Muktagacha ( bn, মুক্তাগাছা) 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 ...

Mymensingh District Mymensingh ( bn, ময়মনসিংহ) is a district in Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh, and is bordered on the north by Meghalaya, a state of India and the Garo Hills, on the south by Gazipur District, on the east by the districts of Netr ...

in the Division of

Mymensingh Mymensingh ( bn, ময়মনসিংহ) is the capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of Brahmaputra River, about north of the national capital Dhaka, it is a major financial center and educational hub of north ...

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 known for

sweet Sweetness is a basic taste most commonly perceived when eating foods rich in sugars. Sweet tastes are generally regarded as pleasurable. In addition to sugars like sucrose, many other chemical compounds are sweet, including aldehydes, ketones ...

s which are made there, called "

Monda Monda is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It is located near Sierra Blanca and Sierra de las Nieves in the comarca of Sierra de las Nieves. The municipality is s ...

". It is also known for the Rajbari of

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...

family(a zamindar's residence) which is currently used as an educational institute, Shahid Shrity College.

Etymology

The previous name of Muktagacha was ''Binodbari''. When the Zamindars (kings) arrived from

Natore Natore district is a district of Rajshahi Division located in northern Bangladesh. It borders the metropolitan city of Rajshahi, and used to be part of Rajshahi district. History Natore was the District Headquarters of Rajshahi from 1769 to 182 ...

, an inhabitant of the town, Muktaram Karmakar, presented them with a gold lamp-stand, locally called ''Gacha''. This pleased the Zamindars. They wanted to acknowledge the present and show respect to Muktaram, so they renamed the town to ''Muktagacha''.

Geography

Muktagacha is located at . It has a total area of 314.71 km².

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 ...

, Muktagacha Upazila had 96,657 households and a population of 415,473, 12.0% of whom lived in urban areas. 11.6% of the population was under the age of 5. The literacy rate (age 7 and over) was 43.5%, compared to the national average of 51.8%.

Arts and culture

Muktagacha has always been a place to nourish the various cultural activities. The Zaminders of Muktagacha were always conscious of cultural activities. Raja Jagat Kishore Acharya Choudhury was a patron of culture. He brought cultural people like

Ustad Alauddin Khan Allauddin Khan, also known as Baba Allauddin Khan ( – 6 September 1972) was an Indian sarod player and multi-instrumentalist, composer and one of the most notable music teachers of the 20th century in Indian classical music. For a generation ...

Hafiz Ali Khan Hafiz Ali Khan (1888–1972) was an Indian sarod player.Brick, mortar & false notes
Dawn (newspaper), Published 29 Ap ...

, Dabir Khan and others to Muktagacha. People here practice ''Rabindra Sangeet'', ''Nazrul Sangeet'', ''Kirtan'', ''Lalon Geeti'' etc. In addition, various cultural activities are held around the year. The artist association of Muktagacha is ''Aymon Tirer Shillpy Somaj' according to the name of ''Aymon River''.

Administration

Muktagacha Upazila is divided into Muktagacha Municipality and ten

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: Basati, Borogram, Daogaon, Dulla, Ghoga, Kashimpur, Kheruajani, Kumargata, Mankon, and Tarati. The union parishads are subdivided into 261 mauzas and 283 villages. Muktagacha Municipality is subdivided into 9 wards and 21

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 ...

Religious activities

Muktagacha has a long tradition of being a peaceful land decorated with religious harmony. Both the Hindus and Muslims are of brotherly nature and live peacefully together. Eid is celebrated with much grandeur and devotion. In this day, not only the Muslims visit each other's home but also the Hindus also visit Muslim homes as well. People share many food items and gifts to mark the occasion. Many fairs, locally called ''Mela'', are held for weeks.

Durga Puja Durga Puja ( bn, দুর্গা পূজা), also known as Durgotsava or Sharodotsava, is an annual Hindu festival originating in the Indian subcontinent which reveres and pays homage to the Hindu goddess Durga and is also celebrated ...

is the main religious festival of the Hindu community here. During Durga Puja the whole town takes a festive look. People of all community enjoy the Puja holiday. Devotees and visitors go from one pandal to another to see the idols of Goddess Durga. On the day of Bijoyadashami, the idols are carried out in long processions and then immersed into nearby water bodies. Besides these all other religious activities are peacefully observed. There is a 200-year-old twin

Shiva 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 ...

just outside the zamindar-house where Durga Puja is also celebrated.

Major zamindaris of Mymensingh

*Susanga (Maharaja) (3rd in the Order of Precedence in the Government House of Calcutta before 1947) *Muktagagacha (also called Mymensingh) (Maharaja) *Ramgopalpur(raja) *Ratanpur (nawab) *Gouripur (Babu) *Kalipur (Babu) *Malotipur (Babu)

Schools and colleges

Schools # Muktagacha RK Govt. High School # NN Girls High School # Nabarun Bidyaniketan # Hamida Sultana Girls High School # Montola High School # Armed Batalian High School # Gabtali High School #Chachua High School #Bahenga Govt. Primary School #Mogaltula Secondary School Colleges # Govt. Shahid Smriti College # Muktagacha Mahabidyaloy # Hazi Kashem Ali Degree College # Gabtali Degree College # Mymensingh Physical Education College

Bank in Muktagacha

# Bank asia Limited # Sonali Bank Limited # Rupali Bank Limited # Janata Bank Limited # Agrani Bank Limited # Pubali Bank Limited # National Bank Limited # Brac Bank Limited # Southeast Bank Limited # Islami Bank Limited # Bangladesh Krishi Bank Limited # Dutch Bangla Bank Limited # Karmasangsthan Bank # Grameen Bank

External links

References

{{Upazilas of Mymensingh Division Upazilas of Mymensingh District