Rangpur Sadar Upazila

Rangpur Sadar Upazila (rangpur district) area 359.48 sq km, located in between 25°39' and 25°50' north latitudes and in between 89°05' and 89°20' east longitudes. It is bounded by gangachara upazila on the north, mithapukur upazila on the south, kaunia and pirgachha upazilas on the east, taraganj and badarganj upazilas on the west.

Population Total 718203; male 366788, female 351415; Muslim 650437, Hindu 66642, Buddhist 147, Christian 274 and others 703. Indigenous communities such as santal and oraon belong to this upazila.

Water bodies Main rivers: Bullai, ghaghat; Ganakanai and Mariga Beels are notable.

Administration Rangpur Sadar Thana was formed in 1877 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	11	139	308	300659	417544	1998	72.1	52.7

Municipality
Area (sq km)	Ward	Mahalla	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
50.69	15	107	300659	5931	72.1

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Uttam 94	5318	20476	19952	55.7
Chandanpat 17	9641	17141	17063	47.1
Tapodhan 87	6817	26623	25864	53.2
Tamphat 79	7226	20344	19731	59.6
Darshana 19	5767	12367	12056	59.5
Pashuram 39	6800	20750	20038	62.1
Mominpur 31	6723	15699	15478	39.3
Rajendrapur 47	6387	17600	17153	53.4
Sadya Pushkarni 63	9304	21737	21651	42.9
Satgara 71	5112	17319	17253	58.6
Haridebpur 23	7209	20622	20627	47.3

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Archaeological heritage and relics Ancient Mosque at Mahiganj, Keramatia Mosque, Tomb of the Maulana Keramat Ali Jainpuri, Tomb of Shah Jalal Bokheri at Mahiganj, Tajhat Rajbari at Rangpur Museum, Home stead of roquiah sakhawat hossain at Pairabandh, Zila Parishad Building, Sree Sree Karunamayee Kali Mandir, Dimlaraj Kali Mandir, Bishawar Shiva Mandir, Gosaibari Nandi Mandir, Pareshnath Mandir at Mahiganj, Tepa Zamindar Bari, Khasbagh archaeological relics, Dewanbari main gate, Manthana Zamindar Bari,' Rangpur Town Hall.

Historical events Rangpur Carmichael College was a centre of agitation during the language movement in 1952. Since the Principal of the Carmichael College was a non-Bengali, the situations got quickly deteriorate.

War of Liberation In March 1971 the Pak army killed Shanku Samaddar, Abul Kalam Azad, Mokbul Hossain and Omar Ali of Rangpur Sadar upazila. During the war of liberation the Pak army killed many teachers and students of Carmichael College including Professor Kalachand Roy (Chemistry), Professor Chitta Ranjan Roy (Mathematics), Professor Boam Krishna Adhikari (Philosophy), Professor Sunil Chandra Chakravorty (Bangla), Professor Md. Abdur Rahman and Professor Shah Solaiman Ali in the College compound. Freedom fighters had many encounters with the Pak army in the upazila and the fiercest among them was the attack on the Rangpur Cantonment. Freedom fighters also carried out grenade attacks on the Rangpur Radio Broadcasting Center and in front of the Oriental Cinema Hall. There is a mass grave at Nandiganj and 4 mass killing sites (Dahiganj Crematory, Balar Ghat, on the bridge over the river Ghagat, Lahirir Hat) in the upazila; a memorial sculpture (Arjan) has been built.

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

Religious institutions Mosque 380, temple 35, church 2, tomb 5, sacred place 1. Noted religious institutions: Ancient Mosque at Mahiganj, Keramatia Mosque, Bishawar Shiva Mandir, Gosaibari Nandi Mandir, Pareshnath Mandir at Mahiganj, Sree Sree Karunamayee Kali Mandir, Dimlaraj Kali Mandir.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 61.0%; male 63.6%, female 58.3%. Educational institutions: university 1, teachers training college 1, primary teachers training institute 1, technical college 1, college 17, medical college 2, cadet college 1, secondary school 63, primary school 230, satellite school 18, kindergarten 18, community school 15, NGO operated school 120, madrasa 72. Noted educational institutions: Begum Rokeya University (2008), Carmichael University College (1916), Rangpur Medical College (1966), Begum Rokeya Government Mohila College (1964), Rangpur Government College (1964), Rangpur Cadet College (1977), Rangpur Teachers Training College (1858), Rangpur Polytechnical Institute (1962), Rangpur Vocational Institute (1865), Rangpur Technical School and College (1865), Rangpur' Government Girls' High School (1876), Tajhat High School (1894), Kailash Ranjan High School (1904), Afan Ullah High School (1908), Rangpur Zila School (1832).

Newspapers and periodicals Daily: Dabanal (1980), Juger Alo (1992), Paribesh (1994), Rangpur (1997); weekly: Atal (1991), Rangpur Barta (1996); defunct: Rangapur Bartabaha (1847), Rangapur Darpan (1907), Uttar Bangla (1960), Pravati (1955).

Cultural organisations Library 5, club 181, museum 1, theatre group 6, theatre stage 1, cinema hall 7.

Tourist spots Shirin Park at Gangachara Road, Tajhat Rajbari, Rangpur Zoo, Rangpur Museum, Carmichael College.

Main sources of income Agriculture 36.74%, non-agricultural labourer 4.77%, industry 1.94%, commerce 21.26%, transport and communication 7.30%, service 15.35%, construction 2.80%, religious service 0.26%, rent and remittance 0.46% and others 9.12%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 41.39%, landless 58.61%; agricultural landowner: urban 52.17% and rural 47.83%.'

Main crops Paddy, jute, wheat, onion, garlic, ginger, potato, chilli, sugarcane, tobacco, vegetables.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Sesame, linseed, kaun, aus paddy.

Main fruits Mango, jackfruit, blackberry, banana, papaya.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries Fishery 20, poultry 40, hatchery 9.

Communication facilities Pucca road 400 km, semi-pucca road 37 km, mud road 854 km; railway 15 km.

Extinct or nearly extinct traditional transport Palanquin, bullock cart.

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

Cottage industries Blacksmith, potteries, bamboo work.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 18, fairs 4, most noted of which are Lalbagh Bazar, Bus Terminal Bazar, Burir Hat, Nandiganj Hat, Pagla Pir Hat, Rath Mela at Mahiganj, Bara Dargah Mela and Tajhat Mela.

Main exports Paddy, sugarcane, tobacco, wheat, ginger, vegetables.

Access to electricity All the wards and unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 63.2% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 91.3%, tap 7.1% and others 1.6%.

Sanitation 59.1% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 25.3% of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 15.6% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Hospital 8, maternity and child welfare centre 1, union health and family welfare centre 10, municipal medical centre 1, charitable hospital 2, clinic 20.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, asa, CARE, rangpur dinajpur rural service. [Abdus Sattar]

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