Pirgachha Upazila

 Pirgachha Upazila

Pirgachha (Bengali: পীরগাছা) is an Upazila of Rangpur District in the Division of Rangpur, Bangladesh.[1]

Geography

Pirgachha is located at 25.5806°N 89.4000°E . It has 52432 households and total area 265.32 km². Tambulpur is one of the famous Union which is situated on the Bank of river Burail. Pirgacha upazila is situated east-south corner of Rangpur town. Tambulpur is the largest Union of Pirgachha Upazila It is about 12 kilometers by East-West and about 6 Kilometers by North-South. And Rahmatchar is the Largest Village under this Union. It is situated at the very East side at River Tista which is the meeting points of Rangpur, Kurigram and Gaibandha Districts.

Demographics

As of the 1991 Bangladesh census, Pirgachha has a population of 256573. Males constitute 50.59% of the population, and females 49.41%. This Upazila's eighteen up population is 125484. Pirgachha has an average literacy rate of 21.5% (7+ years), and the national average of 32.4% literate.[2]

Administrative

Pirgachha has 9 Unions/Wards, 171 Mauzas/Mahallas, and 189 villages. There are Two Colleges, Two or Three High Schools and four Dakhil Madrasha. Rahmatchar is one of the Fanous village of this Union. There are two Primary School, two Madrasha in Rahmatchar Dewanbari is the most famous in Rahmatchar even in the Union.

Personalities

The famous persons in the Tambulpur Union are- (1)Pandit Dewan Tozammal Hossain who was born in 1999 and died in 1992 and his brothers (2) Dewan Ismail Hossain (3) Dewan Ishaque were the students of Deoband Alia Madrasha of Koltata. Other person are (4) Khandoker Ansar Ali Fakir his brother Kazi Abdur Rahman, Mohammad Ali Mia their Cosin and Alim-A-Din Janab Nazzab Ali Mia and brother Abdul Hai Mia (5) Janab Azgar Ali Master (Father of Harun BS, (6) Janab Nawab Ali Master (7) Pandit Amir Hossain his brother (8) Janab Abul PP (9) Azhar Master (10) Dewan Abu Taleb (11) Mansur Master (12) Matiar Sarder (13) Rabu Sarder (14) Khaleq Sarder (15) Bachon Sir his father Bashanta Babu (16) Jadab Babu, Chairman Shaheb Uddin and etc.

Pirgachha Upazila (rangpur district) area 265.32 sq km, located in between 25°33' and 25°45' north latitudes and in between 89°18' and 89°32' east longitudes. It is bounded by kaunia and rajarhat upazilas on the north, sundarganj upazila on the south, ulipur and Sundarganj upazilas on the east, rangpur sadar and mithapukur upazilas on the west.

Population Total 295050; male 148650, female 146400; Muslim 268716, Hindu 25826, Buddhist 18 and others 490.

Water bodies Main rivers: tista, Ghaghat; Chaluniyer and Horodanga Beels are notable.

Administration At the time of the establishment of' Rangpur district Pirgachha was included in the Mohiganj Thana. Later on in 1913 Nawabganj Thana was formed after abolishing Mohiganj Thana and Pirgachha Thana was formed, as a new thana, comprising parts of the abolished Mohiganj Thana. Pirgachha' thana 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
-	9	170	170	23931	271119	1112	46.94	38.45

Upazila Town
Area (sq km)	Mouza	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
14.29	5	23931	1675	46.94

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Annadanagar 09	6658	15127	15135	42.06
Itakumari 28	5546	13426	12829	40.38
Kalyani 47	5061	12391	11608	41.68
Kandi 57	6227	13671	13742	36.56
Kaikuri 38	7330	16226	16321	37.29
Chhaola 19	9330	17888	18202	37.62
Tambulpur 85	9115	19425	19586	37.07
Parul 66	8044	18841	17969	35.86
Pirgachha 76	7999	21655	21008	43.87

Source  Bangladesh Population Census 2001, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Archaeological heritage and relics Manthana Zamidar Bari, Zamindar Bari and Shiva Mandir at Itakumari, Secret Fort at Chandipur, Tri-vigraha Mandir at Manthana, Bhabtarini Ma Kali Mandir, Shiva Mandir at Pirgachha, Chhota Taraf Durga Mandir at Pirgachha.

