The traditional Durga Sagar lake of Barishal is one of the many tourist attractions of Barishal. Hundreds of people from the country and abroad gather every day to see this lake.
Shiv Narayan, the then king of Chandradwip Pargana, dug this lake in 1780 AD to solve the water crisis of local people in Madhavpasha of Babuganj upazila of Barishal-Banaripara road district. This pond was dug at a cost of three lakh tk as far as his wife Rani Durgavati once walked. And the pond is named Durga Sagar after Queen Durgavati. Rani walked about 61 Kanis of land in one night in dighi.
According to official accounts, the lake is located on 45 acres and 42 percent of the land. 38 percent of its 27 acres are water bodies and 18 acres are its banks. Besides, there is a 1.6 km walking path around the lake. The embankment is 1490 feet long north-south and 1360 feet wide east-west. There is a small island in the middle of the lake. Which has increased the beauty of this lake several times.
As the lake got filled up with time, the then District Board renovated it during the British rule. During the post-independence period, in 1974, initiatives were taken to renovate this scenic beauty. The then district board cleaned the lake by spending Tk 1200. At that time, a small island was created in the middle of the lake for the purpose of building a resort. Around the pond, trees such as coconut, betel nut, shishu, mahogany etc. are planted and a green fence is built. Which currently adorns the lake. Nature lovers find a new level of entertainment as they walk along the path around the lake. And for the residents of the familiar village, this lake is like finding yourself anew in rural solitude. The lake with an island in the middle was last renovated from 1997 to 1999. There are four beautiful built ghats (terminal) on all four sides of the lake, but the two ghats on the east-south side have disappeared.
Rest house of the Barishal Zilla Parishad is located adjacent to the western bank. Travelers can spend the night here if they wish. Sreepur to the west of dighi, Kaladema to the east, Pangsha to the north and Sholana and Phultala villages to the south of dighi. On an auspicious day in the middle of four villages, thousands of people started digging a pond. People from different villages of Chandra Dwip state participate in pond digging. This lake excavation took about six months to complete.
After working all day, the laborers washed the tillers in a pond on the west side. The name of this Dighi is Kodal Dighi.
The Queen spent three lakhs of the then currency rupees from the exchequer for digging and worshiping the Dighi. She built four paved ghats with a width of fifty feet around.
Former Deputy Commissioner of Barishal district SM Ajior Rahman worked in the field of Pond renovation and implementation and development of various projects. While talking to him about this matter, he told Bangladesh Post that, in order to protect the natural beauty as well as to be productive, deer are currently roaming in the gardens of Barisal's Durgasagar. Swans in the water of the lake, various species of fish in the water, small outposts for hunting fish, various flower gardens on the banks of the lake, enhance its beauty. CCTV cameras have been installed for the safety of tourists in Durgasagar Lake, which has been neglected for a long time. In 2018, the district administration entered the field with the aim of making it attractive and tourist dependent. Former Deputy Commissioner of Barishal SM Ajior Rahman said that it was successful.
In order to ensure a bird-friendly environment in the Durga Sagar for the permanent migration of the guest birds, the Deputy Commissioner took various steps to make the Durga Sagar a guest bird sanctuary.
Queen Durgavati was intelligent and civil. In the late 18th century, Queen Bhavani of Natore and Queen Durgavati of Chand Dwip managed the zamindari and are remembered in the history of Bengal.
