Rajshahi District

Rajshahi District (rajshahi division) area 2425.37 sq km, located in between 24°07' and 24°43' north latitudes and in between 88°17' and 88°58' east longitudes. It is bounded by naogaon district on the north, west bengal state of India, kushtia district and Ganges river on the south, natore district on the east, nawabganj on the west. The region consists of barind tract, Diara and Char lands.

Population Total 2595197; male 1309890, female 1285307; Muslim 2430194, Hindu 122394, Buddhist 134, Christian 27830 and others 14645. Indigenous community such as santal belongs to this upazila.

Water bodies Main rivers: padma, mahananda, Shiba; Paltola Beel of Godagari and chalan beel are notable.

District
Area (sq km)	Upazila	Municipality	Union	Mouza	Village	Population		Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
						Urban	Rural
2425.37	9	14	71	1481	1730	854619	1740578	1070	53.0

City Corporation (Census 2001)
City Corporation	Metropolitan Thana	Ward	Mahalla
1	4	35	170

Name of Metropolitan Thana	Area (sq km)	Ward and Union	Mahalla and Mouza	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
Boalia	38.56	21	82	191711	4972	71.22
Matihar	20.56	5	20	51724	2516	63.55
Rajpara	25.19	10	46	121076	4807	69.70
Shah Makhdum	12.87	3	22	24300	1964	63.86

Others Information of District
Name of Upazila	Area (sq km)	Municipality	Union	Mouza	Village	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
Godagari	475.26	2	9	355	399	330924	696	46.3
Charghat	164.50	1	6	84	115	206788	1257	47.7
Tanore	295.40	2	7	177	169	191330	648	48.8
Durgapur	197.89	1	7	98	107	185845	939	48.2
Paba	340.03	2	8	141	209	314196	924	50.3
Puthia	192.63	1	6	123	183	207490	1077	49.6
Baghmara	366.26	2	16	273	332	354664	968	46.3
Bagha	185.16	2	6	82	78	184183	995	49.6
Mohanpur	162.65	1	6	148	138	170021	1045	51.3

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

Administration Rajshahi district was established in 1772. Subsequently Maldaha, Bogra, Pabna, Natore, Naogaon and Nawabganj districts were formed, in phases, comprising parts of this district. Rajshahi Town was turned into a Municipality on 1 April 1876; the Municipality was again turned into Municipal Corporation on 13 August 1987 and it was further turned into a city corporation in 1991. Of the nine upazilas of the districts godagari is the largest (472.13 sq km) and mohanpur is the smallest (162.65 sq km).

War of Liberation On 30 March 1971 an encounter was held between the freedom fighters and the Pak army in which Sepoy Abdul Malek, an EPR personnel, was killed. On 26 and 30 May the Pak army brutally killed 31 persons of Godagari upazila. A number of freedom fighters including Professor A. B. Siddiqi of Rajshahi Cadet College were killed on 13 April in the encounter with the Pak army at a place near the Belpukur Bridge of Puthia upazila. On 24 May the Pak army conducted a surprise attack at Tahirpur Hat of Baghmara upazila and shot 25 persons dead. On 8 August the freedom fighters under Havilder Shafiq launched an attack on the patrol boat of the Pak army near Tahirpur and killed 18 Pakistani soldiers. In another encounter with the Pak army at Nagarbari of Charghat upazila one member of the Ansar Force was killed. There had been many other encounters between the freedom fighters at different places such as Sardaha, Baneshwar and Aarani Bridge during the war of liberation. The Pak army established camp in the Zoha Hall of Rajshahi University and killed hundreds of people and buried them in the nearby playground. The Pak army, on their way to Charghar, killed Nader Chairman at Baneshwar; they also killed Rais Uddin (a member of Ansar Force) at Sarda Bazar. Having advanced towards the bank of the river Padma the Pak army killed by brush fire a few hundred innocent people who were waiting to cross over to India; the Pak army also burnt the Charghat Bazar. During the War of Liberation the Pak army established military camps at Sardaha Police Academy, Rajshahi Cadet College, at Sarda Pilot School and at the brickfield of Roy Saheb, and conducted tortures to freedom fighters and innocent people. The Pak army forced 27 youths of village Sonaikandi in Haripur union under Paba upazila to dig a mass grave and buried them all in it after killing. The Pak army made a surprise attack on the Police Camp of Bolanpur and killed the police personnel and freedom fighters of the Camp and buried them at a brickfield. The freedom fighters destroyed a patrol vehicle of the Pak army by ambush on the Rajshahi-Nawabganj road near Kashba Sugarcane Purchase Centre and killed 12 Pakistani soldiers. An encounter between the freedom fighters and the Pak army was held at a place called Kabasmul on the border of Paba and Durgapur upazilas in which one Pak Major was killed; in retaliation, the agitated Pak army killed 44 innocent persons of villages Gaganbari and Palsa. There are mass graves at 6 places and 2 mass killing sites in Rajshahi district; 4 sculptures had been established.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 50.0%; male 55.8%, female 50.1%. Educational institutions: university 2, university college 1, medical college 2, college 149, cadet college 1, teachers training college 1, physical training college 1, primary teachers training institute 1, institute of health technology 1, polytechnic institute 2, survey institute 1, nursing institute 1, vocational school 26, secondary school 160, primary school 1028, kindergarten and NGO school 47, madrasa 211. Noted educational institutions: university of rajshahi (1953), Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (2003), Rajshahi Medical College (1962), Rajshahi College (1873), Rajshahi Cadet College (1966), Rajshahi BB Hindu Academy (1898), Rajshahi Collegiate School (1828), Loknath High School (1847), Puthia PN Technical High School (1865), Talond Anand Mohan High School (1882), PN Girls' High School (1886), Diamond Jubilee Industrial School (1898), Sardaha Police Academy (1912), Birkudsha Abinash High School (Baghmara, 1917), Rajshahi Multilateral Girls' High School (1926), Godagari High School (1948), Mohanpur Pilot High School (1948), Government Laboratory High School (1969), Salua Government Primary School (Charghat, 1885), Halidagachhi Government Primary School (Charghat, 1895), Sreedhar Government Primary School (Durgapur 1857), Shitlai Kharkhari and Naohata Primary School (Paba, 1884), Rajshahi Government Madrasa (1874).'

