Moulvibazar ( bn, মৌলভীবাজার) also spelled Maulvibazar, Moulavibazar, and Maulavibazar, (former South Sylhet) is the southeastern

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

Sylhet Division Sylhet Division ( bn, সিলেট বিভাগ) is the northeastern division of Bangladesh. It is bordered by the Indian states of Meghalaya, Assam and Tripura to the north, east and south respectively, and by the Bangladeshi divisions of ...

in northeastern

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 ...

, named after the town of

Moulvibazar Moulvibazar ( bn, মৌলভীবাজার) is a town in north-eastern Bangladesh just south of Sylhet. It is the capital of Moulvibazar Sadar Upazila and Moulvibazar District, and is located on the banks of the Manu River, Tripura, Manu R ...

. It is bordered by the

Indian states India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, with a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions. History Pre-indepen ...

Tripura Tripura (, Bengali: ) is a state in Northeast India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a population of 36.71 lakh ( 3.67 million). It is bordered by Assam and Mizoram to the east a ...

and

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

to the south and east, respectively; and by the Bangladeshi districts of

Habiganj Habiganj ( bn, হবিগঞ্জ) is a major town and district headquarters of Habiganj District in the division of Sylhet, Bangladesh. Population: Total population of Habiganj is about 95,000 Railroad *Habiganj Bazar–Shaistaganj–Ba ...

to the west and

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 ...

to the north.

Etymology

The name of the district, Moulvibazar is named after its headquarter,

. The word is derived from two words, moulvi and

bazar Bazar may refer to: * Bazar, Afghanistan * Bazar, Azerbaijan * Bazar, Mardan, Pakistan * Bazar, Ukraine In Iran * Bazar, East Azerbaijan * Bazar, Gilan * Bazareh-ye Qarnas, North Khorasan Province * Bazargah, Qazvin, Qazvin Province * Bazar, Sou ...

, meaning 'Market of the Moulvi'. 'Moulvi' is an Islamic honorific title and 'bazar' is the

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

word for market or township. Moulvibazar is named after

Moulvi Syed Qudratullah Moulvi Syed Qudratullah Sattar Munsef, ( bn, মৌলভী সৈয়দ কুদরত উল্লাহ ছাত্তার মুন্সেফ; born 1750) was a Bengali judge and entrepreneur. He is best known as the founder of Town ...

, a local judge and a descendant of

Shah Mustafa Syed Shāh Muṣṭafā al-Baghdādi ( ar, سید شاه مصطفى البغدادي), popularly known as Shah Mustafa ( bn, শাহ মোস্তফা), is a Sufi Muslim figure in the Sylhet region. Mustafa's name is associated with the s ...

, an Islamic preacher active during the advent of Islam in the region. It is believed that the name was coined in the 1771 when

Syed Qudratullah Moulvi Syed Qudratullah Sattar Munsef, ( bn, মৌলভী সৈয়দ কুদরত উল্লাহ ছাত্তার মুন্সেফ; born 1750) was a Bengali judge and entrepreneur. He is best known as the founder of Town ...

established a small bazaar on his

zamindari 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 a ...

land and local people named it as Moulvibazar. This market was established at riverside of the present Poschim Bazar (West Market), which gradually expanded over the time.

History

Copper plates has been found from 930 AD in Paschimbagh, Tengubazar Mandir, Rajnagar and one of Raja Marundanath from the 11th century in Kalapur,

Srimangal Sreemangal ( bn, শ্রীমঙ্গল, Srimongol) is an upazila of Moulvibazar District in the Sylhet Division of Bangladesh. It is located at the southwest of the district, and borders the Habiganj District to the west and the Indian state ...

. The district was also part of the ancient

Kamarupa Kamarupa (; also called Pragjyotisha or Pragjyotisha-Kamarupa), an early state during the Classical period on the Indian subcontinent, was (along with Davaka) the first historical kingdom of Assam. Though Kamarupa prevailed from 350 to 11 ...

kingdom. It is suggested that the area was inhabited by

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

s and

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 ...

s as evidence from inscriptions suggests there was an ancient university in Panchgaon, Rajnagar. The terrain was headquarters of the ancient ''Ita Kingdom'' founded by Raja Bhanu Narayan and its capital was in the villages of Bhumiura and Eolatoli. Other regions included Chandrapur or Chandrarajya which is modern-day

Moulvibazar Sadar Moulvibazar Sadar ( bn, মৌলভীবাজার সদর) is an upazila of Moulvibazar District in the Division of Sylhet, Bangladesh. History In ancient times, the region was known as Chandrapur or Chandrarajya. After the Conquest of Go ...

