Faridpur District ( bn, ফরিদপুর জেলা) 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 ...
. It is a part of the
Dhaka Division
Dhaka Division ( bn, ঢাকা বিভাগ, ''Ḑhaka Bibhag'') is an administrative division within Bangladesh. Dhaka serves as the capital city of the Dhaka Division, the Dhaka District and Bangladesh. The division remains a populati ...
.
It is bounded by the
Padma River
The Padma ( bn, পদ্মা ''Pôdma'') is a major river in Bangladesh. It is the main distributary of the Ganges, flowing generally southeast for to its confluence with the Meghna River near the Bay of Bengal. The city of Rajshahi is sit ...
to its northeast. The district was named after
Farīd-ud-Dīn Masʿūd, a 13th century Sufi saint. A separate district was created by severing Dhaka district in 1786 and was called Dacca Jelalpur. A municipality was established in 1869. Historically, the town was known as ''Fatehabad''. It was also called
Haveli
A ''haveli'' is a traditional townhouse, mansion, manor house, in the Indian subcontinent, usually one with historical and architectural significance, and located in a town or city. The word ''haveli'' is derived from Arabic ''hawali'', mean ...
Mahal Fatehabad.
History
The town of Fatehabad was located by a stream known as the Dead Padma, which was from the main channel of the Padma River. Sultan
Jalaluddin Muhammad Shah
Jalaluddin Muhammad Shah ( bn, জালালউদ্দীন মুহম্মদ শাহ; born as Yadu or Jadu) was a 15th-century Sultan of Bengal and an important figure in medieval Bengali history. Born a Hindu to his aristocratic fat ...
established a
mint
MiNT is Now TOS (MiNT) is a free software alternative operating system kernel for the Atari ST system and its successors. It is a multi-tasking alternative to TOS and MagiC. Together with the free system components fVDI device drivers, XaA ...
in Fatehabad during his reign in the early 15th century. Fatehabad continued to be a mint town of the
Bengal Sultanate until 1538. In
Ain-i-Akbari, it was named as ''Haweli Mahal Fatehabad'' during the reign of
Emperor Akbar
Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...
in the
Mughal Empire
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
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
cartographer
João de Barros mentioned it as ''Fatiabas''. The Dutch map of Van den Brouck described it as ''Fathur''.
Its first mention in
Bengali literature was by Daulat Uzir Bahram Khan in his adaption of
Layla and Majnun
''Layla & Majnun'' ( ar, مجنون ليلى ; Layla's Mad Lover) is an old story of Arab origin, about the 7th-century Bedouin poet Qays ibn al-Mulawwah and his ladylove Layla bint Mahdi (later known as Layla al-Aamiriya).
"The Layla ...
.
The medieval poet
Alaol
Syed Alaol ( bn, সৈয়দ আলাওল; 1607 – 1680) was a 17th century poet of Bengal. His most well known work is ''Padmavati'', which depicts the story of Padmavati, the Sinhalese princess. He is considered to be one of the most pro ...
was born in Faridpur.
Fathabad was a strategically important base in south and southwestern
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 ...
. It was a well-developed urban centre. The town was home to important Mughal government officials, including generals, civil servants and
jagirdars. During the reign of
Emperor Jahangir
Nur-ud-Din Muhammad Salim (30 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was the fourth Mughal Emperor, who ruled from 1605 until he died in 1627. He was named after the Indian Sufi saint, Salim Chishti.
Ear ...
in the 17th century, local
zamindar
A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as ...
s Satrajit and Mukund resisted the Mughal government. By the 19th century, the town was renamed as Faridpur in honour of the
Sufi saint Shah Fariduddin Masud, a follower of the
Chishti order
The Chishtī Order ( fa, ''chishtī'') is a tariqa, an order or school within the mystic Sufi tradition of Sunni Islam. The Chishti Order is known for its emphasis on love, tolerance, and openness. It began with Abu Ishaq Shami in Chisht, a ...
of
Ajmer
Ajmer is one of the major and oldest cities in the Indian state of Rajasthan and the centre of the eponymous Ajmer District. It is located at the centre of Rajasthan. It is also known as heart of Rajasthan. The city was established as "' ...
.
