Tangail ( bn, টাঙ্গাইল, ), is a major city within the

Dhaka Division Dhaka Division ( bn, ঢাকা বিভাগ, ''Ḑhaka Bibhag'') is an administrative division within Bangladesh. Dhaka serves as the capital city of the Dhaka Division, the Dhaka District and Bangladesh. The division remains a populati ...

in central

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 sits on the bank of the Louhajang River, north-west of

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 ...

, the nation's capital. It is considered to be the main urban area of the

Tangail District Tangail ( bn, টাঙ্গাইল জেলা) formerly a small Mohokuma of Greater Mymensingh district is a district (''zila'') in the central region of Bangladesh. In 1969, Tangail district was created by Tangail Mohokuma from its 237 ...

, and is the 13th-largest city by population in

Etymology

The name ''Tangail'' is thought to originate from the

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

word ''tanga'', meaning horse carts; long lines of horse carts were common in the area in the early 19th century, as these were the favored mode of transport for passengers and cargo.

History

Tangail has been a popular local business center since the early 19th century. In 1860, Tangail became the 4th ranking area of the

Greater Mymensingh Mymensingh Division ( bn, ময়মনসিংহ বিভাগ) is one of the eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh. It has an area of and a population of 11,370,000 as of the 2011 census. It was created in 2015 from districts prev ...

district due to its fertile land near the Louhajong River. It was close to main city Begunbari, Mymesningh. In 1969,

Tangail district Tangail ( bn, টাঙ্গাইল জেলা) formerly a small Mohokuma of Greater Mymensingh district is a district (''zila'') in the central region of Bangladesh. In 1969, Tangail district was created by Tangail Mohokuma from its 237 ...

was established.

Tangail Airdrop

The

Tangail Airdrop The Tangail Airdrop was a successful battalion-size Para Commandos (India) operation mounted on 11 December 1971 by the Parachute Regiment (India)#Units, 2nd Battalion (Special Operations) (2 PARA) of the Indian Army's Parachute Regiment (I ...

was a successful battalion-size Para Commandos (India) operation mounted on 11 December 1971 by the 2nd Battalion (Special Operations) (2 PARA) of the Indian Army's Parachute Regiment during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 for the liberation of Bangladesh. The main objective of the operation was the capture of Poongli Bridge on the Jamuna River which would cut off the Pakistani 93rd Brigade which was retreating from Mymensingh in the north to defend the capital of East Pakistan, Dhaka, and its approaches. The paratroop unit was also tasked to link up with the advancing Maratha Light Infantry on the ground to advance towards the East Pakistani capital. The Pourasabha (

municipal corporation A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to) cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. The term can also be used to describe municipally owne ...

) was established on July 1, 1887, and originally divided the city into five wards: This was later restructured to four wards - Ward No. 1 (Central), 2 (Betka), 3 (Dighulia) and 4 (Santosh) - and then, in 1988, to six wards with the addition of Wards 5 (Zila Sadar) and 6 (Kazipur). The first city election was held in November 1887 where eight ward commissioners from four wards were elected by the citizens. The Subdivision Commissioner of Tangail, Shashi Shekhar Dutt, was appointed as the first administrator of Tangail city. The city was poorly developed with a lack of paved roads and roadside lamps; subsequently, the regional

zamindar A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as a ...

s and subdivision board provided financial support to dig ponds, lakes, and

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow un ...

s, which created a safe

water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Thes ...

. In the early 1900s, the Pourashava installed kerosene roadside lamps. The Pourashava gradually became populated in the first half of the 20th century. During this time, many tube wells were set up in the city and the main modes of transportation were

horsecar A horsecar, horse-drawn tram, horse-drawn streetcar (U.S.), or horse-drawn railway (historical), is an animal-powered (usually horse) tram or streetcar. Summary The horse-drawn tram (horsecar) was an early form of public rail transport, wh ...

s and cattle. Electricity was established in the city in the early 1930s.

Paved road A road surface (British English), or pavement (American English), is the durable surface material laid down on an area intended to sustain vehicular or foot traffic, such as a road or walkway. In the past, gravel road surfaces, hoggin, cob ...

s were constructed in the 1960s, connecting the city to

. Simultaneously,

bridges A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whic ...

and

culverts A culvert is a structure that channels water past an obstacle or to a subterranean waterway. Typically embedded so as to be surrounded by soil, a culvert may be made from a pipe, reinforced concrete or other material. In the United Kingdo ...

were installed. In 1985, Tangail was promoted from a ''C Class'' city to a ''B Class'' city. In 1989, the Pourashava was promoted to ''A-Class''. In the 1990s, the city was financed by the

Asian Development Bank The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established on 19 December 1966, which is headquartered in the Ortigas Center located in the city of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. The bank also maintains 31 field office ...

and the

Government of Bangladesh The Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ সরকার — ) is the central executive government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Con ...

to develop

sanitation Sanitation refers to public health conditions related to clean drinking water and treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage. Preventing human contact with feces is part of sanitation, as is hand washing with soap. Sanitation systems ...

, wastewater drainage, bus terminals, supermarkets, and other

infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and priv ...

. In 1999, the city was restructured again into 18 wards (its current organization).

Wards

Tangail has an area of , divided into 18 wards and 64 mahallas. The Bangladeshi government is planning to expand the city to a total area of 81.75 km².

Geography And Climate

The city of Tangail is located in

, Central

. The city lies in a low-lying floodplain plain area near

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 ...

, south of the high plateau of

Madhupur tract Madhupur tract is a large upland area of 4,244 km2 in north central part of Bangladesh, stretching from east of Jamalpur in the north, to Fatullah and Narayanganj, in the south. The tract is mostly one large tract, unlike the Barind Tract. ...

. The average elevation of Tangail is 14 meters (49 feet). Tangail experiences a

Tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry winter) and ''As'' (for a dry summer). The driest month has less than of p ...

''(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

: Aw )'' with hot, humid tropical

Wet season The wet season (sometimes called the Rainy season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. It is the time of year where the majority of a country's or region's annual precipitation occurs. Generally, the sea ...

(Monsson Season) and warm, dry

Winter Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultures ...

, with high humid condition year-round. The yearly average temperature in Tangail is 27.5 °C and average rainfall is 1817 mm.

Demographics

Tangail had 700,000 residents as of 2017. The majority of this population are

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

(88.2%), like most of the cities in Bangladesh. Other religious groups include

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 ...

s (11.7%),

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

(0.08%) and

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

s (0.02%).

Sports

In the centre of the city,

Tangail Stadium Tangail Stadium also called Tangail Zila Stadium ( bn, টাঙ্গাইল স্টেডিয়াম ) is located at Club Road, north side of Bhashani Hall and Tangail Eid-gah, 200 metres away and west side of Shaheed Sriti Poura Uddan ...

hosts the city's most important sporting events. The stadium has hosted national events. It is the home venue of

Bangladesh Football Premier League The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), officially known as TVS Bangladesh Premier League for sponsorship reasons, is a top tier of Bangladeshi professional football league pyramid. It is run directly by the professional football league committee ...

club

Team BJMC Team Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (Team BJMC) was a sporting club in Bangladesh, which is mainly located in the city of Dhaka. The club was formerly known as East Pakistan IDC prior to 1971 and Bangladesh JIC from 1971 until 1978, from whic ...

. It was converted into a cricket stadium in 2015 and regularly hosts First Division Cricket.

Transport

Bangabandhu 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 ...

, the longest bridge in Bangladesh, connects Tangail and

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 District, and with a population of 167,200 is the fourteenth most populo ...

. It takes approximately 1 hour and 55 minutes to reach Tangail from

(about 98 km away), via

Kaliakair Kaliakair ( bn, কালিয়াকৈর) is a city in central Bangladesh, located in Gazipur District in the division of Dhaka. It is the administrative and urban centre of Kaliakair Upazila. About 213,061 people live here which makes ...

and

Tongi Tongi ( bn, টঙ্গী) is a major township in Gazipur District, Gazipur, Bangladesh, with a population of 350,000. It hosts the Biswa Ijtema and features a Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industry Corporation, BSCIC industrial area, which prod ...

. Several bus lines operate between Tangail and Dhaka's

Mohakhali Mohakhali is a neighborhood of Dhaka city, the capital of Bangladesh. Events Korail Slum The Korea Railroad Corporation ( Korean: 한국철도공사, Hanja: ), branded as KORAIL (코레일, officially changed to in November 2019), is t ...