. After the

Conquest of Sylhet 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, many 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 ...

scattered across the

Sylhet region The 1947 Sylhet referendum was held in the Sylhet District of the Assam Province of British India to decide whether the district would remain in Undivided Assam and therefore within the post-independence Dominion of India, or leave Assam for E ...

and the rest of

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 ...

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...

, a descendant of

Abdul Qadir Gilani ʿAbdul Qādir Gīlānī, ( ar, عبدالقادر الجيلاني, ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī; fa, ) known by admirers as Muḥyī l-Dīn Abū Muḥammad b. Abū Sāliḥ ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī al-Baḡdādī al-Ḥasanī al-Ḥusayn ...

, migrated to Chandrapur ruled by Raja Chandra Singh where he lived on top of a small hill with his son Syed Ismail and would preach to the local people. Mustafa would eventually succeed Singh as the ruler of Chandrapur after marrying the Raja's daughter. Other Sufi disciples and saints who preached in Moulvibazar included Shah Kala, Haji Rasul, Shah Dorong, Helimuddin Nurnali, Hamid Faruqi, Syed Nasrullah, Syed Yasin, Syed Ismail, Nur Ali Shah, Shah Wali Muhammad, Sheikh Shihabuddin, Sabur Shah, Shah Helal and Shah Kamaluddin. The final

raja ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested f ...

of the Ita Kingdom, Raja Subid Narayan lost a battle in 1610 in which the region became under the rule of

Khwaja Usman Khawāja Uthmān Khān Lōhānī ( bn, খাজা উসমান খাঁন লোহানী), popularly known as Khwaja Usman, was a Pashtun chieftain and warrior based in northeastern Bengal. As one of the Baro-Bhuyans, he was a zamind ...

, a fierce opponent of 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 ...

. He then established his new capital in Uhar, Kamalganj and managed to gain control of South Sylhet. However, this rule was short-lived after Mughal General

Islam Khan I Shaikh Alauddin Chisti (1570–1613; known as Islam Khan Chisti) was a Mughal general and the Subahdar of Bengal. He transferred the capital of Bengal from Rajmahal to Dhaka and renamed it Jahangirnagar. He was awarded the titular name of Islam ...

's attack in 1612. An important battle between the

and the

Baro-Bhuyan The Baro-Bhuyans (or ''Baro-Bhuyan Raj''; also ''Baro-Bhuians'' and Baro-Bhuiyans) refers to the confederacies of soldier-landowners in Assam and Bengal in the late Middle Ages and the early modern period. The confederacies consisted of loose ...

s was held in Pathan Ushar, Kamalganj. This led to the death of Afghan leader

. The Panchgaon Factory in

Rajnagar Upazila Rajnagar ( bn, রাজনগর) is an upazila of the Moulvibazar District in the Division of Sylhet, Bangladesh. The district has roughly 29,300 houses and an area of approximately 340 km2. There are three well-known rivers which flow acro ...

produced cannons for the

. The famous ''

Jahan Kosha Cannon Jahan Kosha Cannon (also known as the Great Gun, and Literal translation, literally means the ''Destroyer of the World'') is placed in the ''Topekhana'', 400 m to the south east of the Katra Mosque, in the town of Murshidabad, West Bengal, ...

'', built by Janardan Karmakar remains in display in

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

. After the

Battle of Plassey The Battle of Plassey was a decisive victory of the British East India Company over the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies on 23 June 1757, under the leadership of Robert Clive. The victory was made possible by the defection of Mir Jafar, ...

in 1757, the British gave the region surrounding Moulvibazar high importance, especially in

tea production Tea processing is the method in which the leaves from the tea plant '' Camellia sinensis'' are transformed into the dried leaves for brewing tea. The categories of tea are distinguished by the processing they undergo. In its most general form, t ...

. A rebellion against the permanent settlement of the British took place in Latu in 1857. On 1 April 1882, the area was declared a sub-division, or

mahakuma {{Unreferenced, date=December 2015 Mahakuma ( bn, মহকুমা) is an administrative division of India denoting a sub-district. Subdivisions of Bangladesh Mahakuma was a term of administration under district containing some sub-district ...

