initiative (apart from painting it into pink) to make it as an attractive tourist spot. The good thing is when I visited this place in 2010 it had houses on top of the fort. Recently government has taken down those houses which is really appreciable.

How to Go:

There are several bus services run between Gulistan and Munshiganj town. Such buses are Nayan paribahan, Dhaka transport, etc. Using those buses you could reach in Munshiganj by approximately two hours. From the bus stoppage this Idrakpur fort is only few minutes of walking distance. Alternately you could take a CNG driven auto rickshaw which are available from Postogola.

Where to stay:

Interestingly I didn’t find any suitable hotels to stay in Munshiganj town. This district has few resorts (i.e. Padma resort) which are at the other side, and far from this place. So it is better to make a day trip from Dhaka. During my tour it rained a lot at mid day. So I took a room in a hotel to have a nap. I would have stayed in Munshiganj that day if the room quality was good. Instead I returned back on that evening by making it a day trip.

Idrakpur fort (or Idrakpur Kella),
Munshiganj town,
District: Munshiganj,
Country: Bangladesh,
GPS coordinate (23°32’50.7″N, 90°32’03.0″E).

Written by Lonely Traveler,
For blog alonelytraveler.com

Saturday, 05 June 2010