Naogaon District

Naogaon (Bengali: নওগাঁ, romanized: Nôugã) is a district in northern Bangladesh, part of the Rajshahi Division. It is named after its headquarters, the city of Naogaon in Naogaon Sadar Upazila.

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1974	1,424,082	—
1981	1,730,078	+2.82%
1991	2,148,053	+2.19%
2001	2,391,555	+1.08%
2011	2,600,157	+0.84%
Sources:

According to the 2011 Bangladesh census, Naogaon District had a population of 2,600,157, of which 1,300,227 were males and 1,299,930 females. Rural population was 2,324,590 (89.40%) while the urban population was 275,567 (10.60%). Naogaon district had a literacy rate of 48.22% for the population 7 years and above: 55.84% for males and 45.17% for females. This is up from 44.39% in 2001 and 28.40% in 1991. Nagaon District had a decadal growth rate of 8.73% for the decade 2001–2011, down from 11.33% in the decade 1991–2001.

Muslims make up 75.55% of the population, while Hindus are 11.08% and Christians 0.71% of the population respectively. Other religions, mainly indigenous faiths like Sarna, were 1.66% of the population, but have fallen in absolute numbers as these minorities adopt Hinduism or Christianity. Ethnic minorities were 116,736 (4.49%), mainly plains ethnic groups like the Santal and Oraon. This was the largest ethnic minority population in Bangladesh outside the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

Economy

Today Naogaon District is considered the bread basket of Bangladesh. It is in the central part of the Varendra Region, with an area of about 3,435.67 square kilometres (1,326.52 sq mi), about 80% of which is under cultivation. The soil of the area is a fertile inorganic clay called loam.

The total population of the area is about 25 lac, and most of the people of the district are farmers. The literacy rate is 44.39%. Crops grown in the district include paddy, mango, jute, wheat, maize, sugar cane, potatoes, pulses, oil seeds, brinjal, onions, and garlic. The total production of paddy and wheat in 2009-2010 was 13,58,432 metric tons(about 39% in our growth economy), including a surplus of 8,26,835 metric tons. Today it is the top listed district in the side of rice production and has the highest number of rice processing mills of any district.

Naogaon is now the country’s prime hub for mango harvest. Statistics from Bangladesh’s Department of Agricultural Extension shows that Naogaon alone produced over 3.33 lakh tonnes mango in fiscal 2017-18, far more than Chapainawabganj’s production of 2.74 lakh tonnes and Rajshahi’s 2.13 lakh tonnes.

Points of interest

Paharpur

Paharpur is a small village 5  km west of Jamalganj in the Naogaon district where the remains of the Somapura Mahavihara monastery have been excavated. This 7th-century archaeological find covers an area of approximately 27 acres (110,000 m²) of land. The entire establishment, occupying a quadrangular court, measures more than 900 ft (270 m) and is from 12 to 15 ft (3.7 to 4.6 m) in height. With an elaborate gateway complex on the north, there are 45 cells on the north and 44 in each of the other three sides, for a total number of 177 rooms. The architecture of the pyramidal cruciform temple is influenced by those of South-East Asia, especially Myanmar and Java. It takes its name from a high mound, which looked like a pahar, or hillock.

A site museum built recently houses the representative collection of objects recovered from the area. The excavated findings have also been preserved at the Varendra Research Museum at Rajshahi. The antiquities of the museum include terracotta plaques, images of different gods and goddesses, pottery, coin inscriptions, ornamental bricks, and other minor clay objects.

Nine miles west-southwest of Somapura Mahavihara is the archaeological site of Halud Vihara, which has been tentatively listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Kusumba Mosque

Kusumba Mosque is on the west bank of the Atrai River in Manda Upazila. It was built in 1558-59 during the period of Afgan rule in Bengal by a high-ranking official named Sulaiman. It was constructed with a Bengal style.

Jagaddala Mahavihara

Jagaddala Mahavihara (fl. late 11th century-mid-12th century) was a Buddhist monastery and seat of learning in Varendra, a geographical unit in present north Bengal in Bangladesh. It was founded by the later kings of the Pāla dynasty, probably Ramapala (c. 1077-1120), likely at a site near the present village of Jagddal in Dhamoirhat Upazila in north-west Bangladesh on the border with India. It is tentatively listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Patisar

Patisar village is associated with Rabindranath Tagore. It is situated on the banks of the river Nagor, 12 kilometers south-east of the Atrai railway station and 26 kilometers from the district town. The headquarters of the Tagore family’s zamindari in Kaligram Pargana was located at Patisar. Dwarkanath Tagore, the grandfather of Rabindranath Tagore, purchased this zamindari in 1830. Rabindranath Tagore first came to Patisarin January 1891.

The architectural design of the two-storied Kuthibari of Patisar is similar to that of Shilaidaha-Shahjadpur. The buildings, adjacent to the main mansion, are now reduced to ruins. A pond, named Rabindrasarobar, is now a silted up marsh. During his stay at Patisar, Tagore composed various poems, stories, novels, essays and the verse-play Biday Abhishap. He also established many primary schools, a school named Rathindranath High School, charitable dispensaries, and Patisar Krishi Bank (1905). He introduced tractors in Patisar and formed co-operative societies for the development of agriculture, handloom, and pottery.

In 1921, when the zamindari was divided, Patisar was included in Tagore’s share. When the poet was awarded the Nobel Prize, the tenants of Patisar gave him an address of honor (1913). On the request of his tenants, Tagore visited Patisar in 1937 for the last time on the occasion of Punya. Every year many devotees of Tagore come from home and abroad to visit Patisar. On the occasions of Tagore’s birth and death anniversaries, the Government arranges and gives all facilities to make discussion meetings and cultural functions that are held at Patisar.

Dubalhati

Dubalhati is an ancient site in the south-western part of the district. The road to Dubalhati passes through the wide body of water known as “Dighli beel” (a beel is a large shallow lake or marsh). There is a large well in the center of the road for providing travelers with water.

A feature of Dubalhati is the “Raja’s Mansion” (Jomidar Bari or Rajbari). The house has two parts; the main part, Darbar Hall, is residential and used for holding seminars, while the other part, Natto Shalla, is for prayers. The rajbari is a three-story building standing on wide and long masonry slender spiral columns. There are four large dighi (small lakes) around the site.

The rajbari was first built by Raja Horandro Ray Choudhory during the Pala Dynasty (781–1124). About 53 rajas have held the title, beginning with Jogotram, and ending with Haranath Ray Bahadur II in 1940s. Raja Horonath Ray Bahadur I was notable for his construction of schools in Rajshahi and Naogaon district, including Natto Shala, Baganbari, Dubalhati High school, Naogaon K.D. School. He contributed sums of money to the Rajshahi Government College. He founded Dubalhati Raja Horonuth High School, only the second high school in the Rajshahi Division, in 1864. He had many wells and dhighis (small lakes) dug for providing drinking and irrigation water and provided food to the populace during the famine of 1874. This raj bari was destroyed during the Hindu Muslim riots during 1946. The members of this family including Krinