Nanikhir is a village in Gopalganj 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 population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

, part of

Muksudpur Upazila Muksudpur ( bn, মুকসুদপুর) is an upazila of Gopalganj District in the Division of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Geography Muksudpur is located at . It has a total area of 309.63 km2. Demographics According to the 2011 Bangladesh ce ...

. It is part of the Nanikhir union, which consists of the villages of Nanikhir,

Baro Vatra Baro Vatra is a village in Gopalganj District, Bangladesh, part of Muksudpur Upazila. The village covers an area of 3.43 km2, and is bordered by the villages of Nanikhir, Nawkhanda, Pathorgatha and Banagram. Baro Vatra's main cana ...

, Mohishtoli, Pathorghata,

Goalgram Goalgram is a village in Gopalganj District, Bangladesh, part of Muksudpur Upazila. The village is bordered by the villages of Nanikhir, Barovatra, Mahishtali, and Jalirpar. According to the 2011 Bangladesh census In 2011, the Bangladesh B ...

Bongram Bongram is a village in Gopalganj District, Bangladesh, part of Muksudpur Upazila. The village covers an area of 4 km2, and is bordered by the villages of Jalirpar, Barovatra and others two. Bongram under Jalirpar Union parishad was establ ...

and

Kazipara Mirpur ( bn, মীরপুর/মিরপুর) is a '' thana'' of Dhaka city, Bangladesh. It is bounded by Pallabi Thana to the north, Mohammadpur Thana to the south, Kafrul to the east, and Savar Upazila to the west. History Mirpur than ...

, and which is bordered by the unions of

Jalirpar Jalirpar is a Village and a Union too under Muksudpur Upazila, Gopalganj established in 1634. The Bil Rout Canal travels through the village of Jalirpar on its way to the Padma River. Non-governmental organizations operating in Jalirpar includ ...

Kasalia Kasalia is a village in Gopalganj District, Bangladesh, part of Muksudpur Upazila. The village covers an area of 4 km2, and is bordered by the villages of Nanikhir, Gunohar, Nawkhanda and Mosna, Goinary. Pathorghata's main canal is the ...

, Mosna and Gohala. locally known Nanikhir Khall flows through the village to the

Bil Rout canal BIL or Bil may refer to: Mythology * Bil, a Norse goddess * Bil (Mandaeism), the Mandaean name for Jupiter People * Bil Baird (1904–1987), American puppeteer * Bil Dwyer (1907-1987), American cartoonist and humorist * Bil Dwyer (born 1962), Am ...

, and then the Padma River.

History

The village was established in 1634. In May 1971, 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 village was attacked by several aircraft of the Pakistani Air Force, supported by a number of

Razakars Razakar (رضا کار) is etymologically an Arabic word which literally means volunteer. The word is also common in Urdu language as a loanword. On the other hand, in Bangladesh, razakar is a pejorative word meaning a traitor or Judas. In Pakista ...

Etc.). Several of the inhabitants were killed and a motor launch was damaged. On 9 August 1971 about 200 members of the Bangladesh Liberation Army, in collaboration with local people, liberated Muksudpur. On 12 October 1971, local guerillas clashed with forces of the Pakistani army, in which 22 Razakars and Pakistani soldiers were killed. In a later encounter, near Diknagar Bridge 30 Pakistani soldiers and three Liberation Army members were killed. A number of former members of the Liberation Army continue to live in Nanikhir.

Demographics

Nanikhir consists of three wards and seven mahallas. The village has a population of 5000; with 56.42% being male and 47.58% female. The population density is 840 per km². The literacy rate is 91.72%. The village has nine

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, ...

s and two

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

Education and recreation

Overall literacy in the village is 91.72%; 51.95% of those literate are males, while females make up 39.77%. The village has a state

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

Nanikhir High School Nanikhir High School (NHS) ( bn, ননীক্ষীর উচ্চ বিদ্যালয়) is a secondary school in the town of Nanikhir, Gopalganj District (Bangladesh), Gopalganj District, Bangladesh. History Nanikhir High School was e ...

, three state

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

s, one Alia Madrasa, five community schools and twelve satellite schools. The village is home to the Shahed Zinnah Smrity Jubo Shango & Cultural organization. There are three cultural clubs, three rural

public libraries A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also civil servants. There are five fundamenta ...

, three local theatre groups and a number of women's organisations.

