Baghmara Upazila
Baghmara Upazila (rajshahi district) area 366.26 sq km, located in between 24°30' and 24°41' north latitudes and in between 88°41' and 88°58' east longitudes. It is bounded by manda and atrai upazilas on the north, durgapur, puthia and natore sadar upazilas on the south, Atrai and Natore Sadar upazilas on the east, mohanpur upazila on the west.
Population Total 354664; male 177157, female 177507; Muslim 338013, Hindu 16494, Christian 6 and others 151.
Water bodies Main river: Baranai; Fakinni river, Beel Joshoi, Takta Beel, Mosher Beel, Nakkati Beel, Katila Beel and Bagir Dara (water channel), Talgharia Dara and Komorpur Dara are notable.
Administration Baghmara Thana was formed in 1869 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 | |||||
| 2 | 16 | 273 | 332 | 38214 | 316450 | 968 | 44.30 (2001) | 45.5 |
| Bhawaniganj Municipality | ||||||||
| Area (sq km) |
Ward | Mahalla | Population | Density (per sq km) |
Literacy rate (%) | |||
| 13.34 (2001) | 9 | 23 | 17955 | 1178 (2001) | 51.5 | |||
| Taherpur Municipality | ||||||||
| Area (sq km) |
Ward | Mahalla | Population | Density (per sq km) |
Literacy rate (%) | |||
| 10.84 (2001) | 9 | 17 | 17944 | 1552 (2001) | 54.8 | |||
| Upazila Town | ||||||||
|
Area |
Mouza |
Population |
Density |
Literacy rate | ||||
| 2.40 (2001) | 1 | 2315 | 872 (2001) | 48.5 | ||||
| Union | |||||||
| Name of Union and GO code | Area (acre) | Population | Literacy rate (%) | ||||
| Male | Female | ||||||
| Auch Para 20 | 6760 | 13420 | 13265 | 46.8 | |||
| Kachhari Kayali Para 72 | 1425 | 3777 | 3732 | 46.1 | |||
| Ganipur 50 | 8953 | 18439 | 18030 | 46.9 | |||
| Gobinda Para 44 | 6673 | 11399 | 11308 | 45.4 | |||
| Goalkandi 37 | 5946 | 12082 | 12193 | 43.7 | |||
| Jhikra 63 | 6163 | 10935 | 11091 | 41.1 | |||
| Dwippur 31 | 3396 | 4839 | 5013 | 37.0 | |||
| Nardas 82 | 5893 | 9682 | 9846 | 45.0 | |||
| Bara Bihanali 22 | 3812 | 6187 | 6384 | 39.9 | |||
| Basu Para 24 | 7111 | 13487 | 13456 | 48.7 | |||
| Maria 75 | 4550 | 9691 | 9796 | 45.6 | |||
| Jogi Para 69 | 7022 | 12295 | 12535 | 45.0 | |||
| Subhadanga 94 | 6034 | 12733 | 12860 | 52.1 | |||
| Sreepur 88 | 2789 | 5931 | 5858 | 43.4 | |||
| Sonadanga 85 | 2593 | 4290 | 4394 | 45.1 | |||
| Hamir Kutsha 56 | 5412 | 9823 | 9994 | 45.2 | |||
Source Bangladesh Population Census 2001 and 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.
Archaeological heritage and relics Mazar of Panchpir and Shahi Mosque at village Achin Ghat on the bank of the river Baranai.
War of Liberation On 24 May 1971 the Pak army made a surprise attack on Taherpur Hat and shot 25 persons dead. A group of freedom fighters led by Havilder Shafiq attacked a patrol boat of the Pak army and killed 18 Pakistani soldiers.
For details: see বাগমারা উপজেলা, বাংলাদেশ মুক্তিযুদ্ধ জ্ঞানকোষ (Encyclopedia of Bangladesh War of Liberation), বাংলাদেশ এশিয়াটিক সোসাইটি, ঢাকা ২০২০, খণ্ড ৬।
Religious institutions Mosque 1239, temple 65, tomb 6. Noted religious institutions: Taherpur Bara Mosque.
Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 46.3%; male 52.2%, female 40.5%. Educational institutions: college 16, technical education institute 2, secondary school 120, primary school 210, madrasa 80. Noted educational institutions: Taherpur Degree College, Pania Nardas College, Bhawaniganj College, Machmail College, Mohanganj College, Bir-kutsha Abinash High School (1917), Hat Ganga Para High School (1925).
Newspapers and periodicals Shilpa and Krishi.
Cultural organisations Club 100, theatre group 5, jatra party 5, cinema hall 4.
Main sources of income Agriculture 76.76%, non-agricultural labourer 1.97%, industry 0.05%, commerce 9.35%, transport and communication 2.55%, service 3.33%, construction 0.63%, religious service 0.08%, rent and remittance 0.09% and others 4.72%.
Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 69.88%, landless 30.12%; agricultural landowner: urban 59.29% and rural 71.14%.
Main crops Paddy, wheat, potato, corn, mustard, sesame, betel leaf, vegetables.'
Extinct or nearly extinct crops Barley, kaun, jute, linseed, masuri, gram, khesari.
Main fruits Mango, banana, jackfruit, litchi, papaya, guava, plum.
Fisheries, dairies and poultries Poultry 20, dairy 45, hatchery 11.
Communication facilities Roads: pucca 203 km, semi-pucca road 10 km, mud road 358 km; railway 8 km.
Extinct or nearly extinct traditional transport Palanquin, bullock cart and horse carriage.
Noted manufactories Ice factory 15, welding 20, cold-storage 4.
Cottage industries Blacksmith 80, potteries 140, weaving 15, bamboo work 230, cane work 76.
Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 30, fairs 5, most noted of which are Taherpur, Bhawaniganj, Mohanganj, Madariganj, Machmail, Gangopara, Barahat, Hamir Kutsha, Akdala, Nardas, Damnash, Shikdari hats and Dekhaltala Mela.
Main exports Betel leaf, banana, papaya, vegetables.
Access to electricity All the wards and unions of the upazila are under rural electricity net-work. However 41.6% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.
Sources of drinking water Tube-well 91.4%, tap 3.0% and others 5.6%. The presence of arsenic has been detected in shallow tube-well water of the upazila.
Sanitation 57.1% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 36.0% of dwelling houses use non-sanitary latrines; 6.9% of households do not have latrine facilities.
Health centres Upazila health centre 1, family planning centre 10, satellite clinic 6.
NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, asa, proshika, thengamara mahila sabuj sangha. [Md Asadul Islam]
References Bangladesh Population Census 2001 and 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics; Cultural survey report of Baghmara Upazila 2007.
