Companiganj ( bn, কোম্পানীগঞ্জ) is an
upazila
An ''upazila'' ( bn, উপজেলা, upôzela, lit=sub-district pronounced: ), formerly called ''thana'', is an administrative region in Bangladesh, functioning as a sub-unit of a district. It can be seen as an analogous to a county or a ...
of
Noakhali District
Noakhali ( bn, নোয়াখালী, , New canal), historically known as Bhulua ( bn, ভুলুয়া), is a district in southeastern Bangladesh, located in the Chittagong Division. It was established as district in 1821, and offici ...
.
The area is famed for ''
water buffalo
The water buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis''), also called the domestic water buffalo or Asian water buffalo, is a large bovid originating in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Today, it is also found in Europe, Australia, North America, So ...
doi (curd)
Curd, also dahi, is a traditional yogurt or fermented milk product, originating from the Indian subcontinent, usually prepared from cow's milk, and sometimes buffalo milk, or goat milk. It is popular throughout the Indian subcontinent. The word ' ...
''.
History
The Port of Jugdia (presently in Sirajpur Union) gained relevance as an important commercial seaport during the
Bengal Sultanate
The Sultanate of Bengal ( Middle Bengali: শাহী বাঙ্গালা ''Shahī Baṅgala'', Classical Persian: ''Saltanat-e-Bangālah'') was an empire based in Bengal for much of the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. It was the dominan ...
period. With the advent of the
Mughals
The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...
, the Eidagazi Mosque was constructed in Charhazari. In 1853, the
British East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
set up a factory in Jugdia and a textile mill there in 1857. The
French East India Company
The French East India Company (french: Compagnie française pour le commerce des Indes orientales) was a colonial commercial enterprise, founded on 1 September 1664 to compete with the English (later British) and Dutch trading companies in the ...
also set up huge textile mills here and these textiles and salt, including the native textiles produced by the
Tantis, were exported abroad through the Port of Jugdia. Companiganj was established as a
thana
Thana means "police station" in South Asian countries, and can also mean the district controlled by a police station.
* Thanas of Bangladesh, former subdistricts in the administrative geography of Bangladesh; later renamed ''upazila''
* in (Briti ...
(police outpost) in 1888, by the British colonial administrators, named after the British East India Company.
[ The map of Companiganj and ]Sandwip Upazila
Sandwip ( bn, সন্দ্বীপ) is an upazila of Chattogram District in Chattogram Division, Bangladesh. It encompasses the islands of Sandwip and Urir Char.
History
Sandwip Thana's status was upgraded to an upazila (sub-district l ...
at the mouth of the Meghna River
The Meghna River ( bn, মেঘনা নদী) is one of the major rivers in Bangladesh, one of the three that form the Ganges Delta, the largest delta on earth, which fans out to the Bay of Bengal. A part of the Surma-Meghna River System, ...
estuary and at the confluence of the Bamni rivers changes every few years. During the British rule, there was a Bamni Thana in this area (in Rampur Union). There are also villages named Bamni and Musapur in Sandwip
Sandwip ( bn, সন্দ্বীপ, Shondip) is an island located along the southeastern coast of Bangladesh in the Chattogram District. Along with the island of Urir Char, it is a part of the Sandwip Upazila.
Description
Sandwip is locate ...
. It is known that people from these two areas emigrated from Sandwip due to river breakage. These two regions of Companiganj and Sandwip had close contact even until the 1960s. The people of Bamni in Sandwip were reportedly the descendants of a Brahmin
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...
woman, and when they migrated to Bamni (Rampur), it caused issues due to the class and cultural differences. The Sandwipis of Companiganj are said to maintain a distinct identity to the native Companiganjis.[
The 20th century marked an important development of Islamic education in Companiganj. In 1915, the Asria Senior Madrasa was established in Bamni. Eight years later, the Islamia Senior Madrasa was founded in Basurhat. During the ]Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...
of 1971, a Razakar force was established in Companiganj by the grandsons of Moulvi Minnat Ali of Bamni. One of their brothers, Rafi Uddin, became the central leader of the Al-Badr
Al Badr is a village in Mecca Province, in western Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making ...
force. When the freedom fighters went to liberate the Charfaqira Union by setting up base at the nearby Chaprashi market, freedom fighter Abdur Rob was killed. Salih Ahmad and others were killed by a surprise attack by the Razakars.[ A brawl took place near the ]sluice gate
Sluice ( ) is a word for a channel controlled at its head by a movable gate which is called a sluice gate. A sluice gate is traditionally a wood or metal barrier sliding in grooves that are set in the sides of the waterway and can be considered ...
on Banchharam Road between the Bengali freedom fighters against the Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...
and their collaborators on 4 September. As a result, six freedom fighters were killed. A number of other encounters took place in Companiganj, with the Liberation of Bamni leading to the death of seven freedom fighters including Sadar BLF Commander Ohidur Rahman Wadud. Their bodies lie in a mass grave near Sluice Gate no 16.
On 2 July 1983, Companiganj Thana was upgraded to an upazila
An ''upazila'' ( bn, উপজেলা, upôzela, lit=sub-district pronounced: ), formerly called ''thana'', is an administrative region in Bangladesh, functioning as a sub-unit of a district. It can be seen as an analogous to a county or a ...
