Brahmanbaria Sadar Upazila

Brahmanbaria Sadar Upazila (brahmanbaria district) area 440.55 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 625484; male 318579, female 306905; Muslim 574018, Hindu 51173, Buddhist 63, Christian' 49 and others 181.

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	21	320	375	145300	480184	1420	61.43	38.91

Municipality
Area (sq km)	Ward	Mahalla	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
17.58	12	34	129278	7354	62.56

Upazila Town
Area (sq km)	Mouza	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
4.89	-	16022	3276	51.80

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Uttar Ichhapur 91	3158	6389	5923	36.07
Uttar Natai 93	2946	12533	18810	38.81
Char Islampur 36	5540	7107	6637	22.10
Chandura 32	4644	12266	12365	31.37
Dakshin Ichhapur 43	3727	7065	6586	39.81
Dakshin Natai 48	2683	12870	12313	39.42
Dakshin Singerbil 52	3310	11275	10578	42.72
Dakshin Shuhilpur 50	7652	17562	16552	40.11
Pattan 72	8918	12445	10976	31.82
Paharpur 66	8168	16842	15897	41.48
Purba Talsahar 81	3153	8893	9614	35.75
Basudeb 17	6441	15340	14633	49.27
Bishnupur 96	4412	6819	6633	54.08
Budhal 94	2176	9850	10173	35.44
Budhanti 28	5693	14611	15362	37.09
Machhihata 59	7899	17068	17354	46.34
Majlishpur 61	7547	11065	10770	34.41
Ramrail 83	3409	14460	13340	46.31
Sadekpur 86	2983	8115	8659	42.67
Sultanpur 88	7336	13840	13399	41.65
Haraspur 56	7083	14974	14943	29.56

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2001, 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.

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

Marks of the War of Liberation Memorial monument 3; Memorial sculpture 1.

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 44.3%; Male 46.2%, female 42.4%. 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 174 km, semi-pucca road 30 km, mud road 335 km; waterways 95 nautical miles; railways 28 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 39.13% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Natural resources Titas gas.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 92.36%, pond 0.74%, tap 2.00% and others 4.90%. The presence of arsenic has been detected in shallow tube-well water of this upazila.

Sanitation 51.85% (rural 43.53% and urban 80.14%) of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 37.74% (rural 43.70% and urban 17.46%) of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 10.42% 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, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics; Cultural survey report of Brahmanbaria Sadar Upazila 2007.