Brahmanbaria Sadar Upazila

Brahmanbaria Sadar Upazila (brahmanbaria district) area 237.34 sq km, located in between 23°51' and 24°06' north latitudes and in between 90°53' and 91°19' east longitudes. It is bounded by sarail and nasirnagar upazilas on the north, akhaura, kasba and Nabinagarupazilas on the south, madhabpur upazila and tripura state of India on the east, ashuganj and Nabinagar upazilas on the west.

Population Total 521994; male 258503, female 263491; Muslim 485732, Hindu 35809, Buddhist 80, Christian 278 and others 95.

Water bodies Main river: titas; Boalia, Kajla, Kodalia, Singer, Dhupajuri and Laiska beels are notable.

Administration Brahmanbaria Thana was turned into an upazila on 15 February 1984; Brahmanbaria Municipality was formed in 1869.

Upazila
Municipality	Union	Mouza	Village	Population		Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
				Urban	Rural		Urban	Rural
1	11	103	146	193814	328180	2199	61.43 (2001)	46.6

Municipality
Area (sq km)	Ward	Mahalla	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
17.58 (2001)	12	34	172017	7354 (2001)	66.0

Upazila Town
Area (sq km)	Mouza	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
4.89 (2001)	3	21797	3276 (2001)	51.4

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Uttar Natai 93	2946	17850	16556	48.0
Dakshin Natai 48	2683	14756	15040	39.0
Shuhilpur 50	7652	21174	21278	44.7
Purba Talsahar 81	3153	12255	13091	42.1
Basudeb 17	6441	17050	18823	49.4
Budhal 94	2176	13223	12292	38.6
Machhihata 59	7899	19224	21285	61.1
Majlishpur 61	7547	13933	14914	39.8
Ramrail 83	3490	15862	16479	48.6
Sadekpur 86	2983	11841	10881	45.0
Sultanpur 88	7336	16012	16158	50.8

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2001 and 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Archaeological heritage and relics Ulchapara Jami Mosque, Bhadughar Jami Mosque, Kal Bhairab Mandir, Anandamayee Kali Mandir, Sree Sree Shiva Mandir, Nreesingha Joar Mandir, Mourail Kali Mandir, Haraspur Zamindar Bari and Hammamkhana.

War of Liberation During the war of liberation in 1971 a number of stray encounters were held in many places of the upazila. During this period the Pak army brutally killed 204 persons at Kautali, Pairtala, Singerbeel, Natai, Majlishpur, Bijeshwar, Ramrail and Atla of the upazila. Besides, the Pak army also brutally killed 22 persons at village Birpasha of Budhanti union. Brahmanbaria was liberated on 8 December. Three memorial monuments and a memorial sculpture had been established in the upazila.

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

Religious institutions Mosque 292, temple 21, church 4. Noted religious institutions: Ulchapara Jami Mosque, Bhadughar Jami Mosque, Chinair Dakshin Para Jami Mosque, Younusia Jami Mosque, Anandamayee Kalibari Mandir, Nreesingha Jeo Mandir, Mourail Kali Mandir, Baptist Church; tombs of Hazrat Kazi Mahmud Shah (R), Hazrat Dr Abdullah (R), Syed Abdul Bari Shah (R) and Syed Musleh Uddin (R); Bhadughar Math, Ramkrishna Ashram, Raghunath Jeo Akhra.'

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 53.4%; Male 53.6%, female 53.3%. Educational institutions: law college 1, homeopathic college 1, college 10, vocational school 2, secondary school 58, primary school 230, community school 19, Kindergarten 36, madrasa 17. Noted educational institutions: Brahmanbaria Government College (1948), Brahmanbaria Government Girls' College (1964), Mirasani Poly Technique Academy (1948), Ramkanai High Academy (1901), Brahmanbaria High School (1860), Ananada Government High School (1875), Niaz Mohammad High School (1914), Satbarga High School (1931), Government Model Girls' High School (1936), Brahmanbaria Industrial School (1941), Mission Primary School (1910), Adampur Fazil Madrasa (1917), Jamia Younusia Madrasa.

Newspapers and periodicals Daily: Brahmanbaria, Prajabandhu, Ajker Halchal (defunct); weekly: Usha, Titas; monthly: Hira, Mandas, Parichaya.

Cultural organisations Library 14, theatre group 2, cinema hall 3, playground 33, women's organisation 45.'

Main sources of income Agriculture 47.97%, non-agricultural labourer 3.73%, industry 1%, commerce 17.94%, transport and communication 3.96%, service 8.23%, construction 1.88%, religious service '0.36%, rent and remittance 2.74% and others 12.19%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 56.52%, landless 43.48%; agricultural landowner: urban' 40.02% and rural 61.37%.

Main crops Paddy, wheat, jute, mustard, sesame, peanut, kalai, khesari, muk, gram, futi, vegetables.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Sugarcane, pea, keora, dhundle.

Main fruits Mango, black berry, jackfruit, banana, litchi, papaya, guava, watermelon.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries Fishery 14, dairy 6, poultry 109, nursery 20.

Communication facilities Pucca road 140 km, semi-pucca road 4.8 km, mud road 230 km; waterways 40 km; railways 32 km.

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

Noted manufactories Rice mill, flour mill, ice factory, oil mill, saw mill, printing press, welding factory, fertiliser factory.

Cottage industries Goldsmith, blacksmith, weaving, potteries, wood work, bamboo work, cane work.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 61, fairs 7, most noted of which are Anand Bazar, Jagat Bazar, Shuhilpur Bazar, Nandanpur Bazar, Gokornaghat Bazar, Chinair Bazar, Faruqi Bazar, Satbarga Bazars; Bijoy Mela, Bhadughar Banni Mela, Madhya Para Radharmaan Mela and Madha Para Ketkedi Mela.

Main exports Paddy, jute, wheat, natural gas.

Access to electricity All the wards and unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 90.4% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Natural resources Titas gas.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 91.4%, tap 6.8% and others 1.8%. The presence of arsenic has been detected in shallow tube-well water of this upazila.

Sanitation 75.8% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 22.7% of dwelling houses use non-sanitary latrines; 1.5% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Hospital 39, health and family welfare complex 1, satellite clinic, health and family welfare centre 20, union family planning clinic 5, maternity clinic 1, dental hospital 4.

Natural disasters The famine of 1943, the flood and famine of 1974, the cyclones of 1961 and 2003, Mohajer problem of 1964 and the floods of 1988, 1998 and 2004 caused heavy loss of life and properties of the upazila.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, asa, proshika, Ganakallayan Kendra, VDC. [Md. Mahabubur Rahman]

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