(sub-district) as part of the President of Bangladesh
The president of Bangladesh ( bn, বাংলাদেশের রাষ্ট্রপতি — ) officially the President of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশে ...
Hussain Muhammad Ershad
Lt. Gen. Hussain Muhammad Ershad ( bn, হুসেইন মুহাম্মদ এরশাদ; 1 February 1930 – 14 July 2019) was a Bangladeshi Army Chief politician who served as the President of Bangladesh from 1983 to 1990, a time ma ...
's decentralisation programme.[
]
Geography
Companigani is bounded by Senbgh and Daganbhuiyan ''upazilas'' on the north, Noakhali Sadar and Sandwip on the south, Sonagazi and Mirsharai on the east, Noakhali Sadar on the west. The main rivers are Little Feni and Bamni.
Companiganj (town) stands six km south of Maijdi Road. The town consists of six ''mouzas''. It has an area of 6.5 km2.
Demographics
As of the 2011 Bangladesh census
In 2011, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, conducted a national census in Bangladesh, which provided a provisional estimate of the total population of the country as 142,319,000. The previous decennial census was the 2001 census. Data were reco ...
, Companiganj had a population of 183351. Males constitute 49.71% of the population, and females 50.29%. Population density was 601 per km2. The town has one dakbungalow. It has 30,847 households.
Muslims constitute 91.85%, Hindus 8.10% and Christians 0.05%. Residents over eighteen number 83104. The Companiganj has an average literacy rate of 34.5% (7+ years); male 41.5% and female 27.8%; and the national average of 32.4% literate.
Administration
Companiganj Upazila is divided into Companiganj Municipality and eight union parishad
Union council ( bn, ইউনিয়ন পরিষদ, translit=iūniyan pariṣad, translit-std=IAST), also known as union parishad, rural council, rural union and simply union, is the smallest rural administrative and local government unit ...
s: Charelahi, Charfakira, Charhazari, Charkakra, Charparboti, Musapur, Rampur, and Sirajpur. The union parishads are subdivided into 36 mauzas and 45 villages.
Companiganj Municipality is subdivided into 9 wards and 11 mahalla
is an Arabic word variously translated as district, quarter, ward, or "neighborhood" in many parts of the Arab world, the Balkans, Western Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and nearby nations.
History
Historically, mahallas were autonomous social ins ...
s.
Chairmen
Education
A government college, three non-government colleges, two government high schools, twenty-six non-government high schools, nine ''madrasas'', one technical institution, fifty-seven government primary schools and nineteen non-government primary schools. Noted educational institutions include: Basurhat A. H. C. Government High School
Basurhat A. H. C. Government High School is a secondary school located in Basurhat municipality, Companiganj Upazila, Noakhali District, Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South ...
(1911), Companigong model high school (1982), Kabi Jashim Uddin High School (1986), Bamni High School (1914), Bamni College, Chowdhuryhat College, Basurhat Islamia Senior Madrasa (1914), Bamni Achhia Senior Madrasa (1915), Hazarihat High School, B.M College and Charparboti S. C High School.
English medium - Oxford school and College (2017)
Cultural organisations Club 22, Press Club, Companigonj, three public libraries, one cinema hall and twenty-six playgrounds
Facilities
There are 242 mosques in Companiganj with notable ones including the historic Eidagazi Mosque in Charhazari as well as the Budi Mosque in Basurhat. The Darza Orphanage in Bara Hafez Saheb Bari, Charparbati is a notable orphanage in the upazila.
Notable people
* Abu Naser Chowdhury, former parliamentarian
* ASM Enamul Haque
ASM Enamul Haque (1944/1945 – 22 July 2023) was a Bangladesh Nationalist Party politician and a Member of Parliament from Noakhali-5.
Life and career
Haque was elected to parliament from Noakhali-5 as an Bangladesh Nationalist Party candidat ...
, former Member of Parliament
* Hasna bint Jasimuddin, environmentalist and politician
* Moudud Ahmed
Moudud Ahmed (24 May 1940 – 16 March 2021) was a Bangladeshi lawyer and politician. He was a standing committee member of Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Ahmed was elected as a Jatiya Sangsad member total five times from Noakhali-1 and Noakhali-5 ...
, 8th Prime Minister of Bangladesh
The Prime Minister of Bangladesh ( bn, বাংলাদেশের প্রধানমন্ত্রী, translit=Bangladesher Prodhanmontri), officially Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজা ...
* Obaidul Quader
{{Infobox officeholder
, name = Obaidul Quader
, native_name = ওবায়দুল কাদের
, native_name_lang = Bn
, image = Obaidul Quader MP (cropped).jpg
, caption =
, pri ...
, Minister of Road Transport and Bridges The Minister of Road Transport and Bridges (formerly the Minister of Communications) is the Minister in charge of the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, Government of Bangladesh. He is also the Minister of All Departments, Offices and Agencies ...
* Shahadat Hossain Chowdhury, brigadier and Election Commissioner
See also
* Upazilas of Bangladesh
An ''upazila'' ( bn, উপজেলা, upôzela, lit=sub-district pronounced: ), formerly called ''thana'', is an administrative region in Bangladesh, functioning as a sub-unit of a district. It can be seen as an analogous to a county or a ...
* Districts of Bangladesh
* Divisions of Bangladesh
References
{{Upazilas of Chittagong Division
Companiganj Upazila, Noakhali