Barisal District, officially spelled Barishal District from April 2018, is a district in south-central

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 ...

, formerly called

Bakerganj district Backergunge, Backergunje, Bakarganj, or Bakerganj was a former district of British India. It was the southernmost district of the Dacca Division. The district was located in the swampy lowlands of the vast delta of the Ganges and the Brahmaputra ...

, established in 1797. Its headquarters are in the city of

Barisal Barisal ( or ; bn, বরিশাল, ), officially known as Barishal, is a major city that lies on the banks of the Kirtankhola river in south-central Bangladesh. It is the largest city and the administrative headquarter of both Barisal Di ...

, which is also the headquarters of

Barisal Division Barishal Division is one of the eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh. Located in the south-central part of the country, it has an area of , and a population of 8,325,666 at the 2011 Census. It is the least populous Division within the ent ...

.''About Barisal''
Local Government Engineering Department, Local Government Division, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development & Cooperatives; retrieved 14 May 2014.

History

Barisal District is a district in southern Bangladesh and is also the headquarter of Barisal Division. Barisal District traces its origins to Bakerganj district which was established in 1797. It was placed in

on 1 January 1993.

Education

Notable educational institutions in Barisal include * Sher-e-Bangla Medical College, *

University of Barisal University of Barishal ( bn, বরিশাল বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়, ; also known as Barishal University or simply BU) is a public university located in Barishal, a divisional city in southern Bangladesh. It is the only ...

, * Barisal Engineering College, * Barisal Cadet College, * Govt. B M College, * Brajamohan school,Govt. Barisal College, * Govt. Hatem Ali College, * Govt. Woman's College, * Barisal Polytechnic Institute, * Govt. Fazlul Huq College, * Barisal Technical School and College, * A. Karim Ideal College, and Ideal Cadet School & College, *

Patuakhali Science and Technology University Patuakhali Science and Technology University (PSTU) ( bn, পটুয়াখালী বিজ্ঞান ও প্রযুক্তি বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়) is a government-financed public university in Patuakhal ...

(Barisal campus). * Govt. Shere Bangla College, Wazirpur * Govt. Gouronodi University College, Gauronodi * Govt. Fazlul Haque College, Chakhar, Banaripara * 16. Amrito Lal day College, Barishal

Demographics

According to the 2011 Bangladesh census, Barisal district had a population was 2,324,310, of which 1,137,210 were males and 1,187,100 females. Rural population was 1,805,294 (77.67%) while the urban population was 519,016 (22.33%). Barisal district had a literacy rate of 61.24% for the population 7 years and above: 61.88% for males and 60.63% for females.

Religion

Islam is the predominant religion in the district with a large

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

population. Historically, the Barisal region has seen one of the highest concentration of Hindus since the area had been part of the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was him ...

, through the rule of

East Pakistan East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Myanmar, wi ...

and subsequently after the independence of Bangladesh. However since Partition Hindus have been fleeing the district in large numbers. Among the 10 upazilas of the district, the

Agailjhara Upazila Agailjhara ( bn, আগৈলঝাড়া) is an upazila (sub-district) of southern Bangladesh's Barisal District, part of the Barisal Division. Geography Agailjhara Upazila covers 155.47 km2. It is located between 22°54' and 23°03' nort ...

has the highest percentage share of Hindus at 42 per cent, while the Muladi Upazila has the lowest at just 1.8 per cent, according to the 2011 Bangladesh census. Overall, minority populations have seen a steep drop in their share of the total population, as well as a fall in their absolute numbers in Barisal district. The trend is similar to other districts in the wider Barisal division.

Subdivisions

Barisal District is divided into the following Upazilas (formerly called Thanas): #

Babuganj Upazila Babuganj ( bn, বাবুগঞ্জ) is an administrative unit of Barisal District in the Division of Barisal, Bangladesh. Geography Babuganj is located at . It has a total area of 164.88 km2. Demographics According to the 2011 Bangla ...

Bakerganj Upazila Bakerganj ( bn, বাকেরগঞ্জ) is an Upazila of Barisal District in the Barisal Division, Bangladesh. Geography Bakerganj is located at . It has a total area of . Demographics According to the 2011 Bangladesh census, Bakerganj Up ...

Banaripara Upazila Banaripara ( bn, বানারীপাড়া) is an Upazila of Barishal District in the Division of Barishal in southern-central Bangladesh. History During the Liberation War in 1971, the Pakistani army killed many innocent people of villag ...

