Pabna ( bn, পাবনা) is a city of Pabna District, Bangladesh and the administrative capital of the eponymous Pabna District. It is on the north bank of the Padma River and has a population of about .

Etymology

* According to the historian Radharaman Saha, Pabna is named after Paboni, a branch of the Ganges (Originated from Himalayan). * Archeologist Cunningham wrote that the name came from "Poth", a totem folk who lived long ago in this region (Poundrabardhan). A survey map from 10 depicts a Mouza (medium-size village) named Padeh Pabna in the Nazirpur Pargana (pargana can be considered as a cluster of villages). * Haraprasad Shastri, the author and historian, regarded the name Pabna as originating from Podubomba, a small feudal kingdom, which was established by a king named Shom, during the Pal Dynasty period. * Historian Durgadas Lahiri, in his book ''Prithibir Itihash'', used a map from the ancient period where a village named Pabna can be seen. * A legend: There was a robber (like Robin Hood) named Pobana who lived here long ago. He became a legendary hero for his good deeds. People honoured him by giving his name to the river Pabna. * The name comes from the Persian word "Panmbah", which means cotton. At one time, a number of inhabitants here were weavers.

Climate

Administration

Pabna Municipality comprises a mayor and 15 councillors and 5 female councillors. Each councillor represents a ward of the town. All of them are elected by people's vote.

Transport

Dhaka is about five hours by road, through the

Jamuna Bridge Bangabandhu Bridge, also known as the Jamuna Multi-purpose Bridge ( bn, যমুনা বহুমুখী সেতু ''Jomuna Bohumukhi Setu'') is a bridge opened in Bangladesh in June 1998. It connects Bhuapur on the Jamuna River's east b ...

. Cities and towns of Dhaka Division,

Chittagong Division Chittagong Division, officially known as Chattogram Division, is geographically the largest of the eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh. It covers the south-easternmost areas of the country, with a total area of and a population at the 2 ...

and Sylhet Division are connected through it. Kushtia District and other parts of Khulna Division and Barisal Division is connected through

Lalon Shah Bridge Lalon Shah Bridge ( bn, লালন শাহ সেতু), locally known as Pakshey Bridge is a road bridge in Bangladesh over the river Padma, situated between Ishwardi Upazila of Pabna on the east, and Bheramara Upazila of Kushtia on the we ...

. River crossing (''ferry ghaat'') at Nagarbari on the

Jamuna River The Jamuna River ( bn, যমুনা ''Jomuna'') is one of the three main rivers of Bangladesh. It is the lower stream of the Brahmaputra River, which originates in Tibet as Yarlung Tsangpo, before flowing into India and then southwest into ...

is the old route to Dhaka and the eastern part of Bangladesh. It took three to four hours to cross only the Jamuna from Nagarbari to Aricha river port in

Manikgonj District Manikganj ( bn, মানিকগঞ্জ ) is a district in central Bangladesh. It is a part of the Dhaka Division, In 1845 AD it was at first declared as a sub-division. It was at first, under Faridpur district (Faridpur Zila) then it was in ...

.But Nowadays,The ferry terminal as well as launch terminal shifted from Nagarbari to Kazirhat.It takes approximately 1 hour to cross

through ferry from Kazirhat to

Aricha Port Aricha is a small village located in the extreme south of Tlemcen Province in Northwestern Algeria. It lies at the intersection of Tlemcen Province in the north, the Wilaya de Sidi Bel Abbes to the east and south Wilaya of Naâma to the west the ...

.There are several ferry and launch services in operation from Kazirhat to Aricha . Najirganj river crossing on the Padma River connects Pabna city with neighbouring

Rajbari District Rajbari ( bn, রাজবাড়ী) is a district in central Bangladesh, located in the Dhaka Division. It is a part of the Greater Faridpur subregion of Bengal due to the historical, linguistic and cultural identities of its inhabitants. His ...

as well as Faridpur,

Madaripur Madaripur ( bn, মাদারীপুর ), being a part of the Dhaka Division, is a district in central Bangladesh. History Madaripur subdivision was established in 1854 under the district of Bakerganj. In 1873 it was separated from Bakerganj ...

, Shariatpur and

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 ...

, and Barisal Division. Pabna is well connected to all the districts and towns of Bangladesh by road. Pabna city has connected with a new railway network.

