If you bring a bunch of lotus flowers in hand, who will be happy! The beauty of the innumerable lotuses blooming in the bill is really unearthly. This is one of the most captivating scenes of our ancient village Bengal. Poets have spoken of Nilpadma innumerable times in songs and poems. Blue lotus may not be available if you want, but you can be fascinated by the beauty of pink lotus if you want. Yes, you will see innumerable Padma fairs at Ghagutia Padmabil in Brahmanbaria. You can pick up a bunch of lotuses at will. It’s like a lotus flower carpet. From this Padma Bill you can visit with family or friends to spend time in close proximity to nature.

Ghagutia is a bordering village of Moniyanda union in Akhaura upazila of Brahmanbaria. On the other side is Madhabpur village of Amtali police station in West Tripura, India. This huge Padma Bill is located in the middle of these two villages of Bangladesh and India. Every year from Ashar to Kartik, 120 acres of land is covered with lotus flowers. The lotus blossoms start from the month of Ashar and continue continuously till the month of Kartik. As the water receded from the beel, the lotus gradually disappeared from the beel. Boro paddy is cultivated here for the rest of the time.

Millions of lotus flowers can be seen in this bill. Usually the number of lotus flowers is highest in the morning. The villagers collect lots of lotus flowers so you can see the broken twigs of lotus flowers scattered around. You can collect lotus flowers and lotus fruits while boating on the bill. Who would not like to be in a daze after getting a lotus flower full of hands. The whole bill is full of not only lotus flowers, but also various aquatic flowers like water lilies and moonshine flowers. Hundreds of lotus flowers appear on the bill in the rainy season. Padma groups float in hundreds of acres of water. Some of the visitors come to enjoy the beauty, some come to take pictures. Someone got on the dinghy again and picked up a bunch of lotuses. This is a different kind of nature lover’s paradise. Floating on the carpet of this white-pink Padma, it is difficult to know when the day is over. Seeing such a big lotus bill is really a burden.

The Indian border next to this bill is easily visible. About 80 percent of this bill is in Bangladesh but the rest is in India. In the dry season, the water in the beel dries up completely. Again in the rainy season this bill is actually filled with lotus and other aquatic flowers.

Thousands of entertainment-loving people come from different parts of the country to see the amazing view of this bill. Boats are rented for hours to get around Padmabhil. The locals earn some extra money by renting a boat. Visitors flock here to enjoy the beauty of the lotus on the banks of the bill.

This lotus flower is useful in the worship of Goddess Durga by Hindus. That is why in the month of Ashwin, people of Bangladesh and India collect a large number of lotus flowers from this bill. These lotuses are also sold in the local market of India. Children and teenagers bring flowers from this bill by dinghy. In addition, children eat the fruit inside the boiling flowers. They also sell these flowers for four to five rupees. Children make about 400-500 flowers every day.

How to get there:

Akhaura railway station by train from Dhaka. The fare is 75 to 250 TK depending on the train and class. If you reserve a CNG-powered autorickshaw at the station, you can reach Bill Ghagutia at 250 to 300 TK. It is better to take autorickshaw reserve. Because autorickshaws are not regularly available in Ghagutia area.

Where to stay:

There are several hotels to stay in Akhaura. Notable among them are Nine Star Residential Hotel & Restaurant, Rangdhanu Residential Hotel, Hotel Dipti Rest House (Residential), Hotel Sabuj Rest House, Hotel Bhai Bhai Rest House, Hotel Banani Rest House, Hotel Tower Plaza etc.