Historical events Once Pirgachha (Manthana) constituted a zamindari estate of Fatehpur Pargana under the kingdom of Kuchbihar. Ananta Ram, a Koch official, surrendered to the Mughals when the latter invaded this region sometime between 1704 and 1714 and received this zamindari which lasted until 1950. fakir-sannyasi resistance were held in this region during the period from 1760 to 1800. On 13 April 1971 the Pak army brutally killed 11 members of the Bangali EPR at Nandiganj. The local people buried them on the Rangpur Kurigram road side. An encounter was held between the freedom fighters and Pak army on 2 December at Monurchhara under Parul union in which one freedom fighter was killed and two Pak soldiers were wounded.

Marks of the War of Liberation Mass killing site 1 (besides the Rangpur Kurigram road).

Religious institutions Mosque 452, temple 13, church 1, tomb 7, sacred place 5. Noted religious institutions: Karbala Eidgah Maidan, Pirgachha Ahle Hadith Mosque, Satdargah Mosque, Shiva Mandir at Itakumari, Tri Bigraha Mandir at Manthana, Bhabtarini Ma Kali Mandir, Shiva Mandir at Pirgachha, Chandi and Radha Mandir, Choto Taraf Durga Mandir at Pirgachha.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 39.15%; male 44.48%, female 33.79%. Educational institutions: college 9, distant learning centre 1, HSC program centre 1 (open university), secondary school 51, primary school 277, vocational school 3, madrasa 38. Noted educational institutions: Pirgachha College (1970), Pirgachha JN High School (1928), Annadanagar Multilateral High School (1950), Itakumari Bilateral High School (1921), Pabitro Jhar Government Primary School (1932), Annadanagar Government Primary School (1942), Nachumamud Government Primary School (1972), Pabitro Jhar Karamatia Fazil Madrasa (1950).

Cultural organisations Library 1, club 29, theatre group 1, women organisation 3, cinema hall 3, playground 23.

Main sources of income Agriculture 70.06%, non-agricultural labourer 3.72%, industry 0.33%, commerce 9.85%, transport and communication 3.35%, service 3.79%, construction 0.8%, religious service 0.2%, rent and remittance 0.23% and others 7.67%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 51.99%, landless 48.01%; agricultural landowner: urban 44.63% and rural 52.59%.'

Main crops Paddy, wheat, potato, sugarcane, mustard, nut, jute, betel leaf, vegetables.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Kaun, linseed, maize, arahar.

Main fruits Banana, jackfruit, mango, pineapple, litchi, guava, papaya, betel nut.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries Fishery 39.

Communication facilities Pucca road 87.42 km, mud road 446 km; railway 21 km. Rail Station 3 (Annadasangkar, Pirgachha, Chowdhurani).

Extinct or nearly extinct traditional transport Palanquin, bullock cart, buffalo cart.

Noted manufactories Chira and muri mill 3, cotton mill 2, cold storage 5, brick field 3.

Cottage industries Blacksmith, potteries, bamboo work.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 21, fairs 7, most noted of which are Pirgachha Hat, Paotana Hat, Annadanagar Hat, Sat Dargah Hat, Kaliganj Hat, Bara Dargah Hat, Parul Hat, Nek-Mamud Hat, Tambulpur Hat, Kaikuri Hat, Kandi Hat, Nayar Hat, Nabdiganj Hat, Deoti Hat, Sayedpur Hat, Itakumari Hat, Thanbar Mela, Pagla Kura Mela, Chandipur Mela, Baruni Mela at Kandi, Bura Ghazir Mela, Chaitra Samkranti Mela and Mahram Mela.

Main exports Jute, betel leaf, betel nut, banana, potato, nut, mustard, sugarcane, vegetables.

Access to electricity All the unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 12.72% (urban 11.28% and rural 30.7%) of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 93.44%, tap 0.09%, pond 0.15% and others 6.32%. The presence of arsenic has been detected in the water of 70 shallow tube wells out of 798. The level of arsenic is 25% in the tube well water of Annadanagar, Chhaola, Itakumari, Kandi, Tambulpur and Pirgachha unions.

Sanitation 9.41% (rural 8.53% and urban 20.09%) of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 37.75% (rural 37.61% and urban 39.46%) of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 52.84% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Upazila health complex 1, satellite clinic 4, family planning centre 9, charitable clinic 4.

Natural disasters The devastating earthquake of 1897 and the repeated floods in the region changed the course of the rivers, including the Tista of the region.

