Saidpur Upazila

Saidpur Upazila (nilphamari district) area 121.66 sq km, located in between 25°44' and 25°52' north latitudes and in between 88°51' and 89°01' east longitudes. It is bounded by nilphamari sadar and kishoreganj (Nilphamari) upazilas on the north, badarganj and parbatipur upazilas on the south, taraganj upazila on the east, chirirbandar and khansama upazilas on the west.

Population Total 264461; male 133737, female 130724; Muslim 244166, Hindu 19946, Buddhist 14, Christian 283 and others 52.

Water bodies Main rivers: Kharkharia, Chikali.

Administration Saidpur Thana, now an upazila, was formed in 1915.

Upazila
Municipality	Union	Mouza	Village	Population		Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
				Urban	Rural		Urban	Rural
1	5	39	39	130041	134420	2174	57.8 (2001)	45.2

Municipality
Area (sq km)	Ward	Mahalla	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
34.49 (2001)	15	42	127104	3265 (2001)	63.9

Upazila Town
Area (sq km)	Mouza	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
-	2	2937	-	59.5

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Kamar Pukur 40	4135	12909	12844	51.4
Kushiram Belpukur 67	5495	15816	15730	41.1
Bangalipur 23	3523	9824	10051	55.0
Bothlagari 27	5909	19001	18865	41.6
Khata Madhupur 54	4855	11127	11190	42.4

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2001 and 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Archaeological heritage and relics Chini Mosque at Islambagh (1863), Nat Settlement Prison at Natun Babu Para (1871), Martuza Institute at' Saidpur town (1882), Saidpur Church (1893), Christian Church' of Bangladesh (1906).

Historical events Saidpur was once under the kingdom of Kamrupa. Alauddin Syed Hussain Shah, Sultan of Gaur, built a fort at Kellabari Hat near Saidpur during his invasion of Kamrupa. He used to launch attack against the kingdom of Kamrupa from this fort. The descendants of Hussain Shah received jaigir in this region.

War of Liberation On 23 March 1971 the non-Bengali (Biharis) killed a number of innocent Bangalis in this upazila. On 7 April the Pak army conducted mass killing and torture in the upazila. Besides, on 23 June the Pak army shot 350 innocent Bangalis dead at Golahat, a place of Saidpur where the freedom fighters had an encounter with the Pakistani soldiers. Freedom fighters had another encounter with Pak army at Fakirpara, in which the soldiers of the Bengal regiment and the Ansars (community guards) took part in large numbers but they could not sustain their attack on the heavily armed enemies and had to retreat. There is a mass killing site at Golabari.

For details: see সৈয়দপুর উপজেলা, বাংলাদেশ মুক্তিযুদ্ধ জ্ঞানকোষ (Encyclopedia of Bangladesh War of Liberation), বাংলাদেশ এশিয়াটিক সোসাইটি, ঢাকা ২০২০, খণ্ড ১০।

Religious institutions Mosque 240, temple 37, church 2. Noted religious institutions: Chini Mosque at Islambagh, Saidpur Central Jami Mosque, Mistripara Shiva Mandir and Kali Mandir, Christian Church' of Bangladesh (1906).

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 54.6%; male 57.4%, female 51.6%. Educational institutions: college 5, homeopathic college 1, technical college 1, secondary school 35, primary school 78, kindergarten 5, madrasa 20, orphanage 6. Noted educational institutions: Saidpur College (1953), Saidpur Mohila Degree College (1981), Kamarpukur Degree College (1995), Saidpur Government Technical College (1967), Homeopathic College (1973), Saidpur Cantonment Public School and College, Saidpur Model Girls' School and College (2002), Saidpur Pilot High School (1906), Tulshiram Girls' High School (1914), Sonakhuli Kamil Madrasa (1935), Al Jamiatul Islamia Darul-Ulam Madrasa (1945).

Newspapers and periodicals Weekly: Alapan, Saidpur Barta, Janasamasya, Manab Samasya, Dag; monthly: Trino, Atandro; quaterly: Diganta.

Cultural organizations Library 5, club 35, cinema hall 4, theatre stage 1, music school 3, theatre group 9, circus party 1, literary organisation 2.

Main sources of income Agriculture 35.39%, non-agricultural labourer 5.20%, commerce 18.77%, transport and communication 6.39%, service 17.70%, construction 2.34%, religious service 0.26%, rent and remittance 0.62% and others 13.33%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 35.74%, landless 64.26%; agricultural landowner: urban 26.53% and rural 44.08%.

Main crops Paddy, jute, wheat, potato, tobacco, ginger, garlic, onion, vegetables.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Sesame, mustard.

Main fruits Mango, blackberry, jackfruit, guava, palm.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries Fishery 32, dairy 18, poultry 147.

Communication facilities Pucca road 51.75 km, mud road 336.92 km; railway 7.26 km. Airport 1.

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

Noted manufactories Rice mill, flour mill, ice factory, railway workshop, biscuit factory, brick field, welding factory, bidi factory, aluminium factory.

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

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 20, fairs 2, most noted of which are Trimohani Hat, Sepaiganj Hat, Hazari Hat, Porarhat, Chaora Hat, Kamar Pukur Hat, Dangar Hat, Satpai Hat, Karkhanagate Bazar, Rail Bazar and Porarhat Mela.

Main exports Paddy, jute, wheat, vegetables, aluminium goods, biscuit.

Access to electricity All the wards and unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 61.7% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 95.6%, tap 2.8% and others 1.6%.

Sanitation 56.7% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 25.5% of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 17.8% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Upazila health complex 1, railway hospital 1, eye hospital 1, diabetic hospital 1, child and maternity hospital 1, school health centre 1, family planning centre 5, clinic 5.'

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, asa, Life Bangladesh, Seba. [Abdus Sattar]

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