, and named "South Srihatta" (and later "South Sylhet"), consisting of 26

pargana Pargana ( bn, পরগনা, , hi, परगना, ur, پرگنہ) or parganah, also spelt pergunnah during the time of the Sultanate period, Mughal times and British Raj, is a former administrative unit of the Indian subcontinent and each ...

s. A mass deforestation took place from 1898 to 1899, clearing the Longla-Singla Reserve in order to make space for settlements. In 1912, there was an anti-British protest held in the village of Jagatshi in the Sadar Upazila. It was organised by Swami Dayananda having its seat at Dolgovinda Ashram. In 1921, the anti-British

Khilafat Movement The Khilafat Movement (1919–24), also known as the Caliphate movement or the Indian Muslim movement, was a pan-Islamist political protest campaign launched by Muslims of British India led by Shaukat Ali, Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Hakim Ajma ...

also spread to Moulvibazar and campaigners that were present included

Chittaranjan Das Chittaranjan Das (5 November 1870 – 16 June 1925), popularly called ''Deshbandhu'' (Friend of the Nation), was an Indian freedom fighter, political activist and lawyer during the Indian independence movement and founder-leader of the Swar ...

Hussain Ahmed Madani Hussain Ahmad Madani (6 October 1879 – 5 December 1957) was an Indian Islamic scholar, serving as the principal of Darul Uloom Deoband. He was among the first recipients of the civilian honour of Padma Bhushan in 1954.

and

Sarojini Naidu Sarojini Naidu (''née'' Chattopadhyay; 13 February 1879 – 2 March 1949) was an Indian political activist, feminist and poet. A proponent of civil rights, women's emancipation, and anti-imperialistic ideas, she was an important person in Indi ...

. On the same year, the

non-cooperation movement The Non-cooperation movement was a political campaign launched on 4 September 1920, by Mahatma Gandhi to have Indians revoke their cooperation from the British government, with the aim of persuading them to grant self-governance.

also spread here after being established by Purnendu Kishore Sengupta in Vidia Ashram, Rangirkul,

Kulaura Kulaura ( bn, কুলাউড়া) is the biggest upazila (subdistrict) of the Moulvibazar District in north-eastern Bangladesh. The total area of this upazila is 545 km2. Hakaluki Haor, the largest marsh wetland in Sylhet and one of the ...

. The peasant rebellion led by Panchanan Singh, Qasim Ali, Baikuntha Sharma and Themba Singh was also held in the 1900s in Vanubal, Kamalganj. In 1947, despite the Hindu majority in the region voting for joining India in the

1947 Sylhet referendum The 1947 Sylhet referendum was held in the Sylhet District of the Assam Province of British India to decide whether the district would remain in Undivided Assam and therefore within the post-independence Dominion of India, or leave Assam for Ea ...

, the region was included in East Pakistan. In 1960, the South Sylhet sub-division was renamed as Moulvibazar by the mahakuma administrator Dr M A Sattar. Armed resistance begun at the village of Srirainagar in Kanakpur on 27 March 1971. The Pakistani army was said to have made a surprise attack on the procession there in which two people were killed. On 20 December, a number of people were killed and wounded by mine explosions at the premises of the Moulvibazar Government High School. On 22 February 1984, the

President of Bangladesh The president of Bangladesh ( bn, বাংলাদেশের রাষ্ট্রপতি — ) officially the President of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশে ...

H M 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 ...

, upgraded its sub-division status to a district as a part of his decentralisation programme. Shakir Uddin Ahmed was made the district's inaugural deputy commissioner whilst Mukhleshur Rahman was made the first district police super.

Geography

Moulvibazar is in

, a district to the North-East of

. It is 2,707 km² in area, and has a population of 1.38 million. It is situated between 24.10 degree 24.35 degree north latitude and between 90.35 degree and 91.20-degree east longitude. It is surrounded by

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 north,

Habiganj District Habiganj ( bn, হবিগঞ্জ, Hobigonj), formerly known as Habibganj ( bn, হবিবগঞ্জ, Hobibgonj), is a district in north-eastern Bangladesh, located in the Sylhet Division. It was established as a district in 1984 as a succe ...

in the west and

and

in the east and south respectively. The main rivers of the district are the

Manu Manu may refer to: Geography * Manú Province, a province of Peru, in the Madre de Dios Region **Manú National Park, Peru ** Manú River, in southeastern Peru * Manu River (Tripura), which originates in India and flows into Bangladesh *Manu Tem ...

