Golapganj Upazila ( bn, গোলাপগঞ্জ), previously known as Gulabganj, 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
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 ...
.
Geography
Golapganj Upazila (
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 ...
) area 278.34 km
2, located in between 24°41' and 24°55' north latitudes and in between 91°55' and 92°06' east longitudes. It is bounded by
Sylhet Sadar,
Jaintiapur and
Kanaighat
Kanaighat ( bn, কানাইঘাট) is an upazila of Sylhet Division of Bangladesh. It is the second-largest upazila (sub-district) of Sylhet District after Gowainghat Upazila. It is named after the town of Kanaighat, which is also the only ...
upazilas on the north,
Fenchuganj
Fenchuganj ( bn, ফেঞ্চুগঞ্জ) is an upazila of Sylhet District in the Division of Sylhet, Bangladesh.
Etymology
There are many theories behind the naming of the upazila. Some say that Fenchuganj is named after Penchu (or Fench ...
and
Barlekha
Barlekha ( bn, বড়লেখা, Bôrlekha) is an upazila (sub-district) of Moulvibazar District, located in Bangladesh's Sylhet Division.
Etymology
Barlekha Upazila is named after Barlekha (formerly 'Barlikha') which means Great ''Likha''. ' ...
upazilas on the south,
Beanibazar
Beanibazar ( bn, বিয়ানীবাজার, Biyanībazar, Morning Market) is an upazila (sub-district) of Sylhet District in northeastern Bangladesh, part of the Sylhet Division. The area is the successor of the territory of Panchakhanda ...
and Barlekha on the east, Sylhet Sadar and
Dakshin Surma upazila
South Surma ( bn, দক্ষিণ সুরমা, Dokkhin Shurma), also known as Dakshin Surma, is an upazila of Sylhet District in the Division of Sylhet, Bangladesh.
History
After the Conquest of Gour in 1303, many disciples of Shah Jalal ...
on the west.
''Water bodies'' Main rivers
surma,
kushiyara, Sonai; Singari Beel, Bagha Beel, Fatamati Beel, Parea Beel and Sonadubi Beel are notable.
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, two disciple 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 ...
; Shah Bahauddin and Shah Putla Fattah, migrated to Bhadeshwar in modern-day Golapganj where their
mazar Mazar of Al-Mazar may refer to:
*Mazar (mausoleum); often but not always Muslim mausoleum or shrine.
Places
*Mazar (toponymy), a component of Arabic toponyms literally meaning shrine, grave, tomb, etc.
*Mazar, Afghanistan, a village in Balkh Pro ...
s remains today.
In 1740, during the reign of
Mughal emperor
The Mughal emperors ( fa, , Pādishāhān) were the supreme heads of state of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Mughal rulers styled t ...
Muhammad Shah
Mirza Nasir-ud-Din Muḥammad Shah (born Roshan Akhtar; 7 August 1702 – 26 April 1748) was the 13th Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1719 to 1748. He was son of Khujista Akhtar, the fourth son of Bahadur Shah I. After being chosen by the ...
, Gulab Ram Ray of
Murshidabad
Murshidabad fa, مرشد آباد (, or ) is a historical city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located on the eastern bank of the Bhagirathi River, a distributary of the Ganges. It forms part of the Murshidabad district.
During ...
was appointed the
Dewan
''Dewan'' (also known as ''diwan'', sometimes spelled ''devan'' or ''divan'') designated a powerful government official, minister, or ruler. A ''dewan'' was the head of a state institution of the same name (see Divan). Diwans belonged to the el ...
of Sylhet with the permission of the
Faujdar
Faujdar is a term of pre-Mughal origins. Under the Mughals it was an office that combined the functions of a military commander along with judicial and land revenue functions.
In pre-Mughal times, the term referred to a military officer but d ...
of Sylhet, Shamsher Khan, and the
Nawab of Bengal
The Nawab of Bengal ( bn, বাংলার নবাব) was the hereditary ruler of Bengal Subah in Mughal India. In the early 18th-century, the Nawab of Bengal was the ''de facto'' independent ruler of the three regions of Bengal, Bihar, ...
,
Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan
Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan ( bn, সুজাউদ্দীন মুহম্মদ খাঁন, fa, ) was the Nawab of Bengal. He married Zainab un-nisa Begum and Azmat un-nisa Begum, the daughters of Murshid Quli Khan by Nasiri Banu Beg ...
. Gulab was a practising
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 ...
, and was informed about how
Krishna Chaitanya
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (; born Vishvambhar Mishra) was a 15th-century Indian saint who is considered to be the combined avatar of Radha and Krishna by his disciples and various scriptures. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mode of worshipping Krishna ...
's paternal home was in Dhakadakshin (in present-day Golapganj). The Dewan then ordered for a road and bridge to be made from Sylhet town to Dhakadakshin, to make it easier for those wanting to visit the place. When the Dewan reached Chaitanya's home, he built a
Hindu temple
A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hind ...
and created a large pond next to it. From Hetimganj to Dhakadakshin, the road is now known as Dewan Road after Gulab himself. The Dewan's Bridge also remains today as an ancient culvert. The area was also renamed Gulabganj after the Dewan, which eventually changed to Golapganj (although older records mention the name Golabganj).
