Mithapukur Upazila

Mithapukur Upazila (rangpur district) area 515.62 sq km, located in between 25°26' and 25°41' north latitudes and in between 89°06' and 89°27' east longitudes. It is bounded by rangpur sadar and pirgachha upazilas on the north, pirganj and sadullapur upazilas on the south, Pirgachha and sundarganj upazilas on the east, badarganj and nawabganj (dinajpur) upazilas on the west.

Population Total 449612; male 230207, female 219405; Muslim 409362, Hindu 33611, Buddhist 1671, Christian 1456 and others 3512.

Water bodies Main rivers: Jamuneshwari, ghaghat.

Administration Mithapukur Thana was formed in 1885 and it was turned into an upazila on 1 February 1984.

Upazila
Municipality	Union	Mouza	Village	Population		Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
				Urban	Rural		Urban	Rural
-	17	310	314	11635	437977	872	58.40	41.24

Upazila Town
Area (sq km)	Mouza	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
6.36	5	11635	1829	58.40

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Emadpur 44	9705	18355	17088	34.93
Kafrikhal 55	8926	18563	17751	39.08
Khoragachh 61	8138	12898	12622	35.14
Gopalpur 50	6974	9770	9650	42.15
Chengmari 33	7667	12512	12417	39.66
Durgapur 39	9199	22642	21049	49.31
Pairaband 89	6826	13810	13147	40.73
Bara Hazratpur 16	8221	15060	13902	45.27
Barabala 11	5909	9416	9175	41.49
Balarhat 22	5754	10948	10814	44.61
Balua Masimpur 10	7599	9688	9449	42.36
Bhangni 27	6365	12642	11949	39.65
Mayenpur 83	7677	12109	11717	36.28
Milanpur 72	6283	9462	9008	43.06
Mirzapur 78	7513	13771	12796	42.24
Rani Pukur 94	7071	12644	11912	42.45
Latifpur 67	7587	15917	14959	47.23

Source  Bangladesh Population Census 2001, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Archaeological heritage and relics House of begum roquiah (Pairaband), Turka Mosque at Latifpur union (Mughal period), three domed Jami Mosque at village Mithapukur, mazar and mosque of Gazi Pir at Bairagiganj, three domed mosque at village Bhangni, house of Raja Bhavachandra and Bagdevi Mandir (extinct) at Dhap Udaypur, Benuban Buddhist Vihara, ancient mandir of Aladipur, Zamindar Bari at Phulchawki, Baldipukur Mission and Church, Mithapukur (pond, excavated during the Mughal period).

Historical events The Praja Vidraha (tenant movement) was held in Mughat Hat and Patgram during the British rule. The people of the upazila took part in Rangpur Cantonment raid on 28 March 1971. During the war of liberation direct encounters were held on the border of Pirganj-Mithapukur and the Damdama Bridge areas between the Pak army and the combined forces of the freedom fighters and the allied troops. The Pak army conducted mass killing and plundering in the upazila of which the most brutal was mass killing at Joyram Anwar Mouza in Pairaband union.

Marks of the War of Liberation Mass grave 3 (at a place on the eastern side of the tomb of Gazi Pir at Boiragiganj, near the Damdama Bridge and Damdama Bazar); mass killing site 5 (Damdama Bridge, Damdama Bazar, in front of the tomb Gazi Pir at Boiragiganj, Jamuneshwari River bed at Milanpur point, backyard of Jhinuk Cinema Hall).

Religious institutions Mosque 650, temple 32, church 2, tomb 4, buddhist vihara 1. Noted religious institutions: Turka Mosque at Latifpur Union, three domed Jami Mosque at village Mithapukur, mazar' and mosque of Gazi Pir at Boiragiganj, three domed Mosque at village Bhangni, Ancient Mandir of Aladipur village, Baldipukur Church, Benuban Buddhist Vihara.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 41.7%; male 45.49%, female 37.75%. Educational institutions: college 16, secondary school 74, primary school 245, madrasa 110. Noted educational institutions: Mithapukur College (1970), Shathibari College (1970), Shathibari Multilateral High School (1958).

Cultural organisations Library 1, club 86, theatre group 1, auditorium 1, playground 15, cinema hall 5.

Main sources of income Agriculture 69.47%, non-agricultural labourer 4.43%, industry 0.51%, commerce 11.27%, transport and communication 3.05%,' service 3.48%, construction 0.8%, religious service 0.17%, rent and remittance 0.11% and others 6.71%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 53.2%, landless 46.8%; agricultural landowner: urban 50.4% and rural 53.27%.

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

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Jute, tobacco.

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

Fisheries, dairies and poultries Fishery 15, dairy 70, poultry 100, nursery 22, hatchery 3.

Communication facilities Pucca road 129.9 km, semi-pucca road 40 km, mud road 1340 km.

Extinct or nearly extinct traditional transport Palanquin, bullock cart.

Noted manufactories Husking mill 75, saw mill 25, oil mill 2, ice factory 10, bidi factory 1, welding factory 20, dairy and food products 1, meat processing industry 1, cold storage 4.

Cottage industries Blacksmith 76, potteries 55, jute work 10, leather work 12, bamboo work 230, tailoring 202.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 60, fairs 12, most noted of which are Shathibari Hat, Jayagirhat, Shukur Hat, Bairati Hat, Rani Pukur Hat, Chowdhury Gopalpur Hat, Balua Hat, Serudanga Hat, Shathibari Durga Puja Mela, Mithapukur Bazar Puja Mela, Bairati Baruni Mela, Chowdhury Gopalpur Hat Baruni Mela.

Main exports Paddy, wheat, sugarcane molasses, potato, vegetables.

Access to electricity All the unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 11.53% (urban 48.57% and rural 10.64%) of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 91.31%, tap 0.65%, pond 0.31% and others 7.73%.

Sanitation 12.6% (rural 11.96% and urban 39.18%) of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 27.39% (rural 27.42% and urban 26.29%) of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 60.01% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Upazila health complex 1, union family planning centre 17, union health centre 11, regional training centre for family planning 1.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, asa, CARE, caritas, thengamara mahila sabuj sangha. [Abu Md. Iqbal Rumi Shah]

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