Sirajganj ( bn, সিরাজগঞ্জ) is a city in north-western
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 ...
on the right bank of 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 ...
. It is the administrative headquarters of
Sirajganj District
Sirajganj District ( bn, সিরাজগঞ্জ জেলা) is a district in the North Bengal region of Bangladesh, located in the Rajshahi Division. It is an economically important district of Bangladesh. Sirajganj district is the 25th ...
, and with a population of 167,200 is the fourteenth most populous city in the country. It is about north west of the capital,
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 ...
. It is the city where Pakistani Brig. Jehanzeb Arbab looted the bank back in 1971 during Bangladesh liberation war. It was once a principal centre of the
jute trade
The jute trade is centered mainly around India, India's West Bengal and Assam, and Bangladesh. The major producing country of jute is India and biggest exporter being Bangladesh, due to their natural fertile soil. Production of jute by India and ...
.
History
During
British rule
The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent;
*
* it is also called Crown rule in India,
*
*
*
*
or Direct rule in India,
* Quote: "Mill, who was hims ...
, Sirajganj was a town in the
Pabna District
Pabna District ( bn, পাবনা জেলা) is a district in central Bangladesh. It is an economically important district in Bangladesh. Its administrative capital is the eponymous Pabna town.
History
Archeologist Cunningham conjectured ...
of
Eastern Bengal and Assam
Eastern Bengal and Assam was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India between 1905 and 1912. Headquartered in the city of Dacca, it covered territories in what are now Bangladesh, Northeast India and Northern West Bengal.
Hist ...
. Its location on the right bank of the Jamuna River or main stream of the Brahmaputra was a six-hour journey by
steamer from the railway terminal at
Goalundo
Goalundo Ghat (also spelled Goalanda and Goalondo; bn, গোয়ালন্দঘাট) is a small town and pourasabha in Goalandaghat Upazila, Rajbari District, Dhaka Division, Bangladesh, South Asia. There are two railway stops one a ...
. It was the chief river mart for jute in northern Bengal, with several jute presses. The jute mills were closed after the
1897 Assam earthquake. The population according to the 1901 census of India was 23,114.
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 ...
, Sirajganj city had 37,442 households and a population of 167,200. The literacy rate (age 7 and over) was 62.2%, compared to the national average of 51.8%.
Points of interest
*
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 ...
*
Elliott Bridge
* Sirajganj Hard Point
* Jamuna Eco Park
* Rasel Park
* House of
Syed Ismail Hossain Siraji
Transport
In the later half of the 19th century, Sirajganj was an important river port. It was the main collection point for jute produced in northern Bengal and western Mymensingh. After the 1897 Assam earthquake, which damaged infrastructure and shifted the course of the river farther from the city, its significance declined. It was eclipsed by Narayanganj, another river port, which also had a rail connection.
Not until 1915 was Sirajganj connected to the railway network, with the opening of the
Sara-Sirajganj line.
As of 2022, there is an Intercity train to Dhaka six days a week.
East-west national highway N405 passes just south of the city. It runs east, across 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 ...
, about to the
Joydebpur–Jamalpur Highway at
Elenga
Elenga ( bn, এলেঙ্গা) is a town in Kalihati Upazila of Tangail District, Bangladesh. The town is situated away from Tangail city and northwest of Dhaka
Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), List of renamed place ...
, and west about to the
Dhaka–Banglabandha Highway.
Education
There are two medical schools in the city, the public
Shaheed M. Monsur Ali Medical College, established in 2014, and the private North Bengal Medical College & Hospital, established in 2000. As of May 2019, they are respectively allowed to admit 51 and 85 students annually.
There are eight colleges in the city. They include
Sirajganj Government College
Sirajganj ( bn, সিরাজগঞ্জ) is a city in north-western Bangladesh on the right bank of the Jamuna River. It is the administrative headquarters of Sirajganj District, and with a population of 167,200 is the fourteenth most populo ...
, founded in 1940,
Islamia Government College
Islamia Government College is a government owned college in Sirajganj
Sirajganj ( bn, সিরাজগঞ্জ) is a city in north-western Bangladesh on the right bank of the Jamuna River. It is the administrative headquarters of Sirajganj ...
(1887), and
Government Rashidazzoha Womens College.
According to Banglapedia, B.L. Government High School, founded in 1869, Jnandayini High School (1884), Saleha Ishaque Government Girls' High School, and Victoria High School (1898) are notable secondary schools.
Notable people
*
Jadav Chandra Chakravarti
Jadav Chandra Chakravarti (1855 – 26 November 1920) was a prominent Bengali mathematician of the Indian subcontinent. He was famous for his two books named ''Arithmetic'' and ''Algebra''.
Early life
Chakravarti was born in 1855 at the village ...
, mathematician, constructed a building in the Dhanbandi neighborhood in 1901.
*
Zahid Hasan
Zahid Hasan (born 4 October 1965) is a Bangladeshi film, television and stage actor. He has been working as an actor in the show business arena of Bangladesh since the 1990s. He is also a TV commercial model. He was awarded Bangladesh National F ...
, actor, was born in Sirajganj in 1967.
*
Mazharul Islam
Muzharul Islam (25 December 1923 – 15 July 2012) was a Bangladeshi architect, urban planner, educator and activist. He is considered as the Grand Master of regional modernism in South Asia. Islam is the pioneer of modern architecture in Ban ...
, poet and folklorist, completed his
Higher Secondary Certificate from Sirajganj College in 1947.
*
Abdul Latif Mirza
Abdul Latif Mirza (died 5 November 2007) was a Bangladeshi Awami League politician. He was the member of parliament from Pabna-4 in 1979 and Sirajganj-4 in 1996.
Career
Mirza was a member of Mukti Bahini and fought in the Bangladesh Libera ...
, freedom fighter and member of parliament, died in Sirajganj in 2007.
*
Ismail Hossain Siraji
Syed Ismail Hossain Siraji ( bn, সৈয়দ ইসমাইল হোসেন সিরাজী; 1880–1931) was a Bengali author and poet from Sirajganj in present-day Bangladesh. He is considered to be one of the key authors of period of ...
, poet and novelist, lived in Sirajganj.
*
Haimanti Sukla
Haimanti Shukla ( bn, হৈমন্তী শুক্লা, ''Hoimonti Shukla''; born 2 December 1949) is a Bengali singer. The tradition of Hindustani classical music was in her family and this helped her to become a classically trained s ...
, singer, was born in what is now the Munshi Meherullah Road area of Sirajganj.
References
External links
* http://www.sirajganj.gov.bd/
{{Bangladesh cities
Populated places in Rajshahi Division
Pourashavas of Bangladesh