Photo Gallery of Rangpur

Panchagarh District

Panchagarh District

Panchagarh (Bengali: পঞ্চগড়, Ponchogorh, means five forts) is a district of Rangpur division in the extreme northern part ofBangladesh with an area of 1404.62 square km,[1] is bounded on three sides by 288 km long Indian border, having Darjeelingdistrict on the north, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar Districts on the northeast, West Dinajpur District and Purnea district on the west.Dinajpur and Thakurgaon Districts on the south, Nilphamari District on the east. Its soil is sandy, alluvial and bears close affinity with the soil of the old Himalayan basin. On the northern part of the district there exists underground layer of pebbles. It is 150 feet (46 m) high from the sea level. Panchagarh has 16 rivers. Among them some main rivers are Karatoya, Atrai, Tista, Nagor, Mahananda, Tangon, Dahuk, Pathraj, Bhulli, Talma, Chawai, Kurum, Versa, Tirnoi, and Chilka.

 

Administration

Administrator of Zila Porishod: Abu Bakar Siddique[2]

Deputy Commissioner (DC): Muhammad Salah Uddin[3]

Members of tenth Jatiyo Sangsad

The members of the tenth Jatiyo Sangsad, elected 2014 are:[4]

Panchagarh-1: Nazmul Haque Prodhan [from Jasod]

Panchagarh-2: Nurul Islam Shujon [from Awami League]

Geography

Panchagarh is the situated in the north side of Bangladesh. It is 150 feet (46 m) high from the level.

Description	2011	2001	% of National
Area(km2)	1,404.62	1,404.63	0.96
Population	10,26,141	836,196	0.71

Description	2011	2001	1991	% change
Density	703	595	507	17.36
Literacy rate	51.8	40.82	27.80	46.83

Total Boundary: 302.68 km

Estublished: 01.02.1984

No. of City Corporation:

No. of Upzilla: 5

No. of Union: 43

No. of Village: 825

Men: 42%

Women: 24%

No. of Rivers: 16

Main Rivers: Korotoya, Dahuk,Chawai, Tirnoy.

Rivers: Panchagarh has 23 rivers. Among them some main rivers are Karatoya, Atrai, Tista, Nagor, Mahananda, Tangon, Dahuk, Pathraj, Bhulli, Talma, Chawai, Kurum, Versa, Tirnoi, and Chilka.

History

The existence of five garhs (fortifications) has hitherto been traced, of which the most noted are Bhitargarh, Hosaingarh, Mirgarh, Rajangarh and Devengarh. Panchagarh is named after these five garhs. Here Panch stands for five. (need to be edited)

Culture

In pohela boishakh, the first day of Bengali year, boys-girls and all section of people play with color water (similar to Holy in India) in every road.

Transport

Bi-cycle, rickshaw, motor cycle are the main modes of transport for the local people. Regular buses connects the district to their neighbor districts and subdivisions. The road distance from Dhaka (Capital city of Bangladesh) to Panchagarh is 475 km. Road transportation between Dhaka & Panchagarh is a private sector affair operating predominantly in domestic routes.

Education

B.P (Bishnu Prasad) Govt. High school which is located near the Panchagarh Town,is the biggest and most famous boys' school of Panchagarh and the S.S.C examination (public exam) result of the school is very good. In 2009, 85 students of this school got GPA 5 in the SSC examination. Panchagarh Govt. Girls' High School, which is situated at the heart of the Panchagarh Town, is the most famous girls' school of the district. In 2008 SSC examination, 32 students of this school got GPA 5 in the SSC examination. M.R (Moqbular Rahman) Govt. College is the biggest and most famous college of Panchagarh while Panchagarh Govt. Women's college is the most famous women's college of the district. It has another 2 Govt High School in Debiganj Upazilla. a) N.N (Nripandra Narayan) Govt. High School b) Debiganj Alodini Govt. Girls' High School which are famous for good academic results.

Industry and resources

Industry: Tea, Sugar, Rice mill, ice factory, garments factory, oil mill, and Saw mill.

Banglabandha land port is located in about 10 acres (40,000 m2) of acquired land at the north-western tip of Bangladesh in Tetulia under Panchagarh district on the Bangladesh-India highway.The port is situated 60 km from Panchagarh Town. The place is of international character and used for Nepal transit traffic passing through a small corridor of India. It is about 22 meter away from the Bangladesh-Indian borderline.

The growing tea sector in Panchagarh has ushered in a new hope for further enhancing the standard of socio-economic life and women empowerment, they said. The female workers are yet to get their just wages from the garden-owners as the growing tea-farming sector in the region has been facing manifold problems including present unfair prices of the tea leaves for the tea farmers. Presently, over 7,000 skilled and unskilled workers, mostly women, have been working in 246 tea gardens, including 18 big estates, 13 medium-size and 215 small-scale gardens set up on more than 1,815 acres (7.35 km2) of land in Tetulia and its surrounding areas, they said. Of them nearly 2,300 workers, mostly women, are working alone at the giant Kazi and Kazi Tea Estate (KKTE) at Tetulia which has earned reputation in both national and international markets by producing, processing and marketing the famous and most popular Kazi & Kazi Organic Tea and earning foreign exchange.

