Fenchuganj ( bn, ফেঞ্চুগঞ্জ) 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 ...

Sylhet District Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট), located in north-east Bangladesh, is the divisional capital and one of the four districts in the Sylhet Division. History Sylhet district was established on 3 January 1782, and until 1878 it was part of Bengal Pro ...

in the Division of

Sylhet Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট) is a metropolitan city in northeastern Bangladesh. It is the administrative seat of the Sylhet Division. Located on the north bank of the Surma River at the eastern tip of Bengal, Sylhet has a subtropical climate an ...

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 ...

Etymology

There are many theories behind the naming of the upazila. Some say that Fenchuganj is named after Penchu (or Fenchui) Shah, a guardian of Shah Malum's

dargah A dargah ( fa, درگاه ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargah'' दरगाह درگاہ, bn, দরগাহ ''dorgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often ...

, who had a habit of sitting at the

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 ...

of the

Kushiyara River The Kushiyara River is a distributary river in Bangladesh and Assam, India. It forms on the India-Bangladesh border as a branch of the Barak River, when the Barak separates into the Kushiyara and Surma. The waters that eventually form the Kushiy ...

during the evening every day. One day, he decided to open up a shop in the

, which eventually expanded into Fenchuganj or Fenchu's neighbourhood.

History

After the

Conquest of Gour The Conquest of Sylhet ( bn, শ্রীহট্টের বিজয়, Srīhôtter Bijôy, Conquest of Srihatta) predominantly refers to an Islamic conquest of Srihatta (present-day Sylhet, Bangladesh) led by Sikandar Khan Ghazi, the milit ...

in 1303, some disciples of

Shah Jalal Jalāl Mujarrad Kunyāʾī (), popularly known as Shah Jalal, was a celebrated Sufi figure of Bengal. His name is often associated with the Conquest of Sylhet and the spread of Islam into the region, part of a long history of interactions bet ...

migrated and settled in present-day Fenchuganj where they preached Islam to the local people. Shah Malum and Shah Mohabbat migrated to Mahurapur/Mourapur. In 1907, the Fenchuganj thana was established. Before 1907, it was a part of the Balaganj Thana. During the 1950 East Pakistan riots, the factory of a steamer company was looted and set on fire. Pulin De was murdered near Ilashpur village. under Fenchuganj police station, the houses of Ambika Kabiraj and Makhan Sen were looted and set on fire. 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 ...

, The

Pakistani army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the 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 British India, which occurred as a result ...

shot two gardeners at the gate of the Fenchuganj Fertiliser Factory in May 1971. The army then proceeded to the Manipuri Tea Garden, killing another two tea labourers. Dala Bridge (Ilash Pur)and,Kaiyer Warehouse is recognised as a mass killing site during the war and the Ghilachhora Monument stands out to commemorate the tragedies of the war. In 1980, Fenchuganj Thana was upgraded to an

Geography

Fenchuganj is located at . It has 13368 households and total area 114.48 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 ...

, Fenchuganj has a population of 138,881 . Males constitute 51.07% of the population, and females 48.93%. This Upazila's eighteen up population is 65383. Fenchuganj has an average literacy rate of 68.5% (7+ years), and the national average of 62.4% literate. Now 91,400 Male are 45,040, and Females are 46,369. Religions: Muslim 88.72%, Hindu 11.25%, Buddhist and Christian 0.03%.

Economy

Fenchuganj Upazila has seven

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 generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many pow ...

s, two urea

fertilizer A fertilizer (American English) or fertiliser (British English; see spelling differences) is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from ...

factories A factory, manufacturing plant or a production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. T ...

, three

tea garden A tea garden is an outdoor space or garden where tea and light refreshments are served, or any garden with which the drinking of tea is associated. Especially in India, it is also a common term for a tea plantation. The tea garden was a part o ...

s, three

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...

garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate both ...

s, one

gas field A petroleum reservoir or oil and gas reservoir is a subsurface accumulation of hydrocarbons contained in porous or fractured rock formations. Such reservoirs form when kerogen (ancient plant matter) is created in surrounding rock by the presence ...