Haji Shariatullah
Haji Shariatullah ( bn, হাজী শরীয়তুল্লাহ; 17811840) was a prominent religious leader and Islamic scholar from Bengal in the eastern subcontinent, who is best known as the founder of the Faraizi movement. In 1884, ...
and
Dudu Miyan
Muḥsin ad-Dīn Aḥmad (1819–1862), better known by his nickname Dudu Miyān, was a leader of the Faraizi Movement in Bengal. He played an active role in the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
Early life
Ahmad was born in 1819, to a Bengali Muslim fami ...
led the conservative
Faraizi movement
The Faraizi movement ( bn, ফরায়েজি আন্দোলন, fôrayeji andolon) was a movement led by Haji Shariatullah in Eastern Bengal to give up un-Islamic practices and act upon their duties as Muslims ( ''farāʾiḍ''). F ...
in Faridpur during the early 19th century.
The Faridpur District was established by the British in 1786. The Faridpur Subdivision was a part of Dacca Division in the
Bengal Presidency
The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William and later Bengal Province, was a subdivision of the British Empire in India. At the height of its territorial jurisdiction, it covered large parts of what is now South Asia and ...
established by the
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 South ...
. The municipality of Faridpur was established in 1869.
The subdivision covered modern day Faridpur,
Rajbari,
Madaripur
Madaripur ( bn, মাদারীপুর ), being a part of the Dhaka Division, is a district in central Bangladesh.
History
Madaripur subdivision was established in 1854 under the district of Bakerganj. In 1873 it was separated from Bakergan ...
,
Shariatpur
Shariatpur ( bn, শরিয়তপুর জেলা, ''Shariatpur Jela'' also ''Shariatpur Zila'') is a district in the Dhaka Division of central Bangladesh. It is bounded by Munshiganj district on the north, Barisal district on the south, Ch ...
and
Gopalganj
Gopalganj may refer to:
Bangladesh
*Gopalganj District, Bangladesh, a district of Dhaka Division
** Gopalganj, Bangladesh, a town and headquarter of Gopalganj district
** Gopalganj Sadar Upazila, an upazila of Gopalganj District
** Gopalganj-1, a ...
districts (collectively known as Greater Faridpur). It was included in
Eastern Bengal and Assam
Eastern Bengal and Assam was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India between 1905 and 1912. Headquartered in the city of Dacca, it covered territories in what are now Bangladesh, Northeast India and Northern West Bengal.
Hist ...
during 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 ...
between 1905 and 1912.
Faridpur was a rail terminus for the
Bengal Provincial Railway
Bengal Provincial Railway was a narrow-gauge railway from Tarakeswar to Magra, in Indian state of West Bengal.
History
The Bengal Provincial Railway opened in 1895 from Tarakeswar on the East Indian Railway to Magra
__NOTOC__
The Magra is ...
and the
Eastern Bengal Railway, connecting
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
with the important
Goalanda
Goalanda ( bn, গোয়ালন্দ) is an upazila of Rajbari District in the Division of Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Geography
Goalanda is located at . It has 15,694 housing units and has a total area of 149.03 km2.
Demographics
Goalanda had ...
ghat
Ghat, a term used in the Indian subcontinent, depending on the context could refer either to a range of stepped hills with valleys (ghati in Hindi), such as the Eastern Ghats and Western Ghats; or the series of steps leading down to a body of ...
s, from where ships travelled to
Colonial Assam
Colonial Assam (1826–1947) refers to the period of History of Assam between the signing of the Treaty of Yandabo and Independence of India when Assam was under the British colonial rule. The political institutions and social relations that wer ...
and
British Burma.
British Faridpur was the birthplace of several nationalist leaders of the subcontinent, including
Ambica Charan Mazumdar,
Humayun Kabir
Humayun Kabir (1906-1969) was an Indian educationist and politician. He was also a poet, essayist and novelist in the Bengali-language. He was also a renowned political thinker. He was educated at Exeter College, Oxford and graduated in 1931. ...
,
Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan
Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan (M. T. Khan; March 1889 – 19 August 1963) was the Speaker of Pakistan's Constituent Assembly from 1948 to 1954 and National Assembly of Pakistan between 1962 and 1963.