# Barisal Sadar Upazila #

Gournadi Upazila Gournadi ( bn, গৌরনদী) is an administrative unit of Barishal District in the Division of Barishal, Bangladesh. Many popular persons born and in this region.Some important persons who fought for our independence which we have achieved ...

# Hizla Upazila #

Mehendiganj Upazila Mehendigonj ( bn, মেহেন্দিগঞ্জ) is an Upazila of Barisal District in the Division of Barisal, Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eig ...

Muladi Upazila Muladi ( bn, মুলাদী) is an Upazila of Barishal District in the Division of Barishal, Bangladesh. Geography Muladi is located at . It has a total area of 261.02 km2. It borders Gosairhat Upazila on the north, Barisal Sadar Upazil ...

Wazirpur Upazila Wazirpur ( bn, উজিরপুর) is an Upazila of Barisal District in the Division of Barisal, Bangladesh. Geography Wazirpur is located at . It has 44,480 households and a total area of 248.35 km2. Demographics According to the 1 ...

Notable personalities

* A. K. Fazlul Huq politician, Chief Minister of undivided

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

& Governor of erstwhile

* Abdul Wahab Khan, 3rd

Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan The Speaker of the National Assembly (Urdu: اسپیکر قومی اسمبلی); informally as Speaker National Assembly, is the presiding official of the National Assembly of Pakistan– a lower house of the Parliament of Pakistan. The off ...

Abdur Rahman Biswas Abdur Rahman Biswas (1 September 1926 – 3 November 2017) was a Bangladeshi politician. He was the President of Bangladesh from 1991 to 1996. Biswas represented Pakistan at the United Nations General Assembly prior to the independence of Bangla ...

, politician, President of

* Anil Biswas, music director composer of

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

. * Aroj Ali Matubbor, Philosopher *

Mahanambrata Brahmachari Dr. Mahanambrata Brahmachari (25 December 1904 – 18 October 1999; pre-ashramite name Bankim Dasgupta) was a Hindu monk who headed the Mahanam Sampraday in present-day Bangladesh. A yogi and monk of Mahauddharan order, a school of Bengal, he w ...

, Hindu saint *

Kanai Chatterjee Kanai Chatterjee popularly known as K.C. (1933 — 18 July 1983) was a Bengali Maoist ideologue, founder of the Maoist Communist Centre of India. Early life Chatterjee was born in 1933 at Baruikhali village, Barishal British India. He particip ...

, Bengali Maoist leader *

Abdul Gaffar Choudhury Abdul Gaffar Choudhury (12 December 1934 – 19 May 2022) was a Bangladeshi-born British writer, journalist, columnist, political analyst and poet. He wrote the lyrics to "Amar Bhaier Rokte Rangano", a widely celebrated song commemorating the ...

, journalist, who wrote ''Amar Bhaier Rokte Rangano'' to mark the Bengali Language Movement * Altaf Mahmud, music director & lyrician, who composed ''Amar Bhaier Rokte Rangano'' *

Ghatak Pakhi Bhai Ghatak Pakhi Bhai is a Bangladeshi matchmaker and spiritual teacher who have a matrimonial agency in the country. Through him the profession of matchmaking became popular in Bangladesh and he maintained a monopoly in this business for thirty de ...

, Bangladeshi Matchmaker *

Jibanananda Das Jibanananda Das () (17 February 1899 – 22 October 1954) was an Indian poet, writer, novelist and essayist in the Bengali language. Popularly called "Rupashi Banglar Kabi'' ('Poet of Beautiful Bengal'), Das is the most read poet after Rabindr ...

, Poet of ''Ruposi Bangla'' *

Kusumkumari Das Kusumkumari Das (1875–1948) was a Bengali poet, writer and social activist. She is known as a poet and mother of Jibanananda Das, the eminent poet of modern Bengali literature and also served as the secretary of Barishal Women Society. Biog ...

, poet and mother of

* Aswini Kumar Dutta, Social Worker, Founder of BM College *

Brajamohan Dutta Brajamohan Dutta (1826 - 1886) was a Bengali philanthropist and educator. He was the father of nationalist politician Aswini Kumar Dutta. Early life Dutta was born in 1826 at Batajore village, Barishal, British India. He served as a Deputy Magist ...

