Akhra Bari in Kharha village under Baraikhali union of Munshiganj’s Srinagar upazila is a real life representation of the ideas found in the books of various histories and traditions of ancient Bikrampur. The village is well known as a natural monkey sanctuary.
The village is located on the border of Munshiganj district near Nawabganj upazila of Dhaka district. As soon as one enters the village, he or she will notice the free movement of of innumerable monkeys of different breeds in a secluded natural environment of the village.
Surrounded by eye-catching flora, chirping of birds and buzzing of other animals in the village, residents co-inhibit harmoniously with the monkeys in the residential areas as well as in the market places.
As the residents of the village are kind towards the monkeys, these monkeys also in return give pure joy to people with different kinds of captivating behaviors and gestures. Throughout the day the monkeys roam from one branch of the tree to another and from one yard to another.
Those monkeys can also be seen sitting on the roof of the house or in the yard alongside people. Besides, at night the monkeys take shelter in the branches of different trees around the village.
Some time ago, when the news of the death of local monkeys due to lack of food spread through various media, a government project started providing food to the monkeys in the year 2006 which continued till 2009.
Adequate food supply resulted in faster breeding of monkeys in the area increasing the number of monkeys living there. Then, suddenly when the feeding activities stopped, the monkeys and humans become entangled.
Local people say the lack of proper care and maintenance is changing the behavior of these monkeys. Day by day they are getting mad at people.
These monkeys have been living in this area for about half a century. Ethical and humane treatment of these monkeys can make their life better. Besides, with taking necessary steps this area can be turned into a valuable resource for the tourism industry, they added.
Many people from Munshiganj and surrounding areas come to this village to see this natural habitat of the monkeys.
It is possible to develop the tourism industry in the area by involving the local people and monkeys by combining the demands of tourists, ancient religious beliefs, traditions, architectural styles, prehistoric stories etc, said concerned people.