Early life
Khan was born to a farmer with only thre ...
and
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman ( bn, শেখ মুজিবুর রহমান; 17 March 1920 – 15 August 1975), often shortened as Sheikh Mujib or Mujib and widely known as Bangabandhu (meaning ''Friend of Bengal''), was a Bengali politi ...
. The acclaimed American engineer
Fazlur Rahman Khan
Fazlur Rahman Khan ( bn, ফজলুর রহমান খান, ''Fozlur Rôhman Khan''; 3 April 1929 – 27 March 1982) was a Bangladeshi-American structural engineer and architect, who initiated important structural systems for skyscrape ...
was also born in the region.
Faridpur saw intense fighting during the
Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.
It was one of original 18 subdivisions of Bangladesh at the time of independence. In 1984, the
devolution reforms of President
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 ...
divided the old subdivision into five districts. In 2015, the Government of Bangladesh announced plans to establish a
Faridpur Division
Padma Division ( bn, পদ্মা বিভাগ) is a proposed administrative division within Bangladesh for the southern parts of the existing Dhaka Division, comprising Faridpur, Gopalganj, Madaripur, Rajbari, and Shariatpur Districts ...
.
Politics and local government
The district has 9
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 ...
s, 4 municipalities, 36
ward
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
s, 100
mahallah
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 i ...
s, 79
unions and 1,899
villages
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...
. The district has four
parliamentary constituencies
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other poli ...
in the
Jatiyo Sangshad
The Jatiya Sangsad ( bn, জাতীয় সংসদ, lit=National Parliament, translit=Jatiyô Sôngsôd), often referred to simply as the ''Sangsad'' or JS and also known as the House of the Nation, is the supreme legislative body of B ...
. The Faridpur District Council is the highest tier of local government.
List of upazilas
The district's nine upazilas:
[
* ]Alfadanga Upazila
Alfadanga ( bn, আলফাডাঙ্গা) is an upazila of Faridpur District in the Division of Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Geography
Alfadanga is located at . It has 16,579 households and total area 136 km2.
Demographics
As of the 1991 Banglad ...
* Bhanga Upazila
Bhanga ( bn, ভাঙ্গা) is an upazila of Faridpur District in the Division of Dhaka Division, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Geography
Bhanga is located at . It has 41463 households and total area 216.34 km2.
Demographics
As of the 1991 Banglad ...
* Boalmari Upazila
Boalmari ( bn, বোয়ালমারী) is an upazila (sub-district) of Faridpur District in central Bangladesh, located in the Dhaka Division. It is named after its headquarters, the town of Boalmari.
Geography
Boalmari Upazila has a total ...
* Charbhadrasan Upazila
* Faridpur Sadar Upazila
Faridpur Sadar Upazila ( bn, ফরিদপুর সদর) is an upazila (sub-district) of Faridpur District in the Division of Dhaka, Bangladesh. It contains Faridpur Town near the banks of the Padma River.
One of 18 registered red-light dis ...
* Madhukhali Upazila
Madhukhali ( bn, মধুখালী) is an upazila of Faridpur District in the Division of Dhaka Division, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Mathurapur village in Madhukhali has the 16th century ancient Mathurapur Deul and one of the 15 Sugar mills in Banglade ...
* Nagarkanda Upazila
* Sadarpur Upazila
* Saltha Upazila
Demographics
According to the 2011 Bangladesh census, Faridpur District had a population of 1,912,969, of which 942,245 were males and 970,274 were females. Rural population was 1,641,869 (85.83%) while urban population was 271,100 (14.17%). Faridpur had a literacy rate of 48.96% for the population 7 years and above: 50.29% for males and 47.69% for females.
Muslims are the majority population with 90.49%, while Hindus are 9.43%. The Hindu population decreased from 1.95 lakh in 1981 to just over 1.8 lakh today.
Economy
Faridpur is an important centre of the jute trade
The jute trade is centered mainly around India, India's West Bengal and Assam, and Bangladesh. The major producing country of jute is India and biggest exporter being Bangladesh, due to their natural fertile soil. Production of jute by India and ...
and hilsa
The ilish (''Tenualosa ilisha'') ( bn, ইলিশ, translit=iliś; also known as the ilishi, hilsa, hilsa herring or hilsa shad, is a species of fish related to the herring, in the family Clupeidae. It is a very popular and sought-after food ...
fish trade. Its industrial sector features numerous jute mills, sugar mills and a 50 MW thermal power plant
A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the electricity generation, generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an el ...
