Harong Hurong ( bn, হারং হুরং) is the name of an ancient
cave
A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...
in the
Sylhet region
The 1947 Sylhet referendum was held in the Sylhet District of the Assam Province of British India to decide whether the district would remain in Undivided Assam and therefore within the post-independence Dominion of India, or leave Assam for E ...
of
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
.
The word ''Harong Hurong'' are the two
dialect
The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of Linguistics, linguistic phenomena:
One usage refers to a variety (linguisti ...
s of two ancient
Sylheti
Sylheti may refer to:
* Sylhetis, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group in the Sylhet division and South Assam
* Sylheti language, a language of the Sylheti region
* Sylheti Nagri
Sylheti Nagri or Sylheti Nagari ( syl, , ISO: , ), known in cla ...
word. In Sylheti language, the word 'harong' means narrow or alternative route, and 'hurang' means 'tunnel'. That is, the word 'harong hurong' refers to the alternative tunnel way.
There is a
legend
A legend is a Folklore genre, genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human valu ...
that, in 1303, when the king of
Gour Govinda
Govinda Fenchu ( bn, গোবিন্দ ফেঞ্চু), better known by his regnal title Gour Gobind ( bn, গৌড় গোবিন্দ) and also known by the sobriquet Shomudro Tonoy ( bn, সমুদ্র তনয়), was the ...
heard the news of
Shahjalal's arrival in the region, he along with his army fled through the tunnel and was missing forever.
Etymology
Hurong (হুরং) is the Sylheti dialectical form of the word ( bn, সুড়ঙ্গ, shurongo literally meaning tunnel), and the word Hurong is used to mean ( bn, সাঁকো, Sanko) the
bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...
bridge in many areas of
Sylhet
Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট) is a metropolitan city in northeastern Bangladesh. It is the administrative seat of the Sylhet Division. Located on the north bank of the Surma River at the eastern tip of Bengal, Sylhet has a subtropical climate an ...
and
Sunamganj
Sunamganj ( bn, সুনামগঞ্জ) is a town in the Sylhet Division of northeastern Bangladesh. It is the administrative headquarters and largest town of Sunamganj District. It is located on the banks of the Surma River, approximately ...
. So, if ''Hurong'' means a landscape or alternative route through a barrier, then Harong-Hurong describes an ''alternative tunnel route''.
The tunnel is known by the people of the garden as "Gaur Govind Radha Cave"; where every
Saturday
Saturday is the day of the week between Friday and Sunday. No later than the 2nd century, the Romans named Saturday ("Saturn's Day") for the planet Saturn, which controlled the first hour of that day, according to Vettius Valens. The day's na ...
and
Tuesday
Tuesday is the day of the week between Monday and Wednesday. According to international standard ISO 8601, Monday is the first day of the week; thus, Tuesday is the second day of the week. According to some commonly used calendars, however, ...
they offer worships.
Location
Harong Hurong tunnel is located in the remote area of
Malnicherra, the first commercial tea estate in the
subcontinent
A continent is any of several large landmasses. Generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, up to seven geographical regions are commonly regarded as continents. Ordered from largest in area to smallest, these seven ...
.
This tunnel is located south of Telihathi, next to section No-14 of the Hiluachara Tea Garden.
Myth
The tunnel dates back to about seven hundred years or more. As a result, many folk tales and myth
Myth is a folklore genre consisting of Narrative, narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or Origin myth, origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not Objectivity (philosophy), ...
s are prevalent among the locals. Many people think that the tunnel extends to Jaintia. It is reported that none of the people who entered into the cave came out alive. And even though who has come out, he has died in a short period of time.[ Three ]Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
Tantrika
Tantra (; sa, तन्त्र, lit=loom, weave, warp) are the esoteric traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism that developed on the Indian subcontinent from the middle of the 1st millennium CE onwards. The term ''tantra'', in the Indian t ...
s entered here. Only one of them returned and lived very short time. He was abnormal until his death. A wealthy businessman from Sylhet took an initiative to dig it, but he stopped the renovation work in the midst of seeing an unusual dream.[ An old man of this village entered of his youth. When he sees something ]supernatural
Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
, he comes out with panic. Since then the man is mad, even the famous Kabiraj
Kabiraj ( bn, কবিরাজ, Kobiraj ; as, কবিৰাজ; or, କବିରାଜ; Magahi: कबिराज; ) is an occupational title found in persons of Eastern Indian subcontinent. In olden days people traditionally practising Ayu ...
of Telheti could not cure him.
References
{{coord missing, Bangladesh
History of Sylhet
Caves of Bangladesh
Tourist attractions in Sylhet