Madhabkunda Waterfall (মাধবকুন্ড জলপ্রপাত)

Madhabkunda Waterfall is a plunge fall in Madhabkunda Eco Park, Barlekha upazila, Moulvibazar district, Bangladesh, in the Patharia hills near the Assam border. It is one of the country's best-known waterfalls and suits families and day-trippers, since a paved path of about half a kilometre leads from the gate to the pool.

Where does the water come from?

The Gangamara stream runs off Patharia Hill and drops over a sandstone ledge. Below the fall it becomes the Madhabchhara, flowing west through tea gardens and paddy land to Hakaluki Haor, one of the largest wetlands in Bangladesh. In the monsoon a second stream forms beside the main one and the two merge into a strong current.

How high is Madhabkunda?

About 162 feet is the figure most often given for the drop, though many sources round it to 200 feet and no survey has settled it. The water falls in a single sheet into a large, deep plunge pool. A shallow cave in the rock beside the pool is treated as a place of pilgrimage.

Shiva temple, annual fair and the eco park

The name links the site to Madhabeshwar, a form of Shiva, and a temple stands near the fall, where an annual fair is held with Hindu rituals. The eco park, set up in 2001, covers about 500 acres of hill forest and tea gardens, with a Khasi village nearby. A stone path continues upstream to Parikunda, a smaller fall 10 to 15 minutes away.