, the Dholoi and the Juri which flow from India. Every year during the rainy season, when there is excessive rainfall in India, the surplus water flows through these rivers and causes floods in low-lying parts of Moulvibazar (for example, the villages of Balikhandi and Shampashi on the northern side of the river Manu). Unless the rivers are properly dredged the floods can be devastating. In the last few years Moulvibazar has had a muti-million dollar flood defence system built, which is the only one like it in the whole country.

Demographics

According to 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 ...

, Moulvibazar District had a population of 1,919,062, of which 944,728 were males and 974,334 females. Rural population was 1,710,983 (89.16%) while the urban population was 208,079 (10.84%). Moulvibazar district had a literacy rate of 51.10% for the population 7 years and above: 52.74% for males and 49.53% for females. Muslims make up 74.30% of the population, while Hindus are 24.59% and Christians 0.80% of the population. Moulvibazar was formerly a Hindu-majority region before Partition. Ethnic population is 63,466 (3.31%), mainly tea tribes and indigenous groups like

Tripuri Tripuri refer to: *Tripuri people, an ethnic group in India and Bangladesh, also known as Tipra people **Tripuri language **Tripuri nationalism **Tripuri calendar **Tripuri culture **Tripuri cuisine **Tripuri dances **Tripuri dress **Tripuri games ...

and

Khasi Khasi may refer to: * Khasi people, an ethnic group of Meghalaya, India * Khasi language, a major Austroasiatic language spoken in Meghalaya, India * Khāṣi language, an Indo-Aryan language of Jammu and Kashmir, India See also * Khasi Hills * Gh ...

Administration

Moulvibazar is made up of 7 subdivisions or

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. They are: #

# Kamalganj #

# Rajnagar #

Sreemangal Sreemangal ( bn, শ্রীমঙ্গল, Srimongol) is an upazila of Moulvibazar District in the Sylhet Division of Bangladesh. It is located at the southwest of the district, and borders the Habiganj District to the west and the Indian state ...

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''. ' ...

(originally part of Joldhup in

Karimganj Karimganj is a city in the Karimganj District of the Indian state of Assam. It is the administrative headquarters of the district. Karimganj city is located at . The area of Karimganj city is 16.09 km2. It has an average elevation of 13& ...

) #

Juri Juri, JURI or Jüri may refer to: Law * Dative singular case of Latin Jus *Committee on Legal Affairs, committee of the European Parliament, known as JURI Places *Juri Upazila, subdistrict (''upazila'') in Maulvibazar District, Sylhet Division, ...

(formed in 2005 from unions of Kulaura and Barlekha) There are 67 Unions, 2,064 Villages and 5 Pourashavas namely Kamalganj, Kulaura, Sreemongal, Barlekha and

. Almost 50,000 of the clan population belong to Manipuri, Khasia and

clans. They tend to live in the areas of Kamalganj, Sreemongal and Kulaura Upazila of this district. There are 92 tea gardens in the district. During the

British colonial period The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

, South Sylhet subdivision was divided into three tax collectory zilas, further divided into 28

s.Sreehatter Itibritta – Purbangsho (A History of Sylhet), Part 2, Volume 1, Chapter 1,

Achyut Charan Choudhury Achyut Charan Choudhury ( bn, অচ্যুৎচরণ চৌধুরী; 5 February 1866 – 25 September 1953) was a Bengali writer and historian. Though he wrote several books regarding Vaishnav Hinduism, Choudhury is most well known for h ...

; Publisher: Mustafa Selim; Source publication, 2004 The incomplete list of parganas of South Sylhet are as follows: *Noyakhali Zila: Chowallish, Balishira, Satgaon, Chautali, Giasnagar, Chaitanyanagar, Athanagiri * Rajnagar Zila: Ita, Shamshernagar, Alinagar, Indeshwar, Panishail/Panishali, Bhanugach, Adampur * Hingazia Zila: Kanihati, Baramchal, Bhatera, Patharia, Yaqubnagar, Longla Later on, South Sylhet subdivision was divided into five

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 ...

s: *Moulvibazar Thana: Parganas - Shamshernagar, Chowallish, Shaistanagar, Howlisatrasati *Kamalganj Thana: Parganas - Adampur, Bhanugach, Chhoychiri, Shamshernagar *Kulaura Thana: Parganas - Kanihati, Patharia, Longla, Baramchal *Rajnagar Thana: Parganas - Indeswar, Shamshernagar *Srimangal Thana: Parganas - Balishira, Chautali

Economy

The main exports of Moulvibazar are

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...

