Shariatpur Sadar Upazila

Shariatpur Sadar Upazila (shariatpur district) area 175.09 sq km, located in between 23°08' and 23°18' north latitudes and in between 90°14' and 90°23' east longitudes. It is bounded by zanjira and naria upazilas on the north, kalkini upazila on the south, damudya, bhedarganj and Naria upazilas on the east, madaripur sadar upazila on the west.

Population Total 210259; male 104149, female 106110; Muslim 199111, Hindu 11078, Buddhist 13, Christian 54 and others 3.

Water bodies Main rivers: Binodpur, Palong; Naria Canal is notable.

Administration Shariatpur (former name Palong) Thana was turned into an upazila in 1984. Municipality was formed in 1990.

Upazila
Municipality	Union	Mouza	Village	Population		Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
				Urban	Rural		Urban	Rural
1	11	86	152	49535	160724	1201	62.5	47.7

Municipality
Area (sq km)	Ward	Mahalla	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
24.92	9	27	49535	1988	62.5

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Angaria 17	4917	12357	11805	46.9
Chandrapur 28	3860	6101	6726	43.2
Chikandi 38	3883	7455	8217	45.5
Chitalia 47	2972	7100	7190	49.3
Domsar 57	3422	7528	8052	47.3
Tulasar 95	1958	4655	4859	42.9
Palong 66	1374	4615	4539	58.0
Binodpur 19	3882	6963	7755	43.1
Mohammadpur 62	2037	3199	3366	44.6
Rudrakar 76	5598	12294	12104	52.4
Shaul Para 85	3059	6769	7075	48.6

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Archaeological heritage and relics South Baluchar Mosque, Bilaskhan Mosque (Mughal period).

War of Liberation During the war of liberation in 1971 a number of encounters were held between the freedom fighters and the Pak army in which 313 the Pak soldiers were killed. There is a mass grave at Atipara;, a memorial monument has been built at Manohar Bazar and also, a martyrs’ memorial has been established at Shariatpur.

For details: see শরিয়তপুর সদর উপজেলা, বাংলাদেশ মুক্তিযুদ্ধ জ্ঞানকোষ (Encyclopedia of Bangladesh War of Liberation), বাংলাদেশ এশিয়াটিক সোসাইটি, ঢাকা ২০২০, খণ্ড ৯।

Religious institutions Mosque 570, temple 27, math 1. Noted religious institutions: Burir Hat Mosque, Manasa Mandir.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 51.2%; male 53.0%, female 49.5%. Educational institutions: college 3, technical college 2, Primary Teachers Training Institute (PTI) 1, secondary school 27, primary school 94, community school 28, kindergarten 18, madrasa 11. Noted educational institutions: Shariatpur Government College, Shariatpur Government Girls' High School, Palong Tulasar Gurudas Government High School, Palong Multilateral High School (1939), Domsar Jagatchandra Institution (1907), Chikandi Sharaf Ali High School (1884), Rudrakar Neelmani High School (1915), Shariatpur Islamia Senior Fazil Madrasa, Angaria Osmania Qaumia Madrasa, Kauadi Dakhil Madrasa.

Newspapers and periodicals Daily: Hunker; weekly: Shariatpur, Rudrakantha, Muktir Kantha, Shetu, Kagojer Pata, Saptapalli Samachar; defunct weekly: Jabanbandhi,' Chikandi Barta, Shariatpur Barta.

Cultural organisations Library 3, club 6, shilpakala academy 1, music academy 2, shishu academy 1, theatre stage 1, theatre group 1,' cinema hall 2, auditorium 3, community centre 1.

Main sources of income Agriculture 59.58%, non-agricultural labourer 3.08%, industry 1.03%, commerce 14.26%, transport and communication 3.53%, service 8.13%, construction 1.60%, religious service 0.35%, rent and remittance 0.94% and others 7.50%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 65.58%, landless 34.42%; agricultural landowner: urban 46.60% and rural 70.68%.

Main crops Paddy, jute, wheat.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Kaun, arahar, china, hemp jute.

Main fruits Mango, blackberry, banana, coconut, wood apple.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries Fishery 20, dairy 25, poultry 1303.

Communication facilities Pucca road 161 km, semi-pucca road 9 km, mud road 311 km; waterway 20 km. Bridge 185.

Extinct or nearly extinct traditional transport Palanquin.

Noted manufactories Shoe factory, welding factory.

Cottage industries Goldsmith, blacksmith, potteries, wood work, tailoring, brass and bell metal work.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 12, fair 1, most noted of which are Angaria Hat and Shaul Para Hat.

Main exports Brass and bell metal products.

Access to electricity All the wards and unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 49.8% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 97.3%, tap 1.8% and others 0.9%. The presence of arsenic has been detected in shallow tube-well water of the upazila.

Sanitation 82.2% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 15.7% of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 2.1% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Upazila health complex 1, union health and family planning centre 15, community clinic 4, clinic 1, satellite clinic 4, charitable dispensary 1, diagnostic centre 2, veterinary hospital 1.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, asa. [Md. Shajahan Khan]

References Bangladesh Population Census 2001 and 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics; Field report of Shariatpur Sadar Upazila 2011.