, Bengali philanthropist and social worker *

Hayat Mahmud Hayat Mahmud ( bn, হায়াত মাহমুদ) was a late 18th-century Bengali Muslim commander who later became the feudal lord of Buzurg-Umedpur in Barisal. He is best known as a freedom fighter against the British East India Company, ...

, feudal lord, military commander and founder of

Miah Bari Mosque The Karapur Miah Bari Mosque ( bn, কড়াপুর মিঞা বাড়ি মসজিদ, ar, ) is a three domed ancient mosque and archaeological site located in the Barisal District of Bangladesh. It is located in Miah Bari, in t ...

Mohiuddin Jahangir Captain Mohiuddin Jahangir ( bn, মহিউদ্দীন জাহাঙ্গীর) was a Pakistan Army office who joined the Mukti Bahini during the 1971 Liberation War. He was born on 7 March 1949 in the village of Rahimgonj under Babu ...

, officer in Sector 7 of the Muktibahini(1971). The highest recognition of bravery in Bangladesh, Bir Sreshtho. *

Sal Khan Salman Amin Khan (born October 11, 1976), commonly known as Sal Khan, is an American educator and the founder of Khan Academy, a free online non-profit educational platform and an organization with which he has produced over 6,500 vi ...

, founder of

Khan Academy Khan Academy is an American non-profit educational organization created in 2008 by Sal Khan. Its goal is creating a set of online tools that help educate students. The organization produces short lessons in the form of videos. Its website also in ...

Shamsuddin Abul Kalam Shamsuddin Abul Kalam ( bn, শামসুদ্দিন আবুল কালাম; 19261997), was an actor and an author of Bengali literature in Bangladesh. He was born in Barisal. He is the maternal uncle of A.M. Harun-ar-Rashid. Life A ...

, Bangladeshi novelist *

Sufia Kamal Begum Sufia Kamal (20 June 1911 – 20 November 1999) was a Bangladeshi poet, feminist leader, and political activist. She took part in the Bengali nationalist movement of the 1950s and civil society leader in independent Bangladesh. She led fe ...

, The Female Romantic poet of Bangladesh * Mahapran

Jogendra Nath Mandal Jogendranath Mandal (Bengali: যোগেন্দ্রনাথ মন্ডল; 29 January 1904 – 5 October 1968), was one of the founding fathers of modern state of Pakistan, and legislator serving as country's first minister of law and ...

, Dalit leader and first Minister of

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

and

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

in Pakistan *

Tofazzal Hossain Manik Miah Tofazzal Hossain Manik Miah ( – 1 June 1969) was a Bengali journalist and politician. He served as the founding editor of ''The Daily Ittefaq''. He wrote the editorial Rajnoitik Moncho (''The Political Stage''). Most of his journalists were con ...

, founder editor of ''

The Daily Ittefaq ''The Daily Ittefaq'' ( bn, দৈনিক ইত্তেফাক, translit. ''Doinik Ittefak'') is a Bengali-language daily newspaper. Founded in 1953, it is the oldest newspaper, and one of the most circulated newspapers in Bangladesh. Thi ...

'' * Hanif Sanket, Television host, writer, producer *

Mosharraf Karim K M Mosharraf Hossain (born 22 August 1971), known by his stage-name Mosharraf Karim ( bn, মোশাররফ করিম), is a Bangladeshi actor, works both in films and television. He began working as a theater artist in late the 1980s wi ...

, Famous Bangladeshi Actor From Gaurnadi Upazilla, TV actor *

Mohammad Abdul Jalil Mohammad Abdul Jalil was a freedom fighter and Mukti Bahini Sector Commander of Sector 9 of during the Bangladesh liberation war in 1971. He was also one of the founding members of political party Jatiyo Samajtantrik Dal. Early years Mohammad ...

, Sector commander in the war of 1971 *

Kamrul Islam Rabbi Kamrul Islam Rabbi (born 10 December 1991) is a Bangladeshi cricketer who has played for Barisal Division from the 2008–09 season. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler. Domestic career Rabbi made his first-class ...

Cricketer *

Yeasin Khan Yeasin Khan ( bn, ইয়াছিন খাঁন) is a Bangladeshi footballer who plays as a defender for Bangladesh Premier League side Chittagong Abahani Chittagong Abahani Limited ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম আবাহন� ...

Footballer * Pran Ranjan Sengupta, Mathematician and Scientist

Notes

References

{{Authority control Districts of Bangladesh Districts of Bangladesh established before 1971