, tea, pineapple,

cane Cane or caning may refer to: *Walking stick or walking cane, a device used primarily to aid walking *Assistive cane, a walking stick used as a mobility aid for better balance *White cane, a mobility or safety device used by many people who are b ...

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, ...

, oranges,

agar Agar ( or ), or agar-agar, is a jelly-like substance consisting of polysaccharides obtained from the cell walls of some species of red algae, primarily from ogonori (''Gracilaria'') and "tengusa" (''Gelidiaceae''). As found in nature, agar is ...

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 ...

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 ...

es and lemons. Ninety-one of Bangladesh's 153 tea gardens are located in Moulvibazar. The area is also home to the three largest tea gardens (size and production wise) in the world. Pineapples from the Sreemangal area are famous for their flavour and natural sweetness.

is known as the 'tea capital of Bangladesh' due to the high frequency of tea plantations found there.

Religion

The district of Moulvibazar consists 2967 mosques, 613 temples, 56 churches and 22

temples. Notable mosques include the Mosque of

Goyghor Mosque Goyghor Masjid, ( bn, গয়ঘর খোজার মসজিদ, ar, مسجد الخواجه), also known as the Goyghor Historical Khwaja's Mosque, is an ancient mosque located in the village of Goyghor in Mostafapur Union, Moulvibazar Di ...

, Jiladpur Mosque, and the Lawachara Jame Mosque. The revivalist

Deobandi movement Deobandi is a revivalist movement within Sunni Islam, adhering to the Hanafi school of law, formed in the late 19th century around the Darul Uloom Madrassa in Deoband, India, from which the name derives, by Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi ...

is popular in with Jamia Luthfia Anwarul Uloom Hamidnagar being a notable centre in

and many are part of the

Tablighi Jamaat Tablighi Jamaat (, also translated as "propagation party" or "preaching party") is a transnational Deobandi Islamic missionary movement that focuses on exhorting Muslims to be more religiously observant and encouraging fellow members t ...

. Another Islamic institution is the

Sujaul Senior Fazil Madrasha Sujaul Senior Fazil Madrasha ( bn, সুজাউল সিনিয়র ফাযিল মাদ্রাসা, ar, المدرسة شجاع الفاضلية) is a private madrasa in the village of Sujaul in Barlekha Upazila, which is locate ...

. An small minority of

Shia Muslim Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most ...

s gather during

Ashura Ashura (, , ) is a day of commemoration in Islam. It occurs annually on the 10th of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. Among Shia Muslims, Ashura is observed through large demonstrations of high-scale mourning as it marks the ...

every year at the Nawab Bari in Prithimpasha, which was home to an aristocratic Shia family in

. There is a sizeable Hindu population in Moulvibazar many who are living in Sreemangal. Moulvibazar has the second-highest proportion of Hindu residents of any district in Bangladesh, after

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 pa ...

. Begum Talib-un-Nisa Khatun of Prithimpasha's Chhoto Saheb Bari established the famous Rabir Bazar Jame Masjid in the late 18th century.

Transport

The main transport systems used in the city are Cycle

rickshaws A rickshaw originally denoted a two- or three-wheeled passenger cart, now known as a pulled rickshaw, which is generally pulled by one person carrying one passenger. The first known use of the term was in 1879. Over time, cycle rickshaws (also ...

auto rickshaws An auto rickshaw is a motorized version of the pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw. Most have three wheels and do not tilt. They are known by many terms in various countries including auto, auto rickshaw, baby taxi, mototaxi, pigeon, jonnybee, bajaj ...

(mainly known as baby-taxis or CNGs), buses, mini-buses and cars. There are about 10,000 rickshaws running each day. Bus service prices have increased as of 2008, up to 30% higher, prices ranges from Tk4 to 25.95. The Kulaura Railway Station, Sreemangal Railway Station is the main railway station providing trains on national routes operated by the state-run

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 ...

. Also Bhanugach Railway Station, Tilagaon, Vatera, Rashidpur Station is used by local peoples. There is a public-use airport in

Shamshernagar Feni is a district located in southeastern Bangladesh. It was a part of the Greater Noakhali, Comilla, Chittagong and Tripura. , the district's estimated population stood at 1,437,371, making it the ninth-most populous district in Chittagong Divis ...