A thana was founded in Hetimganj originally and then moved to Golabganj Bazaar. The Golabganj Thana was formed in 1906. Revolts in Ronikeli and Bhadeshwar were held during the
Nankar Rebellion
The Nankar rebellion ( bn, নানকার বিদ্রোহ, Nānkār Bidrōh, ur, بغاوت نانکار, Baghāvat-e-Nānkār) was a peasant movement in the Sylhet District (now Sylhet Division) of East Pakistan which was organised on ...
.
[Bangladesh Population Census 2001, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics; Field report of Golabganj Upazila 2010.] In the aftermath of 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 mass grave was found in Sundisail and there remains a monument in the upazila as a memorial.
It 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 ...
in 1983.
Demographics
Total population Golapganj Upzila:263953 male 132189, female 131764; Muslim 252167, Hindu 11725, Buddhist 21, and others 40. Indigenous communities such as manipuri and tripura belong to this upazila.
According to the census 2011, Golapganj Upazila has a population of 316,149. Males constitute 50.29% of the population, and females 49.71%. 48.17% of the population is age eighteen or older. Average Household size 6.23 person and population density is 1136 person per km
2. Golapganj has an average literacy rate of 57.0% (7+ years), and the national average of 32.4% literate.
Main sources of income
Agriculture 34.05%, non-agricultural laborer 6.03%, industry 0.94%, commerce 14.64%, transport and communication 4.01%, service 6.16%, construction 2.88%, religious service 0.58%, rent and remittance 18.34% and others 12.37%.
Main crops are
Paddy,
chilli
Chili or chilli may refer to:
Food
* Chili pepper, the spicy fruit of plants in the genus ''Capsicum''; sometimes spelled "chilli" in the UK and "chile" in the southwestern US
* Chili powder, the dried, pulverized fruit of one or more varieties ...
,
pumpkin
A pumpkin is a vernacular term for mature winter squash of species and varieties in the genus ''Cucurbita'' that has culinary and cultural significance but no agreed upon botanical or scientific meaning. The term ''pumpkin'' is sometimes use ...
,
arum
''Arum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to Europe, northern Africa, and western and central Asia, with the highest species diversity in the Mediterranean region. Frequently called arum lilies, they are not closely ...
,' barbati.
Nearly extinct crops are
Mustard
Mustard may refer to:
Food and plants
* Mustard (condiment), a paste or sauce made from mustard seeds used as a condiment
* Mustard plant, one of several plants, having seeds that are used for the condiment
** Mustard seed, seeds of the mustard p ...
,
sesame
Sesame ( or ; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a flowering plant in the genus ''Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cu ...
,
linseed
Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...
.
Main fruits are
Jackfruit
The jackfruit (''Artocarpus heterophyllus''), also known as jack tree, is a species of tree in the fig, mulberry, and breadfruit family (Moraceae). Its origin is in the region between the Western Ghats of southern India, all of Bangladesh, ...
,
mango
A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South a ...
,
litchi
Lychee (US: ; UK: ; ''Litchi chinensis''; ) is a monotypic taxon and the sole member in the genus ''Litchi'' in the soapberry family, '' Sapindaceae''.
It is a tropical tree native to Southeast and Southwest China (the Guangdong, Fujian, ...
,
banana
A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...
, latkon,
guava
Guava () is a common tropical fruit cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. The common guava ''Psidium guajava'' (lemon guava, apple guava) is a small tree in the myrtle family ( Myrtaceae), native to Mexico, Central America, the ...
,
lemon
The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China.
The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culin ...
,
shaddock,
betel nut
The betel (''Piper betle'') is a vine of the family Piperaceae, which includes pepper and kava. The betel plant is native to Southeast Asia. It is an evergreen, dioecious perennial, with glossy heart-shaped leaves and white catkins. Betel plan ...
,
coconut
The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the ...
.
Ownership of agricultural land
Landowner 42.76%, landless 57.24%; agricultural landowner: urban 27.98% and rural 43.91%.
Administration
Golapganj Upazila is divided into Golapganj Municipality and 11
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: Amura, Bagha,
Bhadeshwar, Budhbaribazar, Dhaka Dakshin, Fulbari, Golapganj, Lakshanaband, Lakshmi Pasha, Sharifganj, and Uttar Badepasha. The union parishads are subdivided into 98 mauzas and 244 villages.
Golapganj Municipality is subdivided into 9 wards and 23
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.
List of chairmen
Education
![Dhakadakshin M](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Dhakadakshin_M.L_High_School.jpg)
There are five colleges in the upazila: Al-Imdad College, Bhadeswar College, Bhadeswar Mohila College, Dhaka Dakshin Degree College, and Kushiara College.
According to Banglapedia, Bhadeshwar Nasiruddin High School, founded in 1919,
Dhakadakshin Multilateral High School and College (1898), and MC Academy (1934) are notable secondary schools.
Average literacy 48.24%; male 50.89%, female 45.64%.