Industry for manufacturing SPC electric poles, established a plant (Gemcon Ltd.) over a land of 35 Acres in Panchagarh District, here all the products in the plant are manufactured by using indigenous raw materials. The factory has created direct or indirect job opportunity for more than 1500 people and helping the nation in poverty alleviation.

Gem Jute Limited was established in Panchagarh in 2003, with the corporate vision is to improve the livelihood of the local population by providing employment and advancement opportunities, stimulate the local economy through direct and indirect economic activities. Gem Jute promotes sustainable development and support the environment by providing high-quality, organic, biodegradable products to the world market.Over 5000 people are working at Gem Jute Limited.

Under Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC), Panchagarh Sugar Mills Ltd. is the oldest industry of the district. Panchagarh Sugar Mills was set up by the Government in 1965-69 at a cost of Tk.55.55 million. It is near the district headquarters of Panchagarh and is the northernmost sugar mill in Bangladesh. Machinery and equipment of the sugar mill were supplied by M/S. Stork Werkspoor of Holland. The sugar mill started its trial production in 1969-70. Since independence of Bangladesh (until 2005), the sugar mill has produced 8,536 m. tons of Sugar per annum on average at an average sugar recovery rate of 8.10% from sugarcane.

Administrative

Panchagarh has five Upazilas:

upazila	population (2011)[5]
Panchagarh Sadar	271707
Debiganj	224709
Boda	232124
Atwari	133650
Tetulia	125454

Tourist spots and places of interest

Atwari

As tourist spot, Atwari has the three domed mosque at Mirzapur, Chhaprajhar (Pahar bhanga) and Sardarpara, which bears the relics of Mughal architecture; remains of the ruined the "Zamindar Bari" of Aloakhoa. The Bara Awliyar Majar is another notable place in the upazila.

Atwari has the marks of War of Liberation of 1971. These are 2 mass graves, 1 twin grave and 1 martyr memorial monument.

Mirzapur Jamei Mosque

Chaprajhar Mosque

Solthori Mosque

Shordarpara Mosque

Tetulia

Tetulia has great hospitality for tourists. It has a "Dak Banglo" situated on the bank of river Mahananda facing Darjeeling, a charming ice city of India. Tea of Tetulia has same quality like tea of Darjeeling. The "Kazi & Kazi" tea garden, the "Tetulia Tea" garden, the Banglabandha land port are the attractive places for the visitors.

Remnants of a fort at a place named Buraburi between Bhajanpur and Tetulia. Also Bhadreswar temple and Shiva-temple are the two tombstones of the Greek sculptural.It has Bhadreswar Temple, Vitorgarh.

Panchagarh Sadar

Mirzapur in Panchagarh

Maharaja Dighi (Pond) at Bhitargarh is well known tourist attraction of the sadar upazila. Bhitrar Shalmara is a notable beel (Lake). Shal forest of Bhitargarh and the government forest on the banks of the Chawai and Karatoya are notable.

During the War of Liberation in 1971 the guerrilla fighters demolished the bridge on the Chawai near the Amarkhana camp thereby obstructing the advance of the Pak-army towards the north. At the initial stage of the war Maqbul Darji & the Badi Howladar (EPR) were killed in an encounter with the Pak army which however lost eighteen of its soldiers.

The Shaheed Farooque Ahmad memorial monument at Dhakka-mara in Panchagarh town is the marks of war of liberation. Also the grave of the martyr freedom fighter Sakimuddin at Jagdal-hat in front of the Baital Aman mosque is another Mark of the war.

Pond of beside the 12 Auliar mazar in Panchagarh

Boda

The Vadeswari mosque, Vadeswari temple and Govinda temple are the tourist attractions in Boda.

Debiganj

In Debiganj, the Revenue office building and old residential house of the raja of Kuch-Bihar is famous; Also Jagabandhu Thakur-bari is another place of interest for the tourists. The town has one Dakbungalow (Rest house). thumbnail

Notable Persons

Muhammad Jamiruddin Sarkar Former speaker, Jatiyo sangshad

Mirza Ghulam Hafiz Former Minister of Law and Justice, Jatiyo sangshad

See also

Districts of Bangladesh

Rangpur Division