Jaflong, Sylhet, Bangladesh
Jaflong is one of the most adventurous tourist spots in Sylhet division. Jaflong is a hill station and popular tourist destination in the Division of Sylhet, Bangladesh. It is located in Gowainghat Upazila of Sylhet District and situated at the border between Bangladesh and the Indian state of Meghalaya, overshadowed by subtropical mountains and rainforests. Jaflong is famous for its stone collections and is home of the Khasi tribe.
It is about 60 km from Sylhet town and takes two hours drive to reach there. Jaflong is also a scenic spot nearby amidst tea gardens and rare beauty of rolling stones from hills. It is situated besides the river Mari in the lap of Hill Khashia.
JAFLONG RIVER
The Sylhet Division with its hills and basins constitute one of the most distinctive regions in Bangladesh. Situated to the north-east of the country the Division lies between 23.59' and 25.13’notrh latitude and 90.54’and 90.30’ east longitude. The physiography of Sylhet comprises mainly of hill soils, encompassing a few large depressions known locally as "beels" which can be mainly classified as oxbow lakes, caused by tectonic subsidence primarily during the earthquake of 1762. It is flanked by the Indian states of the Meghalaya in the north, Assam in the east, Tripura in the south and the Bangladesh districts of Netrokona, Kishoregonj and Bramanbaria in the west. The area covered by the region is 12,569 sq. km. which is about 8 percent of the total area of Bangladesh.
Geologically,
the region is complex having diverse sacrificial geomorphology; high
topography of Plio-Miocene age (20 million years B.P) such as Khasi nad
Jainta hills and small hillocks along the border. At the center there is
a vast low laying flood plain of recent origin with saucer shaped
depressions, locally called Haors. Available limestone deposits in
different parts of the region suggest that the whole area was under sea
in the Oligo-Miocene (30 Million years B.P)
Landforms:
The Sylhet region may be divided four distinct landforms. These are 1. Eroded hills; 2. Alluvial fan; 3. Alluvial plain; 4. Basin plain.
1. Eroded hills:
The eroded hills are mainly formed by the hill ranges and hillocks
(locally called tila) appearing the north east and south of Greater
Sylhet and also round about the Sylhet town. These hill ranges attain a
low elevation and have gentle slope. To the north of Sylhet town there
are numerous isolated tilas of approximately 70 meters height. The
Khasia-Jainta hills, laying outside the international border in India as
well as some tilas within the districts of Sunamgonj ad Sylhet lie in
an east-west direction. A small part to the tila lands is lying in the
north of Tahirpur. To the north-east of Sunamgonj there is an area of
scattered hills both west and east are Kashimara river. The Chattak
hills to the south-east are continuation of these tilas. Further east,
there are two hills, close to Bhologonj. To the east of Piyain river,
there is a five mile long hills known after Jaflong. To the south-east
there is a continuous hilly area covering Jainatpur and part of
Kanairghat. The Jainta series are mainly composed of sandstone and
nummulatic limestone and the Surma conglomerates, nummulatic limestone
and pebble beds of the Pliocene age (about 10-12 million years B.P)
these hills are continuation of the Chittagong hills running in
north-south direction. These hills gradually slope down to the Sylhet
plain with alternating valleys between them. Form east to west the hill
ranges are: 1. The Patharia, 2. Harargaj, 3. Rajkandi-Ita, 4. Bharugaj,
5. Tarap, 6. Raghunandan. The overlying deposits of these hills are
Pleistocene clays and sands over a coarse ferruginous sandstone, mottled
sandy clays and shales of middle Miocene age.
2. Alluvial Fan:
The Alluvial fan, mainly composed of the tipam and Dupi Tila sediments,
occupies the narrow strip of discontinuous low foothills starting from
Jaflong in the east to the Jamuna in the west. Among these fans, the
Jaflong fan attains a maximum height of 61m above sea level with the
elevation decreasing westward. Alluvial valleys frequently separate the
Alluvial fans.
3. Alluvial Plain:
the alluvial plain, primarily formed by the river Surma and the
Kushiyara, merges with Meghna to the south. Elevation varies from 3m to
10m above mean sea level.