History & Background
Kaptai Lake was created in 1962 when the Karnaphuli Hydroelectric Project dammed the Karnaphuli River, flooding a vast area of the Chittagong Hill Tracts and displacing an estimated 100,000 people, mostly indigenous Chakma farmers, in what remains a deeply contested episode in the region's history. Rangamati, the district town that survived on the lake's edge, became the traditional seat of the Chakma Circle Chief and today is known for its hanging bridge, floating pagodas, and Chakma handloom textiles sold along the lakeside.