Laksam ( bn, লাকসাম) 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 ...

Comilla District Comilla District, officially known as Cumilla District, is a district of Bangladesh located about 100 kilometres south east of Dhaka. Comilla is bordered by Brahmanbaria and Narayanganj districts to the north, Noakhali and Feni districts to t ...

in the Division of

Chittagong Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in B ...

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 ...

. Laksam is widely known as the birthplace of Nawab Faizunnesa Chowdhurani.

History

Laksam was made into an upazila in 1983. On 6 April 1971 more than 200 people were killed by Pakistani army at Ajgara Bazar 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

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 ...

was defeated on 12 December 1971 in the upazila. During the course of the war, 17 freedom fighters died along with numerous Pakistani soldiers. The upazila has experienced a water crisis due to arsenic in the groundwater.

Geography

Laksam Upazila has an area of . It is bounded by Comilla Sadar and Barura upazilas on the north, Chatkhil, Begumganj and Senbagh upazilas on the south,

Nangalkot Nangalkot ( bn, নাঙ্গলকোট) is an upazila, an administrative unit, of the Comilla District in the Division of Chittagong Division, Chittagong, Bangladesh. It is a rural area with no urban settlements. It has 11 unions, the lowest o ...

and Chauddagram upazilas on the east, Barura and Shahrasti upazilas on the west. The main rivers are Dakatia and Little Feni.

Places of interest

*Kaliapur Pak Dharbar Sharif *3 domed Kazir Mosque; *10 domed Nawab Bari Mosque; *Paschimgaon Nawab Bari; *3 domed Afrannesa Mosque (1869); *Atulchandra Zamidar Bari; *Sree Sree Jagannath Bari Devalaya; *Jagannath Dighi. Laksham Moishan Bari

Administration

Laksham Upazila is divided into Laksham Municipality and seven

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: Azgora, Bakoi, Gobindapur, Laksam Purba, Kandirpar, MudafarGonj, and Uttarda. The union parishads are subdivided into 136 mauzas and 178 villages. Laksham Municipality is subdivided into 9 wards and 31

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 ...

Transport

Laksam Railway Junction Laksam Railway Junction is one of the five biggest junctions of Bangladesh. A junction, in the context of rail transport, is a place at which two or more rail routes converge or diverge. Rail transport operations refer to stations that lie on or n ...

, on the Akhaura-Laksam-Chittagong Line, Laksam-Noakhali Line and Laksam-Chandpur Line is one of the two biggest junctions of Bangladesh. From here people go to

Chandpur District Chandpur District () is a district located in Chattogram Division, Bangladesh. It was a part of the Cumilla District until 15 February 1984.Musa, Muhammad. Brahmanbariar Itibrittyo, Shetu Prokashoni, Brahmanbaria,1998. History During the ru ...

, Noakhali District.

Extinct mediums of transport

Motor launch A Motor Launch (ML) is a small military vessel in Royal Navy service. It was designed for harbour defence and submarine chasing or for armed high-speed air-sea rescue. Some vessels for water police service are also known as motor launches. ...

, bullock drawn cart,

palanquin The litter is a class of wheelless vehicles, a type of human-powered transport, for the transport of people. Smaller litters may take the form of open chairs or beds carried by two or more carriers, some being enclosed for protection from the el ...

, horse drawn carriage.

Rivers

* Dakatia * Choto Feni * Curzon Canal

Fruits and crops

Main fruits include

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, ...

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, Yu ...

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 ...

carambola Carambola, also known as star fruit, is the fruit of ''Averrhoa carambola'', a species of tree native to tropical Southeast Asia. The mildly poisonous fruit is commonly consumed in parts of Brazil, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the South Pacif ...

. Main crops include paddy,

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

, potato, seasonal vegetables.

Notable residents

* Nawab Faizunnesa Chowdhurani, philanthropist and social worker, was born at Paschimgaon village, Pourva Laksam, in 1834. * Muhammad Abdul Malek (born 1969), Islamic scholar, academic and researcher *

Muhammad Shamsul Haque Muhammad Shamsul Huq ( bn, মুহাম্মদ শামসুল হক; 12 October 1912 – 23 February 2006) was a Bangladeshi academic and minister. He served as an education minister in erstwhile East Pakistan, and became the Minister of ...

, former

Foreign Minister of Bangladesh The Minister of Foreign Affairs ( bn, পররাষ্ট্রমন্ত্রী; ''Pororashtrya Montri''; or simply the Foreign Minister) is the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of the People's Republic of Banglades ...

* Md. Tajul Islam, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development (2019–present), was elected from Laksham. *

Biplob Bhattacharjee Biplob Bhattacharjee ( bn, বিপ্লব ভট্টাচার্য; born 7 January 1981), sometimes called Biplob Bhattacharya, is a Bangladeshi retired professional footballer, who represented the Bangladesh national team between 1997 ...

, former goalkeeper and current goalkeeping coach of

Bangladesh National Football Team The Bangladesh national football team ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জাতীয় ফুটবল দল) is the national recognised football team of Bangladesh and is controlled by the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF). It is a membe ...

Education

Al Amin Institute AL, Al, Ål or al may stand for: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Al (''Aladdin'') or Aladdin, the main character in Disney's ''Aladdin'' media * Al (''EastEnders''), a minor character in the British soap opera * Al (''Fullmetal ...

(High school at Dargah Road, Paschimgaon) * Nawab Faizunnesa and Badrunnesa Joint High School (also known as NFBN high school, situated at Paschimgaon, Laksam-Pouroshova) * Laksam Government Pilot High School (High school at New Road) * Nawab Fayzunesa Govt. College Laksam (Government college at Paschimgaon) *Laksam Pilot Girls High School

Sports

* 1st Division Football League * Volleyball League is held every year * Inter-union football competition and Inter-school various sports competitions

Newspapers

Weekly Laksam, Weekly Laksam Barta, Weekly Alor Dishari, Weekly Somoyer Dorpon, Weekly Naxi Barta, Weekly Joy Kantha, Daily Torun Kontho.

References

{{Upazilas of Chittagong Division Upazilas of Comilla District