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 of
Tripura to the south. Sreemangal is often referred to as the 'tea capital' of Bangladesh, and is most famous for its tea fields. Other than tea, the rubber, pineapple, wood, betel, and lemon industries also exist in the upazila.
History
It is said the name Sreemangal (or Srimangal) is named after Sri Das and Mangal Das; two brothers who settled on the banks of the Hail
Haor.
A copper plate of Raja Marundanath from the 11th century was found in Kalapur. During an excavation at Lamua, an ancient statue of Ananta Narayan was dug out. In 1454, the Nirmai Shiva Bari was built and still stands today. Srimangal
thana was established in 1912. The central town later became a
pourashava in 1935. In 1963, two peasants were killed by police officers which kicked off the Balishira peasant riots. 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 ...
of 1971, the
Pakistani army reached Sreemangal on 30 April setting houses on fire and committing atrocities against women. The
East Pakistan Rifles
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...
camp and
Wapda office premises were among the two mass killing sites. Two mass graves remain in Bharaura with a memorial in North Bharaura.
[
]
Geography
Sreemangal is located at . It has 43,952 households and total area 450.74 km2. It is bordered by 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 ...
to the north, Tripura to the south, Kamalganj
Kamalganj is a town and a nagar panchayat in Farrukhabad district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The town is one of the key contributors to Potato production in the district. Kamalganj was named after Muslim religion promoter and socia ...
to the east and Chunarughat, Nabiganj and Bahubal
Bahubal ( bn, বাহুবল) is an upazila of Habiganj District in the Sylhet Division of Bangladesh.
History
Bahubal was a part of the Tungachhal and Rajpur kingdoms. The last Raja of Tungachhal, Achak Narayan, was defeated in 1303 during th ...
to the west.[
]
Climate
Demographics
As of the 1991 Bangladesh census
In 1991, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, conducted a national census in Bangladesh. They recorded data from all of the districts and upazilas and main cities in Bangladesh including statistical data on population size, households, sex and age ...
, Sreemangal has a population of 230,889. Males constitute 51.76% of the total population, and females 48.24%. This Upazila's 18+ population is 124,778. Sreemangal has an average literacy rate of 29.8% (7+ years), and the national average of 32.4% literate. About 57% of this sub district's people are Muslims while 40% are Hindus and others are Christians and Buddhist.
Economy and tourism
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 one of the main tourist attractions in the area, and is home to the Great White-Bellied Heron, the only confirmed site in Bangladesh. The Baikka beel
A beel (Bengali and Assamese: বিল) is a billabong or a lake-like wetland with static water (as opposed to moving water in rivers and canals - typically called in Bengali, in the Ganges - Brahmaputra flood plains of the Eastern Indian s ...
is also a nearby body of water and home to the Large-billed reed warbler
The large-billed reed warbler (''Acrocephalus orinus'') is an Old World warbler in the genus '' Acrocephalus''. The species has been dubbed as "the world's least known bird". It was known from a single specimen collected in India in 1867 and redi ...
.["Rare Bird in Baikka Wetland", Daily Prothom Alo](_blank)
Sreemangal has been nicknamed the ''tea capital of Bangladesh'', due to the number of tea gardens in the area, and is the place of origin of the Seven Color Tea
Seven-colour tea or seven-layer tea ( bn, সাত রং চা) is a Bangladeshi beverage made with an unknown recipe. The Seven-layer tea was invented by Romesh Ram Gour after discovering that different tea leaves have different densities. Ea ...
.[ The Bangladesh Tea Research Institute in Sreemangal has made a number of contributions in evolving and standardising the quality of tea, and introducing its research findings to the tea industry of Bangladesh.] Pineapples from the Sreemangal area are known for their flavour and natural sweetness. In 2010, 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 was discovered and has attracted visitors from all over Bangladesh to Razkandi forest.
Administration
Sreemangal Upazila is divided into Sreemangal Municipality and nine union parishads: Ashidron, Bhunabir, Kalapur, Kalighat, Mirzapur, Rajghat, Satgaon, Sindurkhan, and Sreemangal. The union parishads are subdivided into 108 mauzas and 208 villages.
Sreemangal Municipality is subdivided into 9 wards and 20 mahallas.
Education
According to Banglapedia, Victoria High School, founded in 1924, is a notable secondary school.[ The Jamia Luthfia Anwarul Uloom Hamidnagar is a notable madrasa and ]Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
ic centre in the Sylhet region.
Notable people
* Om family
See also
*Magurchara Punji
Magurchhara Punji ( bn, মাগুরছড়া পুঞ্জি, Magurchhora Punji, Village of the walking catfish stream, kha, Magursora Puñji) is a tribal village inhabited by the Khasi people, Khasi ethnic minority. It is located off t ...
*Shaharsree
Shaharsree ( bn, শহরশ্রী) is a village in Mirzapur Union, Sreemangal Upazila, Moulvibazar District, Sylhet Division, Bangladesh.
During the Mughal Rule was known as Pachawoon ( bn, links=no, পাচাউন) Pargana' (Sub distri ...
* Baraoora Tea Estate
*Bhurbhuria Tea Estate
References
{{Authority control
Srimangal Upazila