Maathine’s Koop: Drinking water well. Now preserved as a symbol of sorrow and love after the death of Maathine.

In the beginning of the 20the century, a young handsome police officer in the British Indian Police named Mr.Dhiraj Kumar was posted to Teknaf thana.

Teknaf is a saline area; Drinking water was a problem all the time. Water well was only the source of drinking water which was situated in the thana campus.

Everyday, early in the morning Rakhine girls come to fetch water in the thana campus. The well was in front of Dhiraj quarter. Sitting with a cup of tea Dhiraj regularly watch the girls fetching water from the well.

One morning, the daughter of the local Rakhine Zamindar, Maathin, came to fetch water. She was stunningly beautiful. Dhiraj saw Maathine and Maathine saw Dhiraj. They were impressed each other. For them, it was love at first sight.

After that day, Maathine regularly come to thana campus to fetching water and to spend some romantic moments with Dhiraj. In this way both of them become very close and planning a happy life.

But highly respected Rakhine Zamindar family (Maathine’s family) refuses to accept Dhiraj, who was not from their community. But “real love recognizes no boundaries”. None can stop them. Time passes the romance and love between Maathine –Dhiraj ran deeper and deeper.

One day, Dhiraj got a telegram that he should come back to home to saw his father as he (father) was very ill. Dhiraj gave the news to Maathine and telling her that he will come back very soon but had to leave for home to saw his father. Maathine requested Dhiraj to marry her before he left teknaf, unless she will not let him go. Dhiraj tried to convince Mathine but he failed.

He took one month’s leave and one evening silently he left for Calcutta to saw his father. After some days, Maathine realized that it was not Dhiraj’s father illness rather it was Dhiraj’s indecision to marry her, he makes an excuses to see his father he left Teknaf silently.

She become nervous and can think of what to do. Always she was thinking about her Dhiraj. She stopped every thing, always absent minded and thinking stopped taking food and became sick. All the family members and her father and mother give all assurance to back Djiraj to her. But none could change her mind.

She regularly come and sits near the well in front of Dhiraj’s house and waited for beloved Dhiraj all day long from morning till evening hopping Dhiraj would return. Gradually she became frail and weak.

One day Maathine take her last breath, leaving her family members, father and mother, friends and the neighbours in great grief and sorrow. The only drinking water well of the Teknaf thana campus has become a symbol of sorrow and love after the death of Maathine The police authorities took measures to preserve the well naming it as “Maathine’s Koop”. When you visit Teknaf do not forget to drop a petal in “Maathine’s Koop”.

Teknaf is situated in the extreme southern tip of Bangladesh at the border of Myanmar and on the bank of river Naaf in the district Cox’s Bazar. From the capital Dhaka it is 490 km and from the district head quarter Cox’s Bazar it is 85 km away. It was a very back ward place in the beginning of the last century.