Tourism

The District contains the highest amount of tea plantations in the country.

is known as the Tea Capital of Bangladesh and is the only place where one can have the original 7-layered tea. Moulvibazar also has notable religious sites such as the

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 ...

and

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

, a companion of

; as well as the Jiladpur Mosque and

, two ancient mosques from the 15th century. Moulvibazar town has many shopping malls and several Indian, Chinese and American eateries.

Madhabkunda waterfall Madhabkunda waterfall ( bn, মাধবকুন্ড) is one of the highest waterfalls in Bangladesh. It is situated in Barlekha Upazila in Moulvibazar District. The waterfall is a popular tourist spot in Bangladesh. Big boulders, surrounding fo ...

is probably the most well-known tourist attraction of the district. The

Hum Hum Hum Hum ( bn, হাম হাম ঝর্ণা, Ham Ham Jhorṇa), known by locals as Cheetah Falls ( bn, চিতা ঝর্ণা, Chita Jhorṇa), is a waterfall in the Razkandi reserve forest in Kamalganj, Moulvibazar District, Banglades ...

waterfall located in the Razkandi Reserve Forest in Kamalganj was also recently discovered in 2010. The district also contains one of the country's major national parks,

Lawachara National Park Lawachara National Park ( bn, লাউয়াছড়া) is a major national park and nature reserve in Bangladesh. The park is located at Kamalganj Upazila, Moulvibazar District in the northeastern region of the country. It is located with ...

, famous for its biodiversity. The park was also the filming site for the 1956 film ''

Around the World in 80 Days ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' (french: link=no, Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours) is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employe ...

''.

Madhobpur Lake Madhobpur Lake is a lake in Kamalganj Upazila, Moulvibazar District, 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 pop ...

is the only place in the country in which you can find the

white-bellied heron The white-bellied heron (''Ardea insignis'') also known as the imperial heron or great white-bellied heron, is a large heron species living in the foothills of the eastern Himalayas in northeast India and Bhutan to northern Myanmar. It inhabits un ...

Hakaluki Haor Hakaluki Haor ( bn, হাকালুকি হাওর) is a marsh wetland ecosystem of north-eastern Bangladesh. It is one of Bangladesh's largest and one of Asia's large marsh wetland resources. Hakaluki Haor is bounded by the Kushiara river ...

, Hail Haor and Bilashchhara Lake are also other nearby

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...

s. The memorial monument of

Hamidur Rahman Hamidur Rahman was born on 2 February 1953 Khardo Khalishpur, Moheshpur, Jhenaidah, Khulna Division, Bangladesh former East BengalHamidur Rahman, BS (2 February 195328 October 1971) was a sepoy in Bangladesh Army during the Bangladesh Li ...

can be found in Kamalganj. There is also a multi-use stadium called

Saifur Rahman Stadium Moulvibazar District Stadium, also known as Saifur Rahman Stadium ( bn, সাইফুর রহমান স্টেডিয়াম), is a multi-use stadium in Moulvibazar, Bangladesh. It is currently used mostly for cricket and association ...

Education

The

Bangladesh Tea Research Institute Bangladesh Tea Research Institute ( bn, বাংলাদেশ চা গবেষণা ইনস্টিটিউট) (BTRI) is an autonomous organisation under the Bangladesh Tea Board (BTB). Background The Pakistan Tea Board, in 1957 es ...

can be found in

. It has made significant contributions in evolving and standardising the quality of tea, and introducing its research findings to the tea industry of Bangladesh.

Notable people

Syed Mujtaba Ali Syed Mujtaba Ali ( bn, সৈয়দ মুজতবা আলী; 13 September 1904 – 11 February 1974) was a Bengali writer, journalist, travel enthusiast, academic, scholar and linguist. He lived in Bangladesh, India, Germany, Afghanistan ...

, writer, scholar and linguist * Abdul Muntaquim Chaudhury MNA, MP was MNA in 62 and 70 in East Pakistan and MP of Bangladesh First Parliamentary Election was also a senior member of constitution writing team in 1971 *

Mohammad Ataul Karim Mohammad Ataul Karim (born 4 May 1953) is a Bangladeshi American scientist and higher education administrator, with expertise in electro-optical systems, optical computing, and pattern recognition. Karim is ranked amongst the top 50 researcher ...

is provost and executive vice chancellor at

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (UMass Dartmouth or UMassD) is a public research university in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. It is the southernmost campus of the University of Massachusetts system. Formerly Southeastern Massachusetts Un ...