Main sources of income Agriculture 59.35%, non-agricultural labourer 3.36%, industry 0.99%, commerce 14.25%, transport and communication 4.36%, service 8.97%, construction 1.45%, religious service 0.12%, rent and remittance 0.41% and others 6.74%.

Newspapers and periodicals Daily: Barta (1976), Sonar Desh (1984), Sunshine (1986), Upachar (1994), Lal Golap (1996), Aj (1997), Pratham Probhat (2000), Chena Jagat (2001), Natun Prabhat (2002), Sonali Sambad (1993); weekly: Duniya (1997), Rajshahi Barta (1961), Ganakhabar (1993), Subarna Sambad (2003), Dharani (1998), Uttar Janapod (1998); monthly: Naba Prabaha (1992), At Tahric (1997), Lokpatra (2001), Prajukti Prabaha (2003), Al Majhar (2003), Nirjhar (1996); quaterly: Lok Sangskriti (1997), Haque Ki Aoaj (2002); defunct newspapers: Hindu Ranjika (1865), Rajshahi Sambad (1870), Ganagkur and Pratibimba (1872), Rajshahi Samachar (1875), Udbodhon (1882), Chikitsa (1889), Utsaho (1897), Oitihasik Chitra (1898), Nur Al Iman (1900), Banga Mohila (1915), Palli Bahak (1925), Markab Al Islam (1933), Palli Sakti (1934), Sammilan (1934), Ektara (1943), Nayajaman (1946), Obhidhara (1940), Chatraleague (1947), Dipali (1949), Dishari (1950), Prabaha (1953), Jatri (1960), Purbamegh (1962), Papri (1962), Parichoy (1943), Antique Review (1933), Natun Bangla.

Important installations Main Building of Rajshahi College (1880), Old buildings of Sardaha Police Academy, Varendra Research Museum Building, Shahid Minar of Rajshahi University, noted sculpture 'Sabash Bangladesh', Memorial Monument at the slaughter place of Rajshahi University, 'Smriti Amlan' at Bhadra, Shahid Minar at Bhuban Mohan Part, BCSIR Laboratory, Sericulture Research and Training Institute, Sericulture Board, Agricultural Research Centre, Fruits Research Centre.

Folk culture Distinctive folk culture of the district include Gamvira song, Kavigan, Meyeli Geet (folk songs sung by women),' rhymes, puppet show, folk drama, folk tale, riddle, etc. [Md. Mahbubar Rahman]

See also The upazilas under this district.

References Bangladesh Population Census 2001 and 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics; Cultural survey report of Rajshahi District 2007; Cultural survey report of different upazilas of Rajshahi District 2007.