Panigram Resort - Home
Panigram Resort is a socially and environmentally responsible boutique resort located on a river in southern Bangladesh just 70 km from the famous Sundarban mangrove forest. We are developing a luxury resort with a spa and wellness center that protects the natural and cultural heritage of Bangladesh, provides authentic and distinctive travel experiences to discerning travelers, promotes sustainable development, and improves the quality of life in the host community.
Not only will Panigram be one of the premiere resorts in Bangladesh, but it will also be committed to responsible hospitality, designed to harmonize with the community and powered by alternative energy. The beautifully designed mud and bamboo construction will be will be a modern interpretation of vernacular Bangladeshi architecture.
The resort is easily accessible by air; it takes less time to get from Dhaka to Panigram than it does to get from the northern to the southern end of Dhaka in rush hour traffic!
Panigram Resort is currently under construction. We anticipate opening in fall 2011.
Click here to be notified when the resort opens!
What’s going on at Panigram?
Cornell Engineering Intern Powers Up Panigram
Posted by Ranjeev Mahtani on January 28th, 2010Ranjeev Mahtani Looks for Alternative Energy Solutions to Panigram’s Power Requirements
I’m absolutely thrilled about coming out here to Bangladesh as an intern for Panigram Resort. My mission here is to develop and propose a comprehensive and sustainable solution for all of the resort’s power needs. To do this I’ll be assessing the expected electrical power demands of the resort and researching local as well as foreign suppliers of renewable energy technologies. In addition to this, my job will require me to physically survey the resort site in Jessore to determine what types of renewable power systems are most appropriate for that environment.
Cornell Intern Ranjeev Mahtani
The change from the college environment in Ithaca to a developing nation like Bangladesh is something I’ve been told will be hard to get used to. Personally, I look forward to the change as it takes me closer to my roots. I’m a Sri Lankan citizen, with an Indian heritage, but who’s never experienced either country for longer than a month’s vacation. Those vacations were always wonderful, and I’ve long looked forward to an opportunity to reside within the culture of a developing nation for an extended period. So here I am in Bangladesh with seven months ahead of me to experience and enjoy a culture that is closer to my own than what I experience on a daily basis, and to work on a great project that I am whole-heartedly enthusiastic about.
I’m currently a student at Cornell University, studying mechanical engineering with a focus on energy engineering and a minor in applied economics and management. My main academic and career interest is in sustainable energy and how to implement it as the primary means of power provision worldwide. That said, interning at the Panigram as an energy engineering intern should be a great real world learning application for me. The best part is that at the same time I’ll be able to replace a harsh Ithaca winter and a semester’s worth of classes with tropical goodness, subcontinental culture, and maybe even the chance to play some cricket!
Live from Panigram Resort!
Posted by Kristin Boekhoff on September 7th, 2009I am writing this blog from the Panigram Pavilion. All I have to say is that I have the greatest life! I think the photos speak for themselves!
View from the Panigram Pavilion
New Panigram Intern!
Posted by Kristin Boekhoff on September 5th, 2009Panigram Intern Molly Johnson Tackles Waste Management
The phones were ringing off the hook on August 18th. My summer interns were due to go back to the United States that day and everyone from the village in Jessore called to say goodbye. It was a tearful departure; I think that most of the interns would have stayed in Bangladesh if they didn’t have to go back to school. Chi Chi’s boy group, Jonathon’s gang, and even our construction manager called multiple times - always asking when the interns were coming back to Bangladesh. As we said our watery farewells, the interns promised to come back for a reunion after the resort is open.
Fortunately, I didn’t have much time to mourn their departure as I had another Cornell intern scheduled to arrive early the next morning. Like my other interns, Molly had seen the summer internship advertisement. She decided that a summer was not enough for her, however, so she worked with the Engineering School to set up a co-operative semester at Panigram Resort. Read the rest of this entry »
Fresh, Healthy Food at the Panigram Pavilion
Posted by Kristin Boekhoff on August 30th, 2009My intern Janine spent the summer researching Bangladeshi cooking and creating fusion recipes for the investor meeting at the Panigram Pavilion. All of my guests agreed that the food was amazingly delicious and the perfect blend of east and west. Many of them were surprised, however, to learn that the food was also very healthy!
Mint Cucumber Salad
August 14th - A Day of Trauma and Triumph
Posted by Kristin Boekhoff on August 29th, 2009
The Panigram Pavilion on the river at Panigram Resort.
Koli and I sped down the road on his motorcycle in a torrential downpour. He had left our motorcycle helmets at the project site, so I held my hand over his eyes like a visor to block out as much of the monsoon rains as I could so that he could see well enough to keep us on the road. The van, holding three of my interns, two large blocks of ice, all of the cooking utensils from my kitchen, two gas stoves, and several pounds of food followed us. We got to the edge of town and saw that the road was completely blocked for repairs. While the motorcycle might have been able to squeak around the barricade, the van would never make it; fortunately Koli knew an alternate route out of the city. We were already an hour late: the van was delayed, our landlord had padlocked us in the building (it took us 20 minutes to find him and have him come open the door), and we had to stop at the bazaar to get ice. Read the rest of this entry »
Panigram Resort Hosts Its First Guests
Posted by Kristin Boekhoff on August 29th, 2009
Lighting up the pavilion at night.
“Can we stay TONIGHT?” Chi Chi kept nagging me. For the past week she and the interns have been begging me to allow them to spend a night at the Pavilion. I was inclined to capitulate since they have worked really hard for the past several weeks to build it. It still amazes me how much they were able to accomplish in just three weeks!
Koli had some doubts. He insisted that we get permission from the local police before spending the night. We went down to the police station together. The Chief of Police was very friendly, but tried to convince me not to spend the night. My interns worked hard, however, and I wanted to reward them, so I stuck to my guns and told the police officer that we really want to stay and that the interns were going back to America in a few days and would not have another chance. He agreed on the condition that he be allowed to send us four police escorts.
A River Cruise with Jonathon: Exploring Haunted Trees and Ancient Ruins
Posted by Brian Grambow on August 9th, 2009
Brian and Jon explore the local river
The river is central to village life near the Panigram site. Its waters flood rice paddies, provide fish to eat, and assist in the important jute harvest. This year, however, the river reached it lowest point in decades. Normally 90 feet wide, the longer than usual hot season reduced the river to a meager 15 feet across. Now, the monsoon started, but the extra six weeks of dry season caused a floating aquatic plant locally known as port to flourish. Port is always part of the river ecosystem, but this year port stretches the width of the river preventing nearly all boat traffic. This floating plant strains the local economy and could ruin Jon’s hard work as Panigram’s tour program intern.
This summer, Jon explored the area around the site, researched the origins of local ruins, and compiled a database of the local plants and their uses. For our upcoming investor meeting, Jon has planned an hour-long boat and rickshaw tour through the local area. The tour will start at the pavilion where boatmen will take our guests two kilometers up the river to a nearby village; there our guests will take rickshaws along a scenic route back to the pavilion. The tour will end with a striking view of the pavilion at the bridge overlooking the proposed Panigram site.
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