(মহাখালী) bus terminal. Among them are the Nirala, Dhaleshwari, Jathika, and High Choice bus lines. Tangail railway station offers travel to Dhaka and other cities within Bangladesh. The inter-city

Ekota Express Ekota Express () is a named Inter-city rail, inter-city passenger train of Bangladesh. It runs between Kamalapur railway station of Dhaka District and Bir Muktijoddha Sirajul Islam railway station of Panchagarh District. Rolling stock On 2 Sep ...

Sundarban Express Sundarban Express is an intercity express train in Bangladesh Railway which runs between the capital city Dhaka and the southwestern city Khulna Khulna ( bn, খুলনা, ) is the third-largest city in Bangladesh, after Dhaka and Chittago ...

and

Rangpur Express Rangpur Express is a Bangladeshi Intercity train which runs between Rangpur and Dhaka under Bangladesh Railway. The train was launched in 2011. It is one of the fastest and most luxurious trains in Bangladesh. The train does not operate on Sundays ...

(amongst others) serve the station alongside

commuter rail Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...

and mail train services. Tangail Airport was opened in 1967 for agricultural purposes but has been unmaintained since 1976.

Traditional foods

Chomchom Cham cham, Chomchom or chum chum ( bn, চমচম) is a traditional Bengali sweet, popular throughout the Indian subcontinent. The sweet comes in a variety of colors, mainly light pink, light yellow, and white. It is coated with coconut or m ...

, a well-known dessert from Tangail. *

Pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuri ...

Parks

Tangail contains numerous parks, including Tangail Poura Uddan (one of the city's most-visited places), SP Park and DC Lake and Soul Park. The city also contains part of the Madhupur National Park, one of Bangladesh's oldest

national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

Education

The literacy rate of the city area is 71.8%.

Schools

* Bindu Basini Govt. Boys' High School (established in 1880 by

Santosh Santosh (), also spelled as Santhosh, is a Hindu masculine given name. The name means "Satisfaction" or "Gratification". Notable people with the given name Santosh * Santosh Bagrodia, former MP, politician representing INC * Santosh Bhattachar ...

of the famous Roy

Chowdhury Chowdhury is a title of honour, usually hereditary, originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is an adaption from Sanskrit. During the Mughal rule, it was a title awarded to eminent people, while during British rule, the term was associated ...

family) * Bindu Basini Govt. Girls' High School (established in 1882 by zamindar of Santosh of the famous Roy

family) * Govt. Dhanbari Nawab Institution (Established in 1910 by Syed Nawab Ali Chowdhury) famous zamindar of

Dhanbari Dhanbari ( bn, ধনবাড়ী) is a town of Dhanbari Upazila, Tangail, Bangladesh. The town is situated 63 km northeast of Tangail city and 143 km northwest of Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), forme ...

. He is also a founder member of

Dhaka University The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...

* Miyavai International School and College, Madhupur (This school was established in 2.2.22 (2 February 2022) by Boro Miya (Miya vai/Rasel Miya) of the famous Miya family of Madhupur.) * Police Lines High School * Sristy College Of Tangail * Tangail Polytechnic * Santosh Jannabi Govt. High School * Vivekananda High School * Madhupur Shaheed Smriti Higher Secondary School & College,Madhupur * Gvt.Rani Bhavani Pilot High School,Madhupur * A.R.L Memorial School and College,Madhupur * Bharateshwari Homes,Mirzapur * B.A.F Shaheen College,pahar Kanchanpur * Zila Sadar Girls' High School * Shibnath High School * P.T.I. High School * Shaheen School and College * Bulbul Residential Model School, Tangail Sadar, Tangail * Athail Shimul High School Ghatail Tangail * Brammon Kushia Government Primary School, Brammon Kushia, Tangail * Bararia Suruj Bisweswari High School, Bararia, Tangail * Apon Pathshala, Tangail *Ghatail Cantonment Public School & College. *Suti V.M Pilot High School,Gopalpur

Higher education

Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University (MBSTU) ( bn, মাওলানা ভাসানী বিজ্ঞান ও প্রযুক্তি বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়) is the 12th oldest public university and ...