Newspapers and periodicals
G Voice24 Weekly; Golap, Sonar Sylhet.
Tourist spots
Bangladesh Scouts
The Bangladesh Scouts ( bn, বাংলাদেশ স্কাউটস) is the national Scouting organization of Bangladesh. Scouting was founded in 1914 in East Bengal, now Bangladesh, as part of the British Indian branch of The Scout Associa ...
(Sylhet region),
Petrobangla
PetroBangla (Bangladesh Oil, Gas & Mineral Corporation; bn, পেট্রোবাংলা) is a government-owned national oil company of Bangladesh. It explores, produces, transports, manages and sells oil, natural gas and other mineral reso ...
, Kailash Tila and the birthplace of
Sri Chaitanya Dev.'
Mazar of Bahauddin, house and temple of sri chaitanya Dev, Kailash Tila and Dewan Bridge.
Health centres
Upazila health centre 1, union health centre 1, health and family planning centre 5, community clinic 11, maternity and child welfare centre 1, diagnostic centre 3, veterinary hospital 1.
Notable people
*
Arjumand Ali, first Bengali Muslim novelist
*
Abdul Matin Chaudhary
Abdul Matin Chaudhary ( bn, আব্দুল মতিন চৌধুরী; 1925–1989), also known by his daak naam Kola Mia ( bn, কলা মিঞা), and the epithet Jinnar Daan Haat (lit. ''Jinnah's right hand''), was a Pakistani B ...
, first Agriculture Minister of Pakistan
*
*
Fatema Chowdhury Paru
Fatema Chowdhury Paru (August 4, 1944 – Unknown) was a politician from Sylhet district in Bangladesh who was a member of parliament for the reserved 24-seat constituency.
Early life
Paru was born on 4 August 1944 in Rankeli village of Golap ...
, politician
*
Sadruddin Ahmed Chowdhury
Sadruddin Ahmed Chowdhury (1 January 1931 – 23 July 2016) was a Bangladeshi academic and physicist. He was one of the instrumental figures in founding Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) and served as the vice-chancellor of th ...
, physicist and vice-chancellor of
Shahjalal University of Science and Technology
Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) is a Public university, public research university, research based university in Sylhet, Bangladesh. It is the List of universities in Bangladesh#Public universities, 8th oldest university o ...
and
Sylhet International University
Sylhet International University (SIU) is a private university located at Shamimabad, Bagbari, Sylhet, Bangladesh. It was established under ''The Private University Act of 1992''. SIU is affiliated with University Grants Commission of Bangladesh. ...
*
AKM Gouach Uddin
AKM Gouach Uddin was a politician in Sylhet District of Bangladesh. As a Jatiya Party candidate he was elected member of parliament for constituency Sylhet-6 in the 1988 Bangladeshi general election.
Birth and early life
AKM Gausch Uddin wa ...
,
Jatiya Party politician
*
Aminul Hoque MBE Mbe may refer to:
* Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo
* Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria
* Mbe language, a language of Nigeria
* Mbe' language, language of Cameroon
* ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language
Molal ...
, lecturer at
Goldsmiths, University of London
Goldsmiths, University of London, officially the Goldsmiths' College, is a constituent research university of the University of London in England. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by the Wor ...
, writer
*
Syed Makbul Hossain
Syed Makbul Hossain ( bn, সৈয়দ মকবুল হোসেন; 1946 – 16 March 2022), also known as Lechu Mia ( bn, লেচু মিঞা), was a Bangladeshi politician and businessman. He was twice a member of parliament (198 ...
, doctor and politician
*
Sharaf Uddin Khashru
Sharaf Uddin Khashru A politician in Sylhet District of Bangladesh. He was elected a member of parliament from Sylhet-6 to the Jatiya Party in the fifth Jatiya Sangsad elections held in the 1991 and in the sixth Jatiya Sangsad elections held ...
, local politician
*
Abdur Rahim ʻAbd al-Raḥīm (ALA-LC romanization of ar, عبد الرحيم) is a male Muslim given name, and in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words ''ʻabd'', ''al-Raḥīm'', one of the names of God in the Qur'an, which give rise to th ...
, advocate, freedom fighter and politician
See also
*
Beanibazar Upazila
Beanibazar ( bn, বিয়ানীবাজার, Biyanībazar, Morning Market) is an upazila (sub-district) of Sylhet District in northeastern Bangladesh, part of the Sylhet Division. The area is the successor of the territory of Panchakhand ...
*
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
Source Bangladesh Population Census 2001, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.
External links
List Of Union Parishad-
Local Government Engineering Department Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) is an organ of Bangladesh government created for provision of transport infrastructures in rural areas and to provide technical support to the rural and the urban local government institutions (LGIs), p ...
Golapganj Upazila-
Banglapedia
''Banglapedia:'' ''the'' ''National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh'' is the first Bangladeshi encyclopedia. It is available in print, CD-ROM format and online, in both Bengali and English. The print version comprises fourteen 500-page volumes. The f ...
Official Website- Golapganj Upazila
{{Coord missing, Bangladesh