Lohagara Upazila (Narail District)

Lohagara Upazila (narail district) area 284.91 sq km, located in between 23°05' and 23°19' north latitudes and in between 89°29' and 89°46' east longitudes. It is bounded by mohammadpur upazila on the north, kalia upazila on the south, alfadanga, kashiani and gopalganj sadar upazilas on the east, narail sadar and shalikha upazilas on the west.

Population Total 228594; male 109450, female 119144; Muslim 202933, Hindu 25618, Buddhist 1, Christian 4 and others 38.

Water bodies Main rivers: nabaganga, madhumati, ichamati; Chhatra Canal, Gondob Canal, Naldi Beel, Kumri Beel and Amadar Beel are notable.

Administration Lohagara Thana was formed in 1861 and it was turned into an upazila in 1984.

Upazila
Municipality	Union	Mouza	Village	Population		Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
				Urban	Rural		Urban	Rural
1	12	134	217	25290	203304	802	76.1	60.0

Municipality
Area (sq km)	Ward	Mahalla	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
17.1	1	9	25290	1479	76.1

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Itna 15	7386	10422	11854	60.6
Kashipur 31	4807	6723	7118	65.1
Kotakul 39	4125	5786	6355	60.5
Joypur 23	4799	9457	10662	68.0
Dighalia 07	6907	10767	11693	64.6
Naldi 79	9853	10351	10409	51.0
Noagram 87	6250	8004	8700	65.0
Mallikpur 71	4354	7264	8024	65.9
Lakshmipasha 55	3746	4406	4758	67.6
Lahuria 47	7116	12061	12983	46.6
Lohagara 63	1415	3587	3984	65.7
Shalnagar 94	5446	8429	9507	53.6

Source  Bangladesh Population Census 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Archaeological heritage and relics Naldi Gazir Dargah, Radha Govinda Mandir (Jorbangla).

War of Liberation In 1971 a battle was fought between the freedom fighters and the Pak army and local razakars in which 8 Pak soldiers were killed and so were 2 freedom fighters. On 23 May the Pak army conducted mass killing and plundering at Itna village; they also set many houses of the village on fire. Lohagara upazila was liberated on 8 December. A mass grave has been discovered at Itna.

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

Religious institutions Mosque 525, temple 10, tomb 5, sacred place 3. Noted religious institutions: Lohagara Thana Jami Mosque, Lakshmipasha Kalibari Mandir.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 61.9%; male 63.3%, female 60.6%. Educational institutions: college 6, secondary school 34, primary school 151, madrasa 68. Noted educational institutions: Nabaganga Degree College, Itna High School (1900), Lohagara Model College (1968), Lakshmipasha Model College, CD High School, LSJN High School, Itna High School (1900), Dighalia Model High School (1966), Lohagara Pilot High School (1906), Naldi BSS Secondary School (1916), KDRK Secondary School (1920), Kashipur AC Secondary School (1916), Itna Secondary School (1930), Lakshmipasha Model College (1889), Kumri Talbaria Hamidia Senior Madrasa (1960), Lahuria Siddiquia Fazil Madrasa, SHBR Alim Madrasa.

Newspapers and periodicals Barujebe Somprodai (defunct), Shotabdir Alo (Irregular).

Cultural organisations Library 3, club 138, theatre group 6, literary organisation 2, jatra party 4, women organisation 90, playground 30, cinema hall 2.

Amusement centres Niribili picnic spot and Niribili' farmhouse for children.

Main sources of income Agriculture 58.07%, non-agricultural labourer 2.76%, industry 1.16%, commerce 13.28%, transport and communication 3.62%, service 12.72%, construction 1.17%, religious service 0.21%, rent and remittance 0.44% and others 6.52%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 62.22%, landless 37.78%; agricultural landowner: urban 46.69% and rural 62.58%.'

Main crops Paddy, jute, wheat, mustard, betel leaf, vegetables.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops China, linseed, kaun, arahar, sesame, gram, barley.

Main fruits Mango, jackfruit, litchi, banana, papaya, star apple, blackberry, coconut, betel nut, shaddock, hog-plum.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries Fishery 4015, dairy 43, poultry 47.

Communication facilities Pucca road 188.06 km, semi-pucca road 49.19 km, mud road 419.11 km.

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

Noted manufactories Biscuit factory,' pen manufacturing factory, ice factory, saw mill, welding factory.

Cottage industries Weaving, bamboo works, tailoring.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 40, fairs 4, most noted of which are Lohagara Bazar, Baradia Bazar, Erenda Bazar, Naldi Bazar, Dighalia Bazar, Raigram Bazar, Mithapur Bazar, Mandalbag Bazar, Itna Hat, Manikganj Hat, Rath Mela (Radhanagar) and Chaitra Samkranti Mela (Lohagara, Dighalia and Baradia).

Main exports Betel leaf, betel nut, banana, papaya, vegetables.

Access to electricity All the wards and unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 43.9% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 98.1%, tap 0.3% and others 1.6%. The presence of arsenic has been detected in the shallow tube-well water of the upazila.

Sanitation 85.6% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 12.5% of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 1.9% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Upazila health complex 1, family planning centre 12, satellite centre 3, hospital 1, charitable hospital 4, clinic 5, veterinary hospital 2.

Natural disasters Many people were victims of the flood of 1954, draught of 1957 and devastating cyclones of 1961 and 1988; they also caused heavy damages to settlements, livestock, crops and other properties of the upazila.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, proshika, asa. [Billal Hussain]

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