Joypurhat Sadar Upazila

Joypurhat Sadar Upazila (joypurhat district) area 236.79 sq km, located in between 25°01' and 25°13' north latitudes and in between 88°55' and 89°10' east longitudes. It is bounded by panchbibi upazila and west bengal state of India on the north, khetlal, akkelpur and badalgachhi upazilas on the south, kalai and Khetlal upazilas on the east, dhamoirhat upazila and West Bengal state of India on the west.

Population Total 289058; male 147096, female 141962; Muslim 254764, Hindu 29027, Buddhist 2, Christian 1009 and others 4256. Indigenous communities such as santal, munda, oraon belong to this upazila.

Water bodies Main rivers: little jamuna, Tulsi Ganga, Harabati.

Administration Joypurhat Thana was formed in 1918 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	9	174	192	69033	220025	1221	77.9	61.4

Municipality
Area (sq km)	Ward	Mahalla	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
18.55	9	48	69033	3721	77.9

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Amdai 17	7439	11306	11256	62.1
Chak Barkat 32	4518	8356	7888	62.3
Jamalpur 66	5151	12703	12408	69.6
Dogachhi 47	7734	17155	16566	55.2
Dhalahar 38	4285	8806	8576	61.7
Puranapail 85	7426	12850	12298	64.2
Bambu 19	6341	13640	12870	54.7
Bhadsa 28	7576	17576	17439	61.0
Mohammadabad 76	3465	9426	8906	65.9

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Historical events On 24 February 1952 a public meeting, with Golam Mowla Chowdhury in the chair, was held at the playground in front of the government dispensary in protest of firing on the procession in Dhaka on 21 February. Many students attended the meeting. During 1954 – 1955, the sugarcane cultivators of Joypurhat revolted against the autocratic activities and mismanagement of the Darshana sugarcane mill authorities.

War of Liberation During the war of liberation Joypurhat was under Sector 7. On 23 March the flag of the independent Bangladesh was hoisted at Joypurhat. The Pak army raided Joypurhat on 24 April 1971. The Pak army, in collaboration with the razjakars and Al-Badars, made a surprise attack at village Barai-Kadirpur (predominantly Hindu inhabitants) of Bombo union on 26 April and brutally killed about 371 people. Freedom fighters had attacked the Pakistani soldiers at their camp at Pagla Dewan twice in the first and second half of August and also had encounters with Pak army at Gopinathpur, Gorumba and Kashirhat of the upazila. On 5 October the Pak army brutally killed abou 300 innocent people at village Pagla Dewan while they were performing Jumma prayer. Joypurhat was liberated on 14 December. There is a mass killing site in the upazila; a memorial monument was built.

For details: see জয়পুরহাট সদর উপজেলা, বাংলাদেশ মুক্তিযুদ্ধ জ্ঞানকোষ (Encyclopedia of Bangladesh War of Liberation), বাংলাদেশ এশিয়াটিক সোসাইটি, ঢাকা ২০২০, খণ্ড ৪।

Religious institutions Mosque 637, temple 46, church 8, tomb 2, sacred place 1. Noted religious institutions: Kaitahar Mosque (Joypurhat Sadar), Central Jami Mosque (Joypurhat Sadar), tomb of Nangapir, tomb of Shahdat Awolia, Baro Shivalaya Mandir (1700 AD, Belamla), Parbati Mandir (Bhadsa), Khanjanpur church mission (1898, Khanjanpur).

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 65.4%; male 69.0%, female 61.6%. Educational institutions: college 7, technical college 3, secondary school 58, technical school 1, primary school 91, madrasa 39. Noted educational institutions: Joypurhat Government College (1972), Joypurhat Government Women's College (1972), Joypurhat Girls' Cadet College (2006), Khanjanpur High School (1901), Khanjanpur Mission Girl's High School (1911),' Uchai Jerka Adivasi High School (1925), Teghar High School (1940), Ramdeo Bajla Government High School (1946), Joypurhat Government Girls' High School (1977), Hanail Nomania Kamil Madrasa (1918), Uttar Joypur Bilateral Dakhil Madrasa (1918), Joypurhat Siddiqia Senior Madrasa (1965).

Newspapers and periodicals Daily: Nabanna; half-Weekly: Uttar Simanta; weekly: Abhijan, Joypurhat Barta, Bangadharani, Aloron, Bangladesh Ganabarta, Sangrami Ganabangla (defunct).

Cultural organisations Library 11, club 66, press club 2, cinema hall 5, theatre group 2, shilpakala academy 1, women's organisation 2, shishu academy 1, district council auditorium 1, theatre 2, theatre centre 1.

Main sources of income Agriculture 61.42%, non-agricultural labourer 2.31%, industry 1.18%, commerce 13.62%, transport and communication 5.13%, service 8.71%, construction 1.70%, religious service 0.15% and others 5.78%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 59.94%, landless 40.06%; agricultural landowner: urban 47.52% and rural 63.34%.'

Main crops Paddy, jute, wheat, potato, sugarcane, mustard, vegetables.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Bona aman.

Main fruits Mango, jackfruit, coconut, banana, litchi, papaya, palm.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries Fishery 20, dairy 276, poultry 156, hatchery 4.

Communication facilities Pucca road 121 km, semi-pucca road 25 km, mud road 234 km; railway 11 km.

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

Noted manufactories Sugar mill, auto rice mill, auto flour mill, cement factory.

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

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 23, fairs 3, most noted of which are Durgadaha hat, Joypur hat, Puranapail hat, Dargatali hat, Helkunda hat, Khanjanpur hat; Teghar mela and Adivasi mela.

Main exports Potato, banana, vegetables.

Access to electricity All the wards and unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 53.0% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Natural resources The Gondoana Coal Mine has been discovered in 1963; limestone was also detected in the upazila in 1964.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 93.3%, tap 4.0% and others 2.7%.

Sanitation 57.3% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 23.2% of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 19.5% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Hospital 1, upazila health complex 6, maternity and child welfare centre 1, union health centre 6,' clinic 10.

Natural disasters The earthquake of 1897 caused damage to a number of buildings; besides the flood of 1922 caused heavy damages to settlements and crops of the upazila.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are CARE, brac, asa, caritas, thengamara mahila sabuj sangha. [Shahnaz Parveen]

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