. *

Tommy Miah Mohammad Ajman Miah ( bn, মোহাম্মদ আজমান মিয়া), MBE FRSA (born 28 March 1959), better known by his nick name Tommy Miah, is a Bangladeshi-born British celebrity chef, owner of the award-winning Raj Restaurant ...

, restaurateur and celebrity chef *

Shafiqur Rahman Shafiqur Rahman ( bn, শফিকুর রহমান) is a Bangladeshi politician, physician and current amir of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. He served as Jamaat's secretary general from October 2016 to November 2019. He was elected the Jamaat- ...

, physician and Amir of the

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জামায়াতে ইসলামী, Bānglādēsh Jāmāyatē Islāmī, Bangladesh Islamic Assembly), previously known as Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, or Jamaat for short, was ...

Saifur Rahman {{Short description, Male name Saifur Rahman (Saudi Arabia ar, سيف الرحمن }) is a male Muslim given name, meaning ''sword of the Most Gracious''. سيفور meaning Saifur in arabic. This may refer to: *Akhundzada Saif-ur-Rahman Mubara ...

, longest serving

Finance Minister of Bangladesh The Finance Minister of Bangladesh heads the Ministry of Finance of the Government of Bangladesh. It is one of the most important positions in the Cabinet and the Finance Minister must deal with all the other departments and plays an important role ...

. *

Doly Begum Doly Begum ( bn, ডলি বেগম) is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2018 provincial election. She represents the riding of Scarborough Southwest as a member of the Ontario New Democra ...

, Canadian politician *

Naser Rahman M. Naser Rahman is a Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) politician and a former Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Moulvibazar-3 constituency. Career Rahman was elected member of parliament from Moulvibazar-3 constituency in the by-election ...

, former MP for

Moulvibazar-3 Moulvibazar-3 is a constituency represented in the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) of Bangladesh since 2019 by Nesar Ahmed of the Awami League. Boundaries The constituency encompasses Moulvibazar Sadar and Rajnagar upazilas. History ...

and chairman of the Saifur Rahman Foundation *

Surendra Kumar Sinha Surendra Kumar Sinha (born 1 February 1951), commonly known as SK Sinha is a Bangladeshi lawyer and jurist who served as the 21st Chief Justice of Bangladesh. He resigned from the position in November 2017 amid the 16th amendment verdict controve ...

, Chief Justice of Bangladesh (2015-2017) * Wali Tasar Uddin

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 ...

, entrepreneur, restaurateur, community leader and chairman of the Bangladesh-British Chamber of Commerce. * Bajloor Rashid

, businessman and former president of the

Bangladesh Caterers Association UK Bangladesh Caterers Association UK (abbreviated as BCA) is the Umbrella organization, umbrella organisation of British Bangladeshi, British-Bangladeshi restaurants. It was established in 1960 to represent the catering industry run by the ethnic ...

. *

Nadia Shah Nadia Shah ( bn, নদিয়া শাহ) is a Labour Party (UK), British Labour Party politician, councillor for Regent's Park and former Mayor of Camden London Borough Council, Camden. In May 2016, she became the first female mayor of Bri ...

, politician, councillor and former Mayor of Camden. In May 2016, she became the first female

British Bangladeshi British Bangladeshis ( bn, বিলাতী বাংলাদেশী, Bilatī Bangladeshī) are people of Bangladeshi origin who have attained citizenship in the United Kingdom, through immigration and historical naturalisation. The term ...

mayor. * Rowshanara Moni, singer and actress. In 2004, her debut album '' Nijhum Raat'' was released. * Shanaj Ahmed, cricketer for

Syed Mohammad Ali Syed Mohammad Ali (9 December 1928 – 17 October 1993) was a Bengali journalist and editor. Ali began his career in East Pakistan. He became an editor for several newspapers in East Asia, including ''The Bangkok Post'' in Thailand, the ''Hong Kon ...

, founder of The Daily Star - the largest circulating daily English-language newspaper in

. *

Syed Abdul Majid The Hon'ble Moulvi Khan Bahadur Syed Abdul Majid, CIE ( bn, সৈয়দ আব্দুল মজিদ; 1872–1922), also known by his daak naam Kaptan Miah ( bn, কাপ্তান মিঞা), was a Bengali politician, lawyer and ...

