Bishwanath Upazila

Bishwanath Upazila (sylhet district) area 213.16 sq km, located in between 24°44' and 24°56' north latitudes and in between 91°39' and 91°50' east longitudes. It is bounded by sylhet sadar and chhatak upazilas on the north, balaganj upazila on the south, dakshin surma upazila on the east, jagannathpur and Chhatak upazilas on the west.

Population Total 232573; male 115763, female 116810; Muslim 222393, Hindu 10065, Buddhist 7, Christian 34 and others 74. 31 indigenous people live in this upazila.

Water bodies Main river: surma; Konaura, Naldubi and Chaulbuni beels are notable.

Administration Bishwanath Thana was formed in 1922 and it was turned into an upazila in 1983.

Upazila
Municipality	Union	Mouza	Village	Population		Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
				Urban	Rural		Urban	Rural
-	8	123	444	21059	211514	1091	53.9	46.2

Upazila Town
Area (sq km)	Mouza	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
10.43	4	21059	2019	53.9

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Alankari 10	5643	13719	14182	52.6
Bishwanath 21	7757	19700	19313	52.4
Daulatpur 31	8365	14131	14471	46.0
Deokalas 42	5614	9263	8841	45.6
Dasghar 52	5420	10071	9990	44.2
Khazanchigaon 63	7433	15085	15624	44.2
Lamakazi 73	6149	15380	15789	45.8
Rampasha 84	6292	18414	18600	42.3

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Archaeological heritage and relics Sitla Devi Mandir, Residence of Hasan Raja, Satpari Dighi and ship-shaped house of Gaura Govinda.

War of Liberation During the War of Liberation in 1971 the Pak army conducted mass killing and plundering; they also set many houses on fire of the upazila. The Pak army killed many innocent persons including Narayan Sen, Jitendra Das, Bomkesh Chowdhury, Basanta Kuman Das and Dhirendra Kumar Das. A local group of freedom fighters known as “Swadhin Bangla Muktibahini” was active in Bishwanath upazila during the War of Liberation. Freedom fighters had encounters with the Pak army at a number of places of the upazila including at Nazirbazar, Lamakazi, Dighali and Gobindapur.

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

Religious institutions Mosque 346, temple 11, tomb 1.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 46.9%; male 48.7%, female 45.1%. Educational institutions: college 3, secondary school 28, primary school 111, kindergarten 23, madrasa 16. Noted educational institutions: Ramsundar High School (1909), Chandvarang High School (1915), Dasghar NU High School (1967), Bishwanath Aalia Madrasa (1960), Sathpur Darul Hadis Aalia Madrasa (1948).

Newspapers and periodicals Weekly: Bishwanath; monthly: Udvash, Bishwanath Digest; quarterly: Pragati.

Cultural organisations Library 1, club 15, playground 5.

Tourist spots Siddha Bakultala of Shree Baishnava Roy at Dasghar, Mazar of Shah Kalu and house of Hasan Raja.

Main sources of income Agriculture 43.85%, non-agricultural labourer 4.28%, industry 0.63%, commerce 13.37%, transport and communication 2.11%, service 4.16%, construction 1.64%, religious service 0.36%, rent and remittance 15.85% and others 13.75%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 44.79%, landless 55.21%; agricultural landowner: urban 44.24% and rural 44.84%.

Main crops Paddy, wheat, potato, sugarcane, chilli, onion, ginger, chick-pea (gram), vegetables.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Tobacco, jute, black gram.

Main fruits Mango, jackfruit, litchi, black berry, pineapple, betel nut.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries Fishery 30, dairy 22, poultry 38.'

Communication facilities Roads: pucca 210 km, mud road 215 km; railways 15 km; railway stations 2.

Extinct or nearly extinct traditional transport Palanquin, bullock cart, horse carriage.

Cottage industries Goldsmith, blacksmith, potteries, shital pati, weaving, bamboo work, cane work.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats are bazars are 38, fairs 6, most noted of which are Rampasha Bazar, Bishwanath Bazar and Lamakazi Bazar.

Main exports Paddy, fish, vegetables.

Access to electricity All the unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 77.9% dwellings have access to electricity.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 86.1%, tap 8.3% and others 5.6%.

Sanitation 68.8% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 28.6% of dwelling houses use non-sanitary latrines; 2.6% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Upazila health complex 1, family planning centre 8, satellite clinic 3.

NGO activities asa, brac, bard. '[Jayanta Singh Roy]

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