Kaliganj Upazila (Jhenaidah District)

Kaliganj Upazila (jhenaidah district) area 310.16 sq km, located in between 23'16' and 23'28' north latitudes and in between 89'02' and 89'16' east longitudes. It is bounded by jhenaidah sadar upazila on the north, jessore sadar and chaugachha upazilas on the south, salikha and bagherpara upazilas on the east, kotchandpur and Chaugachha upazilas on the west.

Population 252443; male 130716, female 121727; Muslim 210481, Hindu 41214, Buddhist 587, Christian 35 and others 126.

Water bodies Main rivers: chitra, bhairab, Begabati; Simla Baors, Sakot, Uttar, Dighar,' Arua Salva and Tentul beels are notable.

Administration Kaliganj Thana was formed in 1863 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
1	11	188	198	36733	215710	814	62.0	43.4

Municipality
Area (sq km)	Ward	Mahalla	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
15.48	9	20	36733	2228	62.0

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Kashtabhanga 40	6154	9735	9139	47.06
Kola 47	8026	10993	10407	39.08
Jamal 20	6354	8384	7796	41.12
Trilochanpur 94	7548	11478	10648	40.51
Niamatpur 61	5471	9710	9346	43.04
Bara Bazar 10	8681	14887	13884	47.88
Maliat 54	5770	8358	8134	44.04
Rakhalgachhi 81	8267	11429	10460	39.16
Roygram 74	6970	11457	10693	49.89
Simla Rokonpur 88	4186	6905	6472	39.31
Sundarpur Durgapur 33	5125	7943	7532	43.50

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2001, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Archaeological heritage and relics Many archaeological relics of the sultanate period have been discovered at Bara Bazar of this upazila. These include Ghorar Mosque, Jore Bangla Mosque, Jore Bangla Dighi (fifteenth century); Galakata Mosque, Monohar Mosque, Nungola Mosque, Pir Pukur Mosque, Cheragdani Mosque, 36-domed Satgachhia Mosque, Shukur Mallick Mosque, Badedihi Mosque, Ghoper Dhibi and Ghazir Dhibi. Other archaeological relics include ancient dighis (ponds) like Pir Pukur, Has Pukur, Sat Pukur, Mirer Pukur, Ghoramari Pukur, Cheragdani Pukur, Rajmatar Dighi, Sawdagar Dighi, Galakata Dighi, Kanai Dighi, Panch Pir Dighi, Biswaser Dighi, Ber Dighi, Jal Dhala Dighi, Sreeram Raja Dighi. Besides, Sree Krishna Balaram Dev Bigraha Mandir (Balarampur), the graves of Gazi Kalu and Champabati on the south bank of the Dighi of Sreeram Raja are also notable.

History of the War of Liberation A battle was fought between the freedom fighters and the Pak army on 13 April 1971 at Mandartala of village Mahishati (on the border of jessore and Jhenaidah) in which about 100 Pak soldiers were killed and so were 20 freedom fighters. On 14 April, the freedom fighters retreated from Mandartala and took shelter at Dulalmudia. The Pak army attacked them from behind and killed nearly 200 freedom fighters.

Marks of the War of Liberation Memorial monument 1.

Religious institutions Mosque 288, temple 75, church 4, tomb 2. Noted religious institutions: Badshahi Mosque, Pir Pukur Mosque, Galakata Mosque, Naldanga Kali Mandir.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 46.2%; male 51.1%, female 51%. Educational institutions: college 8, secondary school 46, primary school 132, orphanage 3, madrasa 31. Noted educational institutions: Mahtab Uddin Degree College (1966), Naldanga Bhusan Pilot High School (1882), Raygram Banikanta Secondary School (1920), Hat Bara Bazar Secondary School (1937), Salimunnesa Secondary Girls' School (1953), Kolabazar Sammilita Secondary School (1961), Chaprail Secondary School (1963), Panch Kahunia Secondary School (1966), Shoyabnagar Fazil Madrasa (1957), Belat Doulatpur Alim Madrasa (1947).

Newspapers and periodicals Daily Nabachitra.

Cultural organisations Library 1, club 12, cinema hall 3, women's organisation 1.

Main sources of income Agriculture 64.40%, non-agricultural labourer 2.35%, industry 1.10%, commerce 15.07%, transport and communication 5.25%, service 5.64%, construction 1.30%, religious service 0.12%, rent and remittance 0.69% and others 4.08%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 63.46%, landless 36.54%; agricultural landowner: urban 44.40% and rural 66.58%.

Main crops Paddy, sugarcane, jute, wheat, betel leaf, mustard, sesame, verities of' pulse,' vegetables.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Tobacco, khesari, gram, barley, kaun.

Main fruits Mango, jackfruit, banana, black berry, star apple, litchi, guava, date.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries This upazila has a number of fisheries, dairies and poultries.

Communication facilities Pucca road 62 km, semi-pucca road 50 km, mud road 430 km; railway 20 km; waterway 8 nautical miles.

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

Noted manufactories Sugar mill, ice factory, rice mill, oil mill, flour mill, pulse mill, welding factory, saw mill.

Cottage industries Weaving, bamboo and cane work, factory for manufacture of bullock cart wheel.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 31, fairs 2, Kaliganj, Baro bazar, Kola, Baliadanga, Chaprail, Kala and Tattipur Bazars; Baishaki Mela at Barfa and Shashan Mela (Angit) are notable.

Main exports Sugar, paddy, banana, betel leaf, pulse, date molasses, vegetables.

Access to electricity All the wards and unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 23.69% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 96.13%, tap 0.59%, pond 0.14% and others 3.14%.

Sanitation 22.45% (rural 17.50% and urban 52.70%) of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 44.48% (rural 45.91% and urban 35.73%) of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 33.07% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Upazila health complex 1, union health and family welfare centre 8, satellite clinic 2, veterinary hospital 1.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, asa, Srejani. [Md Zulfiker Ali Bhutto]

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