Bholanath Mishtanna Bhandar

About

Bholanath Mishtanna Bhandar is a sweet shop at Banshtala Bazar in Enayetpur village, on the west bank of the Jamuna in Chauhali upazila of Sirajganj, known for its special sweet, pantoa. About a hundred years ago, sweet-maker Ganesh Modak at Sthalpakrashi Bazar began shaping chhana into long pieces, frying them in ghee and soaking them in thin syrup to make pantoa. When river erosion swallowed that bazar, his two sons Dhiren Modak and Loknath Modak opened a shop of this name at Banshtala Bazar and have made pantoa and other sweets there for about 50 years. Today Dhiren Modak's son Mahadeb Modak and Loknath Modak's son Chitta Modak run two shops under the same name. Each morning the shop buys two to two and a half maunds of raw milk from local milkmen, boils it on a wood fire and splits it into chhana for the pantoa. An 80-gram pantoa sells for Tk 30-35 and a kilo for Tk 350-400. Locals call it Banshtala's 'pani tawa', and buyers carry it to relatives in Dhaka and even send it abroad.

Products and services

• Pantoa

  Tk 30–35 / each

  Ghee-fried chhana sweet soaked in thin sugar syrup; one piece of 80 g

• Pantoa (by the kilo)

  Tk 350–400 / kg

Prices as given by the owner; ask before you buy.

Address and hours

To learn or to work here

• Visitors welcome