Bhanga Upazila

Bhanga Upazila (faridpur district) area 215.30 sq km, located in between 23°17' and 23°28' north latitudes and in between 89°55' and 90°06' east longitudes. It is bounded by sadarpur and nagarkanda upazilas on the north, muksudpur and rajoir upazilas on the south, shibchar and Sadarpur upazilas on the east, Nagarkanda and Muksudpur upazilas on the west.

Population Total 259032; male 125324, female 133708; Muslim 239648, Hindu 19371, Buddhist 2 and Christian 11.

Water bodies Main rivers: arial khan, kumar, shitalakshya.

Administration Bhanga Thana was formed in 1908 and it was turned into an upazila in 1983.

Upazila
Municipality	Union	Mouza	Village	Population		Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
				Urban	Rural		Urban	Rural
1	12	131	206	46477	212555	1203	46.8 (2001)	45.0

Municipality
Area (sq km)	Ward	Mahalla	Population	Density (per sq km))	Literacy rate (%)
18.30 (2001)	9	26	34148	1533 (2001)	61.5

Upazila Town
Area (sq km)	Mouza	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
17.03 (2001)	2	12329	686 (2001)	41.7

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Azimnagar 15	3996	8007	8775	40.5
Algi 13	6818	13750	14823	41.1
Kaolibera 63	5122	10022	11092	44.9
Kalamrida 55	3784	8220	9134	40.3
Gharua 39	6113	13504	14572	44.8
Chandra 31	2696	8126	8812	48.7
Chumordi 25	2283	4578	5111	42.9
Tuzarpur 94	3575	7161	7166	44.3
Nasirabad 79	3227	6574	7441	47.0
Nurullaganj 87	4412	9332	9608	46.5
Manikdaha 71	4605	9732	10081	47.7
Hamirdi 47	3520	9384	9879	49.7

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

Archaeological heritage and relics Pathrail Mosque (1493-1519), Pathrail Dighi (tank), Mazar of Majlish Abdullah Khan, Roynagar Mosque (built in Mughal period), Basudeva Mandir at Khatra, Siddeswari Theatre Stage at Bhanga.

War of Liberation The encounter with Pak army at Patrail was the most notable among all direct fights of the freedom fighters in the upazila. 39 Pakistani soldiers were killed or wounded and freedom fighter Jahangir was killed in the encounter. A mass grave has been discovered at Noapara.

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

Religious institutions Mosque 384, temple 39, sacred place 1 (Khatra). Noted religious institutions: Patrail Mosque, Roynagar Mosque, Gharua Jami Mosque, Bhanga Bazar Jami Mosque, Basudeva Temple.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 47.0%; Male 48.4%, female 45.8%. Educational institutions: college 5, secondary school 20, primary school 73, madrasa 10, orphanage 3. Noted educational institutions: Bhanga Pilot High School (1889), Sadardi High School (1917), Kalamridha Gobinda High School (1927).

Newspapers and periodicals Weekly: Bhanga Khabar.

Cultural organisations Library 3, club 2, cinema hall 1, women's organisation 1, theatre group 1, Shilpakala Academy 1.

Main sources of income Agriculture 55.51%, non-agricultural labourer 2.79%, industry 1.36%, commerce 20.32%, transport and communication 2.77%, service 6.12%, construction 1.22%, religious service' 0.22%, rent and remittance 2.50% and others 7.19%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 58.66%, landless 41.34%; agricultural landowner: urban' 48.36% and rural 60.75%.

Main crops Paddy, wheat, jute, onion, mustard, vegetables.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Sesame, linseed, kaun.

Main fruits Mango, black berry, jackfruit, litchi, banana, palm, papaya, safeda, coconut.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries Fishery 245, Dairy 60, poultry 64.

Communication facilities Pucca road 69 km, semi-pucca road 80 km, mud road 319 km; waterways 4 km.

Extinct or nearly extinct traditional transport Palanquin, bullock cart.

Noted manufactories Rice mill, flour mill, oil mill, ice mill, fertiliser factory, biscuit factory.

Cottage industries Goldsmith, blacksmith, weaving, potteries, umbrella industry, bamboo work, cane work.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 45, fairs 4, most noted of which are Bhanga, Deora, Chowkighata, Maligram, Kaolibera, Mansurabad, Gharua and Pukuria Hat and Mukdoba Mela, Bhanga Chaitra Sankranti Mela and Khatra Mela.

Main exports Paddy, wheat, palm molasses, onion seed, vegetables, coconut, safeda.

Access to electricity All the wards and unions of this upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 53.8% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 95.6%, tap 1.0% and others 3.4%.

Sanitation 82.4% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 15.1% of dwelling houses use non-sanitary latrines; 2.5% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Heath centres Upazila health complex 1, union health centre 3, family welfare centre 8, satellite clinic 2, community clinic 27, clinic 4.

NGO activities brac, proshika, asa, SEDP. [Profulla Kumar Nandi]

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