Divine Elegance of Kaptai Lake: A Blessing in Disguise

MAKE YOUR HEART LIKE A LAKE, WITH A CALM, STILL SURFACE AND GREAT DEPTH OF KINDNESS.

- LAO TZU

Bangladesh is a country of natural beauty but being an artificial lake the lake of Kaptai takes the country's beauty to another level. Kaptai Lake is the largest lake in Bangladesh. It is located in the Kaptai Upazila under Rangamati District of Chittagong Division, Bangladesh.

The lake was created as a result of building the Kaptai Dam on the Karnaphuli River, as part of the Karnaphuli Hydro-electric project. Construction of the reservoir for the hydro-electric plant began in 1956 by the Government of East Pakistan. The hydro-electric project was funded by the United States. The project was finished in 1962.

Curse or Blessing?

The Kaptai Dam, completed in 1962 with American financial and technical support, flooded over 250 square miles of the Chakma heartland in Rangamati, including roughly 40 percent of all arable land in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Over 100,000 people were displaced by the project, one-sixth of the country’s entire indigenous population at the time. Around half of the displaced fled to India or Myanmar while others stayed in hopes of receiving the compensation promised by the government, a promise that was never delivered upon. Nearly all the physical vestiges of Chakma culture, including Buddhist temples and, indeed, the king’s palace, receded beneath the water. It was in this context, with the Chakma community in disarray, that a group of Buddhist monks from Boalkhali Dashabal Raj Vihar mobilized themselves to provide the support that the government would not. They opened a shelter in 1963 called Parbatya Chattal Boudha Anath Ashram to provide housing, food, and education to the children of those displaced by the lake. This shelter would become the predecessor to one of the most unique faith-inspired institutions in Bangladesh, Moanoghar, the organization that I had come to Rangamati to visit.

- Nathaniel Adams

The 3 most interesting tourist spots of Kaptai Lake are Kaptai Dam, Lakeshore Resort & Rangamati Hanging Bridge. But you must do "Kayaking" at Kaptai Kayak Club. But everything will go in vain if you don't explore the whole lake by hiring a boat. There are also many beautiful fountains & tourist spots at different locations of the lake, such as: Hanging Bridge, Rangamati City, Shuvalong Jharna, Kaptai dam, Navy Academy, Sheikh Russel Ecopark, Cable car etc.

The Disguised Blessing

When the dam was created, people protested. The lake took everything from them, making them homeless. It was certainly a curse for them. But things started changing. They started to move on & get adapted to the bluish lake water. Most of the local people earn their livelihood as fishermen or boatmen. Many of them are working that are related to the tourism business. Thus, this lake which was once a curse has turned into a blessing now.

So what are you waiting for? Watch all the travel vlogs available on YouTube related to Kaptai Lake. For your convenience, I have given a couple of videos below. Watch travel videos on Kaptai & Rangamati, make your plan & come to dive into the divine elegance of the Kaptai Lake...

Refferences:

1. The Lake of Tears: Understanding the Experience of Bangladesh’s Indigenous Minority

2. Wikipedia

This article is also available as a Story Map on ESRI's website. Please follow the link below to view my work.
Story Map: Divine Elegance of Kaptai Lake