Bhurungamari Upazila

Bhurungamari Upazila (kurigram district) area 236.26 sq km, located in between 26°02' and 26°14' north latitudes and in between 89°36' and 89°48 east longitudes. It is bounded by west bengal (India) and assam (India) on the north, nageshwari upazila on the south, Assam on the east, West Bengal on the west. Bhurungamari upazila has 10 enclaves.

Population Total 231538; male 113502, female 118036; Muslim 227574, Hindu 3945, Buddhist 5, Christian 11 and others 3.

Water bodies Main rivers: dudhkumar, Phulkumar; Diadanga, Sarbajaya and Mara Sangkosh beels are notable.

Administration Bhurungamari Thana was formed in 1915 and it was turned into an upazila on 10 April 1983.

Upazila
Municipality	Union	Mouza	Village	Population		Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
				Urban	Rural		Urban	Rural
-	10	56	126	29683	201855	980	56.7	37.0

Upazila Town
Area (sq km)	Mouza	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
14.92	3	29683	1989	56.7

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Andhari Jhar 13	6547	11349	11969	38.9
Char Bhurungamari 47	4607	7188	7532	35.4
Joymanirhat 57	4372	8011	8609	44.2
Tilai 95	4695	7850	8261	37.4
Paiker Chhara 66	6360	12230	12572	36.7
Pathardubi 76	6363	10438	10931	39.7
Bangasonahat 38	5331	9887	10370	30.2
Boldia 28	6126	11903	13062	35.7
Bhurungamari 19	7161	23774	23411	49.1
Shilkhuri 85	6821	10872	11319	36.0

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2011,Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Archaeological heritage and relics Dewan Khamar Jami Mosque, remnants of an ancient mosque on the south-west of Pateshwari Bazar (Mughal period), Indraprasad Dev Temple, Zamindar Bari (house) at Joymoni.

War of Liberation On 11 November 1971 in liberating Bhurungamari from the Pak occupant army 59 members of the Indian allied force including Major Ram Singh and five freedom fighters were killed. Having liberated Bhurungamari, on 20 November, a fierce direct encounter was held to liberate Raiganj in which more than one hundred Pak soldiers were killed and so were freedom fighter Lt Abu Sayed Muhammad Ashfaqus Samad (Bir Uttam) and some of his compatriots. Besides, the freedom fighters destroyed Sonahat Bridge on 26 November in order to obstruct the entry of the Pak army into the upazila. There is a mass grave behind the residence of the TNO and a mass killing site at the backyard of the hospital. About 30 human skulls have been discovered at the village Baghbhandar of the Bhurungamari Union.

For details: see ভুরুঙ্গামারী উপজেলা, বাংলাদেশ মুক্তিযুদ্ধ জ্ঞানকোষ (Encyclopedia of Bangladesh War of Liberation), বাংলাদেশ এশিয়াটিক সোসাইটি, ঢাকা ২০২০, খণ্ড ৭।

Religious institutions Mosque 520, temple 14.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 39.6%; male 43.1%, female 36.2%. Educational institutions: college 5, secondary school 40, primary school 135, madrasa 27. Noted educational institutions: Bhurungamari Degree College (1967), Bhurungamari Mahila Degree College (1994), Bhurungamari Pilot High School (1925), Pateshwari Barkatia High School (1950), Thanaghat Multilateral High School (1961), Dhamerhat Government Primary School (1950), Bhurungamari Model Government Primary School, Baushmari Senior Madrasa (1938), Bhurungamari Senior Madrasa (1948).

Cultural organisations Library 2, club 15, cinema hall 3, playground 8.

Main sources of income Agriculture 75.2%, non-agricultural labourer 4.15%, industry 0.4%, commerce 8.06%, transport and communication 1.48%, service 2.99%, construction 0.44%, religious service 0.11%, rent and remittance 0.3% and others 6.87%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 54.45%, landless 45.55%; agricultural landowner: urban 44.23% and rural 55.78%.

Main crops Paddy, jute, potato, wheat, sugarcane, bamboo, vegetables.'

Extinct or nearly extinct crops China, aus paddy and arahar.

Main fruits Mango, jackfruit, betel nut, kamranga, olive, papaya, blackberry, chalta, jamrul, natko, litchi.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries Dairy 5, poultry 32, nursery (fish).

Communication facilities Pucca road 59 km, mud road 240 km; waterway 15 km.

Extinct or nearly extinct traditional transport Palanquin, bullock and buffalo cart.

Noted manufactories Tea factory, incense factory, ball pen factory, biscuit factory, ice cream factory, welding, candle factory, fertiliser producing industry.

Cottage industries Goldsmith, blacksmith, potteries, jute industry, embroidery, bamboo work.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 25, fairs 2; Joymanirhat, Sonahat, Shahi Bazar Hat, Bhurungamari Hat and Bharater Mela (Pateshwari) and Baruni Mela (Kalirhat) are notable.

Main exports Jute, betel nut, paddy, bamboo, chicken.

Access to electricity All the unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 18.6% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 97.1%, tap 0.2% and others 2.7%.

Sanitation 75.7% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 17.4% of dwelling houses use non-sanitary latrines; 6.9% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Upazila health complex 1, Union health centre 4, family planning clinic 10, satellite clinic 42, private clinic 3, diagnostic centre 1.

Natural disasters 'The cyclone of 1957 and the flood of 1993 caused heavy damages to settlements and properties of the upazila.

NGO activities CARE, brac, rdrs, asa. [Md Kamal Hossain]

References' Bangladesh Population Census 2001 and 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics; Cultural survey report of Bhurungamari Upazila 2007.