CIE, first native minister of Assam, pioneer of the agricultural industry *

, associated with spreading Islam to Moulvibazar * Dwijen Sharma, botanist, environmentalist and science writer. *

Mahbubur Rahman Sufil Mahbubur Rahman Sufil ( bn, মাহবুবুর রহমান সুফিল) is a Bangladeshi professional footballer who plays as a forward for Bangladesh Premier League club Brothers Union and the Bangladesh national team. He bega ...

, footballer and captain of

Arambagh KS Arambagh Krira Sangha is a Bangladeshi sports club based in Dhaka, that competes in the Dhaka Senior Division Football League, the third-tier of football in Bangladesh. History Arambagh Krira Sangha were formed in Dhaka way back in 1958. Origina ...

Syed Mohsin Ali Syed Mohsin Ali (12 December 1948 – 14 September 2015) was a Bangladeshi politician. He served as the Member of Parliament from Moulvibazar-3 and the Social Welfare Minister of the Government of Bangladesh. He was given Independence Day Award ...

, former Social Welfare Minister of Bangladesh *

Syeda Saira Mohsin Syeda Saira Mohsin (born 10 September 1960) is a Bangladesh Awami League politician and former Member of Parliament in Bangladesh. Career Mohsin was nominated by Bangladesh Awami League to contest the by-election to Moulvibazar-3 constituency in ...

, former MP for

* Abdus Shahid, former

chief whip The Chief Whip is a political leader whose task is to enforce the whipping system, which aims to ensure that legislators who are members of a political party attend and vote on legislation as the party leadership prescribes. United Kingdom ...

for

Bangladesh Awami League 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 ...

* Shahab Uddin, Bangladeshi Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change * Nawab Ali Amjad Khan, 8th

Nawab of Longla The Prithimpassa family, also known as the Nawabs of Longla, are an royal family from the Prithimpassa Union, Kulaura Upazila, Moulvibazar, Sylhet, Bangladesh. The family was of the erstwhile feudal nobility of East Bengal. They played important ...

, Honorary Magistrate, Expert hunter, Philanthropist and Educationist *

Nawab Ali Abbas Khan Nawab Ali Abbas Khan (born 26 December 1958) is a Bangladeshi politician and former member of parliament. Biography Khan was born into the Prithimpassa family on 26 December 1958. A member of the Jatiya Party (Ershad), he was elected as the memb ...

, Jatiya Party politician and three-time MP for Moulvibazar-2 *

Nawab Ali Haider Khan Nawab Ali Haider Khan (11 February 1896 – 30 June 1963) was a Bengali noble and politician. Early life and family Khan was born on 11 February 1896 to an royal Bengali Shia family known as the Nawabs of Longla based in the village of Pri ...

, 9th

, minister and leader of the Independent Muslim Party * Abdul Matin, former MP for Moulvibazar-2 *

Parvez Haris Parvez Haris ( bn, পারভেজ হারিস) is a professor of biomedical science at the School of Allied Health Sciences in De Montfort University, United Kingdom. He is an Editor-in-Chief of Biomedical Spectroscopy and Imaging. He is ...

, biomedical science professor at

De Montfort University De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) is a public university in the city of Leicester, England. It was established in accordance with the Further and Higher Education Act in 1992 as a degree awarding body. The name De Montfort University was tak ...

Rangalal Sen Rangalal Sen (24 September 193310 February 2014) was a Bangladesh academician and writer. In 2011, he was inducted as the National Professor of Bangladesh. Early life Sen was born into a Sylhetis, Sylheti Bengali Hindu, Hindu family in the villag ...

National Professor National Professor ( bn, জাতীয় অধ্যাপক) is a prestigious teaching award given by the Government of Bangladesh for outstanding contribution on the field of education. It is awarded by the president of Bangladesh according ...

* Syed Motiur Rahman, Prominent journalist (one of the founders of Moulvibazer Press Club), Politician and freedom fighter.

Notes

References

* Moulvibajar Jilar Itihas o Oitisyo, Rabbani Choudhury, Agami Prokashon, 2000 * Kazi Mahmudur Rahman, Faculty (Mentors' education Moulvibazar branch) {{Authority control Districts of Bangladesh