Hatikumrul Noborotno Temple

About Hatikumrul Noborotno Temple

The Hatikumrul Noborotno Temple, also written Navaratna, is one of the largest temples of its kind in Bangladesh. Noborotno means nine jewels, after the nine spires that rise in tiers from its roof: four at the corners of the first storey, four on the second and one crowning the top.

It is generally dated to the early 18th century and attributed to Ramnath Bhaduri, a local revenue official of the Mughal period. The brick temple stands on a raised platform, and although much of its terracotta has worn away, panels of figures, flowers and scenes survive on the facades. A few smaller temples from the same complex stand nearby.

The temple sits in a village just off the busy Hatikumrul road junction in Ullapara, so it is easy to reach yet feels a world away from the highway traffic.

Evergreen Bangladesh Tours often stops here on private trips heading north from Dhaka across the Jamuna, on the way to Bogura and Rajshahi. With more time, the river country of Sirajganj also has handloom weaving villages and, at Shahzadpur, the Kachhari Bari where Rabindranath Tagore stayed and wrote, now a museum.

Getting there

From Dhaka: about 140 km via the Jamuna Bridge, around three to four hours by road depending on traffic.

From Bogura: roughly two hours south on the highway.

Where to stay

Most travellers visit on the drive between Dhaka and Bogura or Rajshahi and stay in Bogura. Sirajganj town has simple hotels if you want to explore the Jamuna riverside.