Tikoil is a small village in Nachole Upazila of Chapainawabganj district. Every wall of Tikoil village is a canvas and people are the artisans of alpona. For this reason, it is now known as “Alpona Gram” (village of traditional art) across the country. The inhabitants of the mud houses here have decorated their own artistic realm in their own way. Everyone is a king in the realm of color here. The main artisans of alpona at Tikoil village are the housewives and girls of this village. Year after year they perpetuated this tradition on the walls of their houses, which has been passed down through generation. In the Alpona village in Nachole, every single wall inside or outside of the house bears this beautiful artwork created from brush strokes. From the kitchen to the bedroom, every wall is filled with hand-painted alpona by the girls.
The villagers make alpona in their mud houses to present the mud houses of Tikoil beautifully and because of their artistry. They draw this alpona with their own made color. The source of making alpona on mud houses here is also soil. According to the villagers, earlier housewives would use ochre, chalk, color and Turpentine oil to draw alpona. However, the alpona painted on those materials did not last long. Therefore, at present, powder made by cursing dried palm, ochre, old mango shell, and chalk powder, different colors and saps of arum and banana tree are used to create a special kind of paint. They create a paint mixture with all these ingredients and then keep them for at least 4-5 days before painting the alpona. As a result, that alpona lasts for more than a year. According to them, the alpona rids their home of all the evil elements and makes the home beautiful at the same time.
Even the elders of Tikoil village do not know how this tradition started, but they have been carrying on this artistic tradition for generations. On various occasions, such as festivals, pujas, or any other joyous occasions, they observe this tradition with great joy. The joy of creation can be seen in the works of these people. They fill their rural lives with such pleasurable moments.
The interesting thing is that previously village elders selected brides and grooms based on the quality of the alpona they drew in their homes. Still today, women of the Hindu neighborhood continue this tradition. Tikoil villagers believe that the next generation will continue this tradition. The women of Tikoil village paint alpona on the walls of their homes. This makes their house look beautiful and seek the blessings of the gods.
How to go there?
Tikoil village in Nachole Upazila is 24 km north-east of Chapainawabganj Sadar. The village falls in Nezampur Union, which bears the memory of Ila Mitra, the undisputed leader of the Tebhaga movement. The only means of direct travel from the capital Dhaka to Chapainawabganj is by road. The distance between Dhaka and Chapainawabganj by road is 317 km. Numerous buses of various transport companies leave for Chapainawabganj every day from different bus stops in Dhaka, including Gabtoli and Kalyanpur bus terminals. In fact, these regularly leave from Chapainawabganj for Dhaka. The names and contact sources of the notable transport companies operating on the Dhaka-Chapainawabganj route are given below:
Every day from dawn till midnight, the passenger buses of these transport companies run from Dhaka and Chapainawabganj to specific destinations after one hour or half an hour. Apart from all these, buses of Lata, Nahar, Sathi, Durduranta and other transport companies also run regularly on Dhaka-Chapainawabganj route every day.
Though the BRTC bus does not run on Dhaka-Chapainawabganj route from the BRTC bus counter, they regularly leave for Rangpur, Dinajpur, Bagura, Kushtia, Magura, Faridpur and Barishal from Chapainawabganj.
Chapainawabganj has no direct train from Dhaka. However, two separate trains run regularly from Chapainawabganj to Sirajganj and Khulna via Rajshahi.
Chapainawabganj
district is connected with Nachole Upazila by rail. Besides one can go to Nachole
from Chapainawabganj by bus, taxi and other vehicles.
