Jessore, or Jashore as it is now officially spelled, carries the weight of being the oldest district in British India, established in 1781. You can feel this seniority in the architecture of the Collectorate Building and the old trees that line the city streets. It serves as the primary gateway between Bangladesh and India. The Benapole Land Port is a chaotic, high-energy border crossing where thousands of people and hundreds of trucks pass daily. It is the economic juggernaut of the district, creating a unique border-town culture where trade dominates every conversation. The hustle at Benapole, with its currency exchangers, transport agents, and weary travelers, is a sight to behold. But moving away from the border, Jessore transforms into a land of colors. It is the flower capital of Bangladesh. The Godkhali area is a surreal landscape where fields of roses, tuberoses, gladioli, and marigolds stretch to the horizon. In the early morning, the wholesale flower market is a riot of fragrance and color. Farmers arrive with bicycle-loads of cut flowers, negotiating prices that will eventually determine how much a bouquet costs in Dhaka. It is a beautiful, fragrant economy that supports thousands of families.
Culturally, Jessore is a heavyweight. It is the home of Michael Madhusudan Dutt, the father of the Bengali sonnet. His ancestral home in Sagordari, located on the banks of the Kopotakkha River, is a pilgrimage site for literature lovers. Although the river has lost its flow, the nostalgia remains. Walking through the quiet courtyard of his estate, you get a sense of the tragic genius who revolutionized Bengali poetry. The district is also famous for the 'Nakshi Kantha' or embroidered quilt. The women of Jessore are renowned for stitching intricate stories and motifs into these quilts, an art form that has been passed down for centuries. And then there is the food. Jessore is famous for its date molasses, or Patali Gur. The date trees here are tapped with a specific skill, yielding a sap that produces the most aromatic molasses in the country. In winter, the rural areas smell of boiling sap. The district also has a distinct culinary tradition of 'Jamtolar Mishti', a sweet that is dark, dry, and delicious. Jessore is a district that balances the grit of cross-border trade with the delicate beauty of flower farming and poetry.