Economy

The main occupation in the village is agriculture (43.09%), with 23.45% employed as agricultural labourers 23.45%. Other occupations are as general waged labourer (2.21%), commerce (10.10%), service (7.69%), fishing (1.71%), industry (1.11%),

hawking Hawking may refer to: People * Stephen Hawking (1942–2018), English theoretical physicist and cosmologist *Hawking (surname), a family name (including a list of other persons with the name) Film * ''Hawking'' (2004 film), about Stephen Haw ...

(2.32%), construction (1.39%), with another 6.93% engaged in 'other' activities. The main crops grown in the village are

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...

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 ...

jute Jute is a long, soft, shiny bast fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from flowering plants in the genus ''Corchorus'', which is in the mallow family Malvaceae. The primary source of the fiber is ''Corchorus olit ...

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion ...

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Allium fistulosum, Welsh onion and Allium chinense, Chinese onion. It is native to South A ...

betel leaf 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 plant ...

, vegetables and

sweet potato The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the Convolvulus, bindweed or morning glory family (biology), family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a r ...

es. Linseed,

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 ...

indigo Indigo is a deep color close to the color wheel blue (a primary color in the RGB color space), as well as to some variants of ultramarine, based on the ancient dye of the same name. The word "indigo" comes from the Latin word ''indicum'', m ...

, china and kaun used to be grown, but have largely died out. Fruit is also grown, including

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,

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, ...

papaya The papaya (, ), papaw, () or pawpaw () is the plant species ''Carica papaya'', one of the 21 accepted species in the genus ''Carica'' of the family Caricaceae. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within modern-day southern Mexico and ...

s, palms, lemons,

lychee Lychee (US: ; UK: ; ''Litchi chinensis''; ) is a Monotypic taxon, monotypic taxon and the sole member in the genus ''Litchi'' in the Sapindus, soapberry family, ''Sapindaceae''. It is a tropical tree native to Southeast and Southwest China (t ...

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 ...

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 ...

and

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 ...

s. There are also a number of poultries, fisheries, dairies and hatcheries. The village is connected by road to

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 ...

via

, though few roads pass through the village. There are some

peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficien ...

and

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dea ...

deposits, and a number of fairs and bazaars take place in the village. The main exports are jute, onions, wheat, rice and potatoes.

Non-governmental organizations

A number of

non-governmental organizations A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

(NGOs) are active in the area, including the

Bangladesh Development Acceleration Organisation 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 ...

( BDAO), BRAC, Proshika,

Grameen Bank Grameen Bank ( bn, গ্রামীণ ব্যাংক) is a microfinance organisation and community development bank founded in Bangladesh. It makes small loans (known as microcredit or "grameencredit") to the impoverished without requi ...

, Caritas,

CCDB Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh (CCDB) founded in 1972, immediately after the Bangladesh Liberation War, by the World Council of Churches (WCC) to succeed the Bangladesh Ecumenical Relief and Rehabilitation Services (BERRS). The ...

ASA ASA as an abbreviation or initialism may refer to: Biology and medicine * Accessible surface area of a biomolecule, accessible to a solvent * Acetylsalicylic acid, aspirin * Advanced surface ablation, refractive eye surgery * Anterior spinal ar ...

World Vision In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

and HCCB.

Medical

The village is home to the Nanikhir Union health complex, four family planning centres, three satellite clinics and the Nanikhir Government Hospital.

Heritage

The Nanikhir Nava-Ratna Temple, an example of

terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based ceramic glaze, unglazed or glazed ceramic where the pottery firing, fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, a ...

art in Bangladesh, was built during the period of Mughal rule.

Gallery

Image:Hatashe Channel.JPG, Hatashe Channel in Barovatra, Nanikhir, Nawkhanda and Pathorghata Image:Hatashe Channel3.jpg, Hatashe Channel Image:Nanikhir Nava-Ratna Temple.jpg, Nanikhir Nava-Ratna Temple Image:Nanikhir Nava-Ratna Temple 01.jpg, Terracotta art. Image:Nanikhir Navaratna Temple.jpg, Nanikhir Nava-Ratna Temple,built during the period of Mughal rule. Image:NNT10.jpg, Nanikhir Nava-Ratna Temple.

References

Nanikhir Map — Satellite Images, coordinates and short facts of NanikhirMaplandia.com
{{coord, 23, 14, N, 89, 57, E, display=title, type:landmark_source:dewiki Populated places in Dhaka Division