, Hakaluki Haor (largest Haour in

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

) and many more. Hakaluki Hawor Sylhet Bangladesh 46

Farms and industries

**''Fertiliser Factories are'' * Natural Gas Fertiliser Factory Ltd. (First fertilizer factory planted in

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

) (Producer : Ammonia, Ammonium sulphate, Urea.) * Shahjalal Fertiliser Factory Ltd (The biggest fertiliser factory planted in

) ** ''Power Plants are'' * Fenchuganj Combined Cycle Gas (170 MW) *Barakatullah Electro Dynamics Limited (51 MW) *Energy prima Ltd ( 50 MW) *Liberty Power US (60 MW) *Kushiara Power Plant Fenchuganj (50 MW) * Build Own Opora (BOO) 170 MW ** ''Tea gardens are'' *Monipur Tea Garden *Muminchara Tea Garden ** ''Gas field'' *

Fenchuganj Gas Field Fenchuganj Gas Field ( bn, ফেঞ্চুগঞ্জ গ্যাসক্ষেত্র) is a natural gas field located in Fenchuganj Upazila, Sylhet District, Bangladesh. This company is under the control of Bangladesh Petroleum Exploratio ...

Administration

Fenchuganj Upazila is divided into five

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: (1 No Fenchuganj), (2 No Maijgaon), (3 No Ghilachora), (4 No Uttar Kushiara), and (5 No Uttar Fenchuganj). The Five union parishads are subdivided into 29 mauzas and 89 villages.

Transport

Fenchuganj has good communication with the rest of the country because it has river, road and rail links. During British rule river and rail travel were popular, following that roads became more used, and more currently the A2( Asian Highway) road built through Fenchuganj, connecting Sylhet-Dhaka and other parts of the country. Established there is a market place on the bank of River Kushiara, with Tuesday and Saturday being the main trading days. People from the surrounding 10–15 miles come to the market to trade and shop. Now there are many local markets which sit every day. Among the views from Fenchuganj are both bridges over Kushiara. Hills around degree college, lake near degree college, fertiliser factory from nearby hill (jola tilla), tea estates, Delwar Hussain mosque, sunset from ilashpur (dhala) bridge and boat trip down the river are very enjoyable.

Education

Fenchugonj Upazila is performing 5.6% above the Bangladesh national average in education. The average rate of education is 68% in Fenchuganj. There are many educational institutions some of these are,

Education

** Colleges are *Fenchuganj Degree College *Fenchuganj Business Management College *Mahmud us Samad Farzana Chowdhury Girls School and College *ManikKuna high school and college ** Schools are * Kasim Ali Model High School *Fariza Khatun Girls High school *Mahmud us Samad Farzana Chowdhury Girls high School *PPM (Puran Bazar Public Model) High School *NGFF (Natural Gas Fertiliser Factory ltd) School *Syed Riyasod Ali high school *Donaram high school *Uttar Kushiara High School *Manikkuna high school *Syed Afruz Firuz Academy *Hero Child pre-cadet Academy *Ghilachora high school *Jomirun Nessa Academy *Khilpara Primary School ** Madrasas are * Fenchuganj Mohammadia Kamil Madrasha *Hatuvanga Darussunna Dakhil Madrsah *Ishak Ali madrasha *Moshahid Ali Mohila Madrasha *khil para madrasha

Notable people

Mahmud Us Samad Chowdhury Mahmud Us Samad Chowdhury (3 January 1955 – 11 March 2021) was a Bangladesh Awami League politician and a Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Sylhet-3 constituency for three terms. Early life Chowdhury was born on 3 January 1955 in Nurpur, ...

, politician * Shah Malum, 14th-century Muslim preacher *

Shahida Rahman Shahidun Nessa Rahman ( bn, শহীদুন নেসসা রহমান; née Karim bn, করিম; born 14 December 1971), commonly known by her pseudonym Shahida Rahman, is an English author, writer and publisher. She is best known ...

, British author

References

{{Upazilas of Sylhet Division

Etymology

History

Geography

Demographics

Economy

Farms and industries

Administration

Transport

Education

Education

Notable people

See also

References