.
In terms of transport, Faridpur is an important hub of the Bangladesh Railway
Bangladesh Railway ( bn, বাংলাদেশ রেলওয়ে) is the state-owned rail transport agency of Bangladesh. It operates and maintains all railways in the country, and is overseen by the Directorate General of Bangladesh Ra ...
, with its tracks connected to the Indian Railways
Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tota ...
in West Bengal. It is linked by road with Kushtia, Meherpur
Meherpur ( bn, মেহেরপুর, pron: ''meɦeɾpuɾ'') is the northwestern district of Khulna Division in southwestern Bangladesh. It is bordered by the Indian state of West Bengal to the west, and by the Bangladeshi districts of Kushtia ...
, Khulna, 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 ...
, and Jessore
Jessore ( bn, যশোর, jôshor, ), officially Jashore, is a city of Jessore District situated in Khulna Division. It is situated in the south-western part of Bangladesh. It is the administrative centre (headquarter) of the eponymous district ...
.
Culture and sport
Faridpur District has a rich heritage of folk music, including Baul
The Baul ( bn, বাউল) are a group of mystic minstrels of mixed elements of Sufism, Vaishnavism and Tantra from Bangladesh and the neighboring Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and Assam's Barak Valley and Meghalaya. Bauls cons ...
, Marami, Bichar, Murshidi-Marfati, Fakirali, Gazirgan, Kabigan, Jarigan music. However many of these traditions are extinct. Major festivals include Eid, Nabanna
''Nobanno'' ( bn, নবান্ন, Nobānno; lit: New Feast) is a Bengali harvest celebration usually celebrated with food and dance and music in Bangladesh and in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and Assam's Barak Valley. It is ...
, Pous Utshab, Rathjatra, Dol Purnima Utshab and Durga Puja. Folk festivities are held on the occasion of Annaprashana, Muharram, Bengali weddings, Jamai Shasthi, Bhadra Mangal Chandi. Folk games of the district include Dariabandha, boat racing, Ha-du-du and cock fighting.
Major contemporary and historical publications include Jagaran, Ganaman (1370 BS), Chashi Barta, Idaning, Thikana, Bhorer Runner, Faridpur (1997), Kumar (2006); Weekly: Kalbhabna (2004), Pragotir Din (1995), Boalmari Sangbad, Al Helal, Bhanga Khabar; Fortnightly: Nazir Bangla Defunct: Faridpur Darpan (1861), Chitrakar (1283 BS), Kohinoor (1896), Sanjay (1900),' Aryakayastha (1318 BS), Faridpur Hitoishi (1329 BS), Faridpur Angina (1329 BS), Barta (1926), Muazzen (1335 BS), The Servant of Humanity (1960), Siraj (1932), Langal (1932), Sheba (1350 BS), Khedmat (1373 BS), Jubashakti (1972), Weekly Bangladesh (1972), Satyajug (1975), Faridpur Barta (1979), Aakal (1979), Samachar (1980) and Bangla Sangbad (1982).
Education
There are several state owned colleges in the district. Several venerable British Raj-era educational institutions are located in the region, including the Rajendra College (1918), Government Saroda Sundori Mohila College (1966) Faridpur Zilla School (1840), Government Girls High School (1910), Madhukhali Pilot High School, George Academy (1911), M N Academy (1916), Bakiganj Islamia Madrasa (1922), Hitoishi High School (1889), Bhanga Pilot High School (1889), Karakdi Rambihari Multilateral High School (1901) and Krishnapur High School (1910). The Faridpur Medical College was established in 1985. The Faridpur Engineering College
Faridpur Engineering College (FEC) is a public undergraduate college in Faridpur, Bangladesh. It was established in 2010. It is located in Baitul Aman Faridpur town of Faridpur District.
History
Construction of the Education Engineering Departm ...
was established in 2010. Faridpur High School was established in 1889.
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
Notes
References
External links
"Faridpur"
in ''Encyclopædia Britannica''
{{Authority control
Districts of Bangladesh
Districts of Bangladesh established before 1971