, Santosh, Tangail * Sheikh Hasina Medical College, Tangail * Kumudini Womens’ Medical College, Mirzapur *

Mirzapur Cadet College Mirzapur Cadet College ( bn, মির্জাপুর ক্যাডেট কলেজ) is a Military high school in Tangail, Bangladesh. Like other cadet colleges it follows the national curriculum prescribed by the National Curriculum a ...

* Major General Mahmudul Hassan Adarsha College * Sristy College of Tangail * Madhupur Shahid Smrity Higher Secondary School & College,Madhupur * Kumudini Government Mohila College * GRB University ,Madhupur (Recommended) * A.R.L Memorial School and College * Hazi Giyash Uddin Medical College, Madhupur * Madhupur Assistant Medical Training Centre * Govt. Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Mohila College * Tangail Polytechnic Institute * Vivekananda College * B.A.F Shaheen College,pahar Kanchanpur * Govt. Saadat College, Karatia * Bangabandhu Textile Engineering College,(BTEC) Kalihati * Textile Institute of Tangail * M.M Ali College *

Haji Abul Hossain Institute of Technology Haji Abul Hossain Institute of Technology ( bn, হাজী আবুল হোসেন ইন্সটিটিউট অব টেকনোলজি ) or (HABHIT) is a polytechnic institute in Tangail, Bangladesh established in 2000. Departm ...

Notable residents

* Syed Nawab Ali Chowdhury,

Zamindar A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as a ...

, He was a famous educationist. He established about 38 schools and colleges. He is a founder member of

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...

, He was the first Muslim minister of united bengal. For his contribution in education he was given the office of education ministry. *

Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani (12 December 1880 – 17 November 1976), often shortened as Maulana Bhashani, was a Bengali politician. His political tenure spanned the British colonial India, Pakistan and Bangladesh periods. Maulana Bhashani was pop ...

, Islamic scholar, political leader, and ex-president of the

Awami League In Urdu language, Awami is the adjectival form for '' Awam'', the Urdu language word for common people. The adjective appears in the following proper names: *Awami Colony, a neighbourhood of Landhi Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan *Awami Front, wa ...

. *

Shamsul Huq Shamsul Huq (1918–1965) was a Bengali politician who led a parliamentary committee in the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan to advocate for the recognition of the Bengali language during the Language movement of the 1950s. He was also the firs ...

, the first general secretary of the

. * Abu Sayeed Chowdhury, the second president of Bangladesh. * Abdul Mannan, the Home and Family Planning Minister (1972-1975), MNA (1970), MP (1996-2001). He established the Tangail General Hospital, Govt. Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib College, and Atia College. * Qader "Tiger" Siddiqi,

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...

havildar Havildar or havaldar ( Hindustani: or (Devanagari), (Perso-Arabic)) is a rank in the Indian, Pakistani and Nepalese armies, equivalent to sergeant. It is not used in cavalry units, where the equivalent is daffadar. Like a British sergeant, ...

,'' famed

Mukti Bahini The Mukti Bahini ( bn, মুক্তিবাহিনী, translates as 'freedom fighters', or liberation army), also known as the Bangladesh Forces, was the guerrilla resistance movement consisting of the Bangladeshi military, paramilitary ...

leader (decorated

Bir Uttom Bir Uttom ( bn, বীর উত্তম, lit=Great Valiant Hero) is the second highest award for individual gallantry in Bangladesh after the Bir Sreshtho and the highest gallantry award for a living individual. Since the independence of Bang ...

) (MP 1999-2013), and founding leader of Krishak Sramik Janata League. *

Soto Monir Soto Monir ( bn, ছোট মনির) is a Bangladesh Awami League politician and the incumbent Member of Parliament of Tangail-2. He was the joint secretary of Awami League's branch in Germany. Career Monir, aka Tanvir Hasan, entered studen ...

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

from

Tangail-2 Tangail-2 is a constituency represented in the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) of Bangladesh since 2019 by Soto Monir Soto Monir ( bn, ছোট মনির) is a Bangladesh Awami League politician and the incumbent Member of Parliament of ...

* SM Aslam Talukder aka Manna, film actor and producer. * Tarana Halim, M.P., film actress

References

{{reflist

External links

District portal of Tangail
Populated places in Dhaka Division Populated places established in 1887 Pourashavas of Bangladesh Populated places in Tangail District Tangail District