Lohagara Upazila (Narail District)

Lohagara Upazila (narail district) area 290.83 sq km, located in between 23°05' and 23°19' north latitudes and in between 89°29' and 89°46' east longitudes. It is bounded by mohammadpur upazila on the north, kalia upazila on the south, alfadanga, kashiani and gopalganj sadar upazilas on the east, narail sadar and shalikha upazilas on the west.

Population Total 221000; male 110809, female 110191; Muslim 193335, Hindu 27543 and others 122.

Water bodies Main rivers: nabaganga, madhumati, ichamati; Chhatra Canal, Gondob Canal, Naldi Beel, Kumri Beel and Amadar Beel are notable.

Administration Lohagara Thana was formed in 1861 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	12	154	233	5098	215902	760	63.37	47.34

Upazila Town
Area (sq km)	Mouza	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
2.10	1	5098	2428	63.37

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Itna 15	8212	10458	10779	47.55
Kashipur 31	4808	6827	6793	48.17
Kotakul 39	4226	6486	6387	43.53
Joypur 23	5651	10957	11105	47.35
Dighalia 07	7400	10866	10913	49.28
Naldi 79	9852	10078	9478	45.40
Noagram 87	6251	8197	7994	41.03
Mallikpur 71	4595	8968	9116	52.81
Lakshmipasha 55	5322	9835	9425	52.56
Lahuria 47	7118	11760	11600	41.66
Lohagara 63	2921	7923	7941	53.64
Shalnagar 94	5371	8454	8660	49.57

Source  Bangladesh Population Census 2001, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Archaeological heritage and relics Naldi Gazir Dargah, Radha Govinda Mandir (Jorbangla).

History of the War of Liberation In 1971 a battle was fought between the freedom fighters and the Pak army and local razakars in which 8 Pak soldiers were killed and so were 2 freedom fighters. On 23 May the Pak army conducted mass killing and plundering at village Itna; they also set many houses of the village on fire. Lohagara upazila was liberated on 8 December.

Marks of the War of Liberation Mass grave 1 (Itna).

Religious institutions Mosque 525, temple 10, tomb 5, sacred place 3. Noted religious institutions: Lohagara Thana Jami Mosque, Lakshmipasha Kalibari Mandir.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 47.72%; male 50.66%, female 44.82%. Educational institutions: college 6, secondary school 34, primary school 151, madrasa 68. Noted educational institutions: Nabaganga Degree College, Itna High School (1900), Lohagara Model College (1968), Lakshmipasha Model College, CD High School, LSJN High School, Itna High School (1900), Dighalia Model High School (1966), Lohagara Pilot High School (1906), Naldi BSS Secondary School (1916), KDRK Secondary School (1920), Kashipur AC Secondary School (1916), Itna Secondary School (1930), Lakshmipasha Model College (1889), Kumri Talbaria Hamidia Senior Madrasa (1960), Lahuria Siddiquia Fazil Madrasa, SHBR Alim Madrasa.

Newspapers and periodicals Barujebe Somprodai (defunct), Shotabdir Alo (Irregular).

Cultural organisations Library 3, club 138, theatre group 6, literary organisation 2, jatra party 4, women organisation 90, playground 30, cinema hall 2.

Amusement centres Niribili picnic spot and Niribili' farmhouse for children.

Main sources of income Agriculture 58.07%, non-agricultural labourer 2.76%, industry 1.16%, commerce 13.28%, transport and communication 3.62%, service 12.72%, construction 1.17%, religious service 0.21%, rent and remittance 0.44% and others 6.52%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 62.22%, landless 37.78%; agricultural landowner: urban 46.69% and rural 62.58%.'

Main crops Paddy, jute, wheat, mustard, betel leaf, vegetables.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops China, linseed, kaun, arahar, sesame, gram, barley.

Main fruits Mango, jackfruit, litchi, banana, papaya, star apple, blackberry, coconut, betel nut, shaddock, hog-plum.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries Fishery 4015, dairy 43, poultry 47.

Communication facilities Pucca road 72 km, semi-pucca road 18 km, mud road 675 km; waterway 8 nautical miles.

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

Noted manufactories Biscuit factory,' pen manufacturing factory, ice factory, saw mill, welding factory.

Cottage industries Weaving, bamboo works, tailoring.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 40, fairs 4, most noted of which are Lohagara Bazar, Baradia Bazar, Erenda Bazar, Naldi Bazar, Dighalia Bazar, Raigram Bazar, Mithapur Bazar, Mandalbag Bazar, Itna Hat, Manikganj Hat, Rath Mela (Radhanagar) and Chaitra Samkranti Mela (Lohagara, Dighalia and Baradia).

Main exports Betel leaf, betel nut, banana, papaya, vegetables.

Access to electricity All the wards and unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 16.71% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 95.13%, tap 0.62%, pond 0.65% and others 3.60%. The presence of arsenic has been detected in the shallow tube-well water of the upazila.

Sanitation 55.72% (rural 55.24% and urban 76.26%) of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 36.86% (rural 37.27% and urban 19.29%) of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 7.42% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Upazila health complex 1, family planning centre 12, satellite centre 3, hospital 1, charitable hospital 4, clinic 5, veterinary hospital 2.

Natural disasters Many people were victims of the flood of 1954, draught of 1957 and devastating cyclones of 1961 and 1988; they also caused heavy damages to settlements, livestock, crops and other properties of the upazila.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, proshika, asa. [Billal Hussain]

References Bangladesh Population Census 2001, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics; Cultural survey report of Lohagara Upazila 2007.