Stone Collectors of the Mahananda
মহানন্দার পাথর শ্রমিক
Workers wade the shallow Mahananda gathering stones carried down from the Himalayan foothills.
Representative photo from Panchagarh district, not of this exact tradition. Photo: Nasif05 · CC BY-SA 4.0 Have a photo of your own? Let us know →
The rivers of Panchagarh carry gravel and stones from the hills to the north, and gathering them has long been a livelihood here. Along the Mahananda near Tetulia, men and women stand in the cold, clear water sifting stones into baskets. The stones are sorted by size on the banks and sold for construction. It is hard, physical work and a striking sight in the morning light along the border river.
How to get there
Visible from the riverbank in Tetulia near the dak bungalow.
Good to know
Ask before photographing workers. Stay on the Bangladeshi bank; the river marks the border.
More from Panchagarh
District guide →
Place Tetulia and the Kanchenjunga View
তেঁতুলিয়া থেকে কাঞ্চনজঙ্ঘাOn clear mornings, the snow peaks of the Himalayas float above the fields of Tetulia.
Place Tetulia Tea Gardens
তেঁতুলিয়ার চা বাগানNeat rows of tea on flat land, running right up to the border fence.
Place Banglabandha Zero Point
বাংলাবান্ধা জিরো পয়েন্টThe northernmost tip of Bangladesh and a land port facing India.
Place Rocks Museum
রকস মিউজিয়ামBangladesh's only rocks museum, with fossilised wood and stones from ancient Bhitargarh.
Nearby
Place Tetulia and the Kanchenjunga View
Panchagarh · তেঁতুলিয়া থেকে কাঞ্চনজঙ্ঘাOn clear mornings, the snow peaks of the Himalayas float above the fields of Tetulia.
Place Tetulia Tea Gardens
Panchagarh · তেঁতুলিয়ার চা বাগানNeat rows of tea on flat land, running right up to the border fence.
Food Panchagarh Tea
Panchagarh · পঞ্চগড়ের চাTea from the flat northern gardens, including small-batch organic leaf.
Place Banglabandha Zero Point
Panchagarh · বাংলাবান্ধা জিরো পয়েন্টThe northernmost tip of Bangladesh and a land port facing India.