Pabna Railway Station Pabna ( bn, পাবনা) is a city of Pabna District, Bangladesh and the administrative capital of the eponymous Pabna District. It is on the north bank of the Padma River and has a population of about . Etymology * According to the histo ...

is in Shalgaria near

Pabna Central Bus Terminal Pabna ( bn, পাবনা) is a city of Pabna District, Bangladesh and the administrative capital of the eponymous Pabna District. It is on the north bank of the Padma River and has a population of about . Etymology * According to the histo ...

, opened on 14 July 2018. A nearby railway station was in Tebunia, from city center. The nearby airport is at Ishwardi Upazila. Biman Bangladesh Airlines used to operate twice-weekly services to Ishwardi from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka. However, no airlines are operating to and from Ishwardi at the moment. Several Dhaka-bound private bus services are available such as Pabna Express, Shyamoli, Sarkar Travels, Raja Badsha, Badol, Mohanagar, C-line, Arif, Ishurdi Express, Night Star, Kings, Esha, Capital Service, Al-Hamra, Silver Line, etc. Government-owned Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) provides bus services to Rajshahi and Bogra city. Water transport is important, as the Padma and other rivers, and Chalan Beel wetland are in Pabna. In Pabna district, rides by Nosimon, rickshaw-van, and Korimon are pleasure worthy.

Industry

Pabna has fledgeling

knitted fabric Knitted fabric is a textile that results from knitting, the process of inter-looping of yarns or inter-meshing of loops. Its properties are distinct from woven fabric in that it is more flexible and can be more readily constructed into smaller pi ...

and

handloom A loom is a device used to weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of the loom and its mechanics may vary, but th ...

related textile industries. There are consumer and pharmaceutical producing factories.

Square Pharmaceuticals Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd. is a Bangladeshi Multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical company. It was founded in 1958 by Samson H. Chowdhury along with three of his friends PK Saha, Kazi Harunur Roshid and Radhabinod Rai as a priva ...

is the largest pharmaceutical company in Bangladesh. A majority of its factories are at Shalgaria near Jubilee Tank area of the town.

Notable industries

, Square Road, Shalgaria, Pabna *

Square Toiletries Square Toiletries Ltd. is one of the largest fast-moving consumer goods Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), also known as consumer packaged goods (CPG), are products that are sold quickly and at a relatively low cost. Examples include non- ...

, Meril Road, Shalgaria * Square Food & Bevarages, Meril Road, Shalgaria *

Akij Jute Mills Ltd. Akij Group is one of the largest Bangladeshi industrial conglomerate (company), conglomerates. The industries under this conglomerate include textiles, tobacco, food & beverage, cement, ceramics, printing and packaging, pharmaceuticals, consumer ...

, Ataikula *Edruc Limited, Arifpur *Shyamoli Foods Ltd, Shalgaria *

Bengal Meat 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 ...

*Shamim Flower Mills, Radhanagor *Ms. Gani & Brothers, Kalachandpara *Intra Foods, Balarampur *Ms. Shapla Plastics Ltd., BSCIC I/A *Seven Star Fish Processing Company Ltd., near Central bus terminal, Laskarpur *Universal Foods Ltd., Dilalpur *Apan Store, Hazir hat, Pabna Sadar. *Nuclear Power Plant, Ruppur, Ishwardi, Pabna.

Education

Govt. Edward College, Pabna Govt. Edward College, Pabna is one of the oldest colleges in Bangladesh. History It was established in July 1898 in Pabna. The college was first named as "Pabna Institution" and founded by Shree Gopal Chandra Lahiri, the famous educationist at t ...

* Govt. Shaheed Bulbul College * Government Women's College, Pabna * Govt. Technical School and College, Pabna * Imam Ghazzali Girls' School and College * Pabna College * Pabna Cadet College * Pabna Islamia College *

Pabna Medical College Pabna Medical College is a Public university, government medical school in Bangladesh, established in 2008. It is located in Hemayetpur, Pabna. The college provides a five-year MBBS degree and a one-year internship after graduation for all gradua ...

Pabna Polytechnic Institute Pabna Polytechnic Institute is a polytechnic institute located in Pabna, Bangladesh. History The college was founded in 1924 when the Zamidar of Trash, Banomali Roy, in Pabna named BL Eliot Technical School. In the 1960s, the Government of East ...

* Pabna University of Science and Technology *

Pabna Zilla School Pabna Zilla School ( bn, পাবনা জিলা স্কুল) is the oldest high school in the Pabna District of Bangladesh. It provides education from class Three to Ten. It has two shifts - morning and day. The morning shift starts at 7: ...

* Pabna Government Girls' School * Pabna Central Girls' School. In 2008 * Pabna Islamia Madrasha * Shaheed M. Munsur Ali College * Textile engineering college in Pabna. * Al-Hera Academy school & College, Bera. * Debuttor Kabi Bande Ali Mia High School * Galaxy School & College, Bera-Pabna *Masundia Bhawanipur Degree college *Masundia Bhawanipur high school

Health

Pabna has the largest mental hospital in Bangladesh. It also has a big general hospital, numerous medical centres, and small private clinics.

and Hospital was established in 2008. In healthcare, Pabna Community Clinic, a division of Dhaka Community Clinic, established and led by Prof. Dr. Quazi Qumruzzaman, has made a great contribution in development and mitigation of arsenicosis. The nine Upazilas under Pabna District holds an upazila health complex each. Government doctors get appointment through

Bangladesh Civil Service Bangladesh Civil Service ( bn, বাংলাদেশ সিভিল সার্ভিস ), more popularly known by its acronym BCS, is the civil service of Bangladesh. Civil service in the Indian subcontinent originated from the Imperial ...

commission. A 250-bed government-owned general hospital is at Shaalgaariya and a 450-bed mental hospital is at Hemayetpur. Recently the government-owned

has been set up near the mental hospital, Pabna premise.

Culture

There is a mosque at Chatmohar Upzilla named Shahi Mosque which built by Masum Khan kabuli at 15th century. A

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

-era mosque 'Varara Moshjid' ( bn, ভাঁড়াড়া মসজিদ) is some 10 km southeast of the town.There is a rumour that the mosque built in one night. The remains of

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 ...

temple

Jor Bangla The architecture of Bengal, which comprises the modern country of Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and Assam's Barak Valley, has a long and rich history, blending indigenous elements from the Indian subcontinent, with influ ...

(recently renovated) is in Jor Baangla Paara of the town. Jagannath Temple at

Chatmohar Upazila Chatmohar ( bn, চাটমোহর) is an upazila of Pabna District in the Division of Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Geography Chatmohar is located at . It has 39489 households and a total area of 314.32 km2. Demographics As of the 2011 Banglade ...

is considered one of the most beautiful Hindu temples in northern Bangladesh.

Rassundari Devi Rassundari Devi ( bn, রাসসুন্দরী দেবী) (c. 1809-1899) was a Bengali woman who is identified as the author of first full-fledged autobiography in modern Bengali literature. She is among the earliest woman writers in Ben ...

, a Bengali writer who is identified as the author of first full-fledged autobiography in modern

Bengali literature Bengali literature ( bn, বাংলা সাহিত্য, Bangla Sahityô) denotes the body of writings in the Bengali language and which covers Old Bengali, Middle- Bengali and Modern Bengali with the changes through the passage of time ...

, was born in Pabna in 1809 or 1810.

Notable residents

Air Vice Marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes u ...

(Rtd.)

A. K. Khandker Air Vice Marshal (Retd.) Abdul Karim Khandker, Bir Uttom (born 1930) is a former planning minister of the Government of Bangladesh. He is a retired diplomat and was the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Bangladesh Armed Forces during the Banglad ...

, first

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

of Bangladesh Air Force (1971–1975), Former Minister, Ministry Planning of People's Republic of Bangladesh *

Mirza Abdul Halim Mirza Abdul Halim (; 1927/8 – 9 July 2021) was a Bangladesh Nationalist Party politician and the former Member of Parliament of Pabna-12. Career Halim was elected to parliament from Pabna-12 as a Bangladesh Nationalist Party candidate in 19 ...

, State Minister, Ministry of Shipping *

Mirza Abdul Awal Mirza Abdul Awal is a Bangladesh Nationalist Party politician and the former Member of Parliament of Pabna-8. Career Awal was elected to parliament from Pabna-8 as a Bangladesh Nationalist Party candidate in 1979. References Bangladesh Na ...

Founded Chairman Pabna District BNP *

Zia Haider Sheikh Faisal Abdur Rouf Mohammad Ziauddin Haider (known as Zia Haider; 18 November 1936 - 2 September 2008) was a Bangladeshi writer, poet, playwright, translator and professor. He was the founder president of Nagorik Natya Sampradaya and found ...

, Writer * Amulya Kumar Saha (1913- ), orthopedic surgeon and past president of Indian Orthopedic Association was born in Pabna *

Amiya Bhushan Majumdar Amiya Bhushan Majumdar (Bengali: অমিয় ভূষণ মজুমদার) (22 March 1918 – 8 July 2001) was an Indian novelist, short-story writer, essayist and playwright. In a writing career spanning over four decades, Majumdar ...

, Indian novelist *

Amjad Hossain, MNA Amjad Hossain ( bn, আমজাদ হোসেন; 1924–1971) was a Bangladeshi statesman and Freedom Fighter. Amjad Hossain is regarded as one of the influential and political figures in Pabna during Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971, ...

(Member of

National Assembly of Pakistan The National Assembly ( ur, , translit=Aiwān-e-Zairīñ, , or ur, قومی اسمبلی, Romanization, romanized: ''Qaumi Assembly'') is the lower house, lower legislative house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Pakistan, which al ...

), organiser of Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971. *

Bonde Ali Miah Bande Ali Mia (17 January 1906 – 27 June 1979) was a Bangladeshi poet, lyricist, novelist, dramatist, essayist, children’s writer and journalist. He was awarded the Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1962 and Ekushey Padak in 1988. Early life ...

, poet *

Group Captain Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank i ...

(Rtd.)

Saiful Azam Saiful Azam (11 September 1941 – 14 June 2020) was a Bangladeshi pilot and politician who first served as a fighter pilot for the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (1960–1971) and later the Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) (1971–1979). During his care ...

, former pilot, a war hero of

1965 Indo-Pakistani War The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 or the Second Kashmir War was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. The conflict began following Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar, which was d ...

and

1967 Arab-Israeli War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab states (primarily Egypt, Syria, and Jordan) from 5 to 10 Jun ...

( Six-Day War) * General Joyanto Nath Chaudhuri

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, former

Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) (unofficially known as the Army Chief) is a statutory position in the Indian Army held usually by a four star general. As the highest ranking officer to serve solely in the Indian Army, the chief is the profess ...

. *

Pramatha Chaudhuri Pramathanath Chaudhuri ( bn, প্রমথনাথ চৌধুরী; 7 August 1868 – 2 September 1946), known as Pramatha Chaudhuri, ''alias'' Birbal, was a Bengali writer and an influential figure in Bengali literature. He was the neph ...

, writer * Samson H. Chowdhury, businessman, former chairman of

Square Group Square Group () is a Bangladeshi diversified conglomerate based in Dhaka. Samuel S Chowdhury is the chairman and Tapan Chowdhury is managing director of Square Group. Square Group has 60 thousand employees. History Square Group was founded in ...

Thakur Anukulchandra Anukulchandra Chakravarty (14 September 1888 – 27 January 1969), popularly known as Sree Sree Thakur, was a physician, a philosopher, a spiritual leader and the founder of Satsang (Deoghar), Satsang, in Deoghar. He was born in a Brahmin famil ...

, guru, physician and founder of Satsang

Ashram An ashram ( sa, आश्रम, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or a ...

* Mohammed Fazle Rabbee, cardiologist, intellectual, murdered in the intellectual killing during the 1971 genocide in Bangladesh by Pakistani army and its local collaborators, the Jamaat-affiliate *

A. B. Mirza Azizul Islam A. B. Mirza Azizul Islam is a Bangladeshi bureaucrat and the former Advisor of the Caretaker Government led by Fakhruddin Ahmed. He was in charge of the finance ministry. Career Islam is the former chairman of Bangladesh Securities and Exchange C ...

, Writer *

Daud Haider Daud Haider is a Bangladeshi poet who was forced into exile after writing a poem that "insulted" religion including Islam. American Center, International PEN have described him as "distinguished poet". Early life Haider was born on 21 February 195 ...

, Poet *

Rashid Haider Rashid Haider (15 July 1941 – 13 October 2020) was a Bangladeshi author and novelist. He was awarded Ekushey Padak in 2014 and Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1984 by the Government of Bangladesh. He was the author of more than 70 books thro ...

, Writer * Abu Hena Mustafa kamal

References

External links

Pabna city websiteDainik IchhamotiOnabil SongbadNews PabnaPabna Sangbad
{{Bangladesh cities Pabna District Populated places in Pabna District Pourashavas of Bangladesh