Munshiganj Sadar Upazila

Munshiganj Sadar Upazila (munshiganj district) area 218.07 sq km, located in between 23'23' and 23'35' north latitudes and in between 90'28' and 90'35' east longitudes. It is bounded by narayanganj sadar, bandar (narayanganj) and sonargaon upazilas on the north, bhedarganj and naria upazilas on the south, gazaria and matlab uttar upazilas on the east, tongibari and Nariaupazilas on the west.

Population Total 383263; male 194508, female 188755; Muslim 365613, Hindu 17574, Buddhist 11, Christian 57 and others 8.

Water bodies Main rivers: meghna, padma, dhaleshwari, ichamati.

Administration Munshiganj Thana was formed in 1901 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	9	75	196	138205	245058	1757	-	51.8

Municipality (Mirkadim)
Area (sq km)	Ward	Mahalla	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
14.17 (2001)	9	32	44145	2916 (2001)	58.2
Municipality (Munshiganj)
Area (sq km)	Ward	Mahalla	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
4.29 (2001)	9	41	70674	12401 (2001)	64.9

Upazila Town
Area (sq km)	Mouza	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
2.89 (2001)	3	23386	4630 (2001)	53.0

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Adhara 20	12093	15614	16257	38.0
Char Kewar 28	5171	14882	15394	46.8
Panchasar 76	3929	41546	36766	57.2
Bajra Jogini 22	4604	9328	9821	59.8
Bangla Bazar 23	7035	6040	5707	38.1
Mahakali 47	4193	10179	10762	59.2
Mollahkandi 57	5680	12688	13758	45.6
Rampal 85	2615	19996	18794	60.0
Silai 38	3474	5623	5289	39.5

Source  Bangladesh Population Census 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Archaeological heritage and relics idrakpur fort (1660), Panditer Bhita (birth place of atish dipankar) at Bajra Jogini, Baba Adam Shahid Mosque at Rampal (1483), homestead of Raja Vallala Sena, Rampal Dighi, Raja Harish Chandra's Dighi, Kodal Dhoar Dighi, homestead of Raja Sreenath, Sree Sree Lakshminarayan Jeu Temple, tomb of Baro Aulia.

War of Liberation In 1971 when the Pak army began mass killing and massacre in Dhaka city on the night of 25 March, the students and youths of Munshiganj raided the treasury and captured arms and ammunitions to resist the Pak army. They successfully guarded the riverside area to check the onrush of the Pak army towards Munshiganj. The people of Narayanganj in alliance with the youths of Munshiganj resisted an attack of the Pak army on 31 March. On 9 May the Pak army established military camp; two days later the Pak army killed 14 innocent persons. On 14 May the Pak army raided Keora and killed a number of youths. During the War of Liberation, the house of Radhika Mohan Ghosh at village Nayagaon on the bank of the Dhaleshwari had been the secret shelter and outpost of the freedom fighters. The freedom fighters used to launch attacks on the Pak army coming through the river from the rooftop of this pucca building. There is a mass killing site in the upazila; a memorial monument has been built at the old student hostel premises of Munshiganj High School.

For details: see মুন্সিগঞ্জ সদর উপজেলা, বাংলাদেশ মুক্তিযুদ্ধ জ্ঞানকোষ (Encyclopedia of Bangladesh War of Liberation), বাংলাদেশ এশিয়াটিক সোসাইটি, ঢাকা ২০২০, খণ্ড ৭।

Religious institutions Mosque 170, temple 22, tomb 2, dargah 1, akhra 1. Noted religious institutions: Kacharighat Jami Mosque, Thana Jami Mosque, Launch-ghat Mosque, Jaikalimata Mandir, Jagaddhatri Mandir, tomb of Kadira Pagla, tomb of Chhala-pagli, dargah of Elahi Mastan, Lakshmi Narayan Jeu Akhra.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 55.2%; male 56.1%, female 54.2%. Educational institutions: college 4, technical training centre 1, primary teachers training institute (PTI) 1, secondary school 26, primary school 109, madrasa 9. Noted educational institutions: Government Haraganga College, Government Mohila College, Munshiganj College, Bajra Jogini JK High School (1883), Munshiganj Multilateral High School (1885), AVGM Government Girls' High School (1892), Binodpur Ramkumar High School (1919), Rampal NBM High School (1933), KK Government Institution (1942), Idrakpur High School (1970).

Newspapers and periodicals Daily: Munshiganjer Kagoz; weekly: Munshiganj Sangbad, Khola Kagoj, Kagojer Khabar, Satya Prokas; monthly: Vikrampur Barta, Vikrampur; little magazine 'Oa' Bibokha; defunct periodical: Kaler Vela, Sangsaptak, Sarab.

Cultural organisations Library 2, club 6, music academy 2, theatre group 3, theatre stage 1, literary and cultural organisation 4, art school 1, cinema hall 6, auditorium 1, women's organisation 17, stadium 1.

Tourists spots Idrakpur Fort, Rampal's Dighi, Harish Chandra's Dighi, Pandit Atish Dipankar's' Bhita.

Main sources of income Agriculture 37.69%, non-agricultural labourer 5.57%, industry 1.25%, commerce 22.59%, transport and communication 4.36%, service 11.06%, construction 1.68%, religious service 0.15%, rent and remittance 3.81% and others 11.84%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 42.27%, landless 57.73%; agricultural landowner: urban 24.86% and rural 50.85%.'

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

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Kaun, linseed, arahar.

Main fruits Banana, mango, papaya, jackfruit, litchi.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries Fishery 1, dairy 15, poultry 1.

Communication facilities Pucca road 27.27 km, mud road 110 km; waterway 19 km.

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

Noted manufactories Rice mill, cement factory, paper mill, garments factory, biscuit factory, saw mill, brick field.

Cottage industries Potteries, pati making, cane work.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 17, fairs 8, most noted of which are Munshir Hat, Chitalia Hat, Mirkadim, Makahati, Munshiganj Bazar, Katakhali Bazar, Kamalaghat Bazar, Rikabi Bazar, Baruni Mela (Kamalaghat), Rampal Maghi-Purnima Mela, Dasami Mela (Kamalaghat), Munshiganj Rathjatra Mela, Rampal Rathjatra Mela, Manasa Mela (Munshiganj).

Main exports Potato, vegetables, jute.

Access to electricity All the wards and unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 95.9% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 90.8%, tap 6.9% and others 2.3%. The presence of arsenic has been detected in 20.22% of the shallow tube-well water of the upazila.

Sanitation 81.3% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 17.4% of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 1.3% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Hospital 1, mother and child welfare centre 1, upazila health complex 1, health and family welfare centre 9, clinic 9.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are asa, brac, proshika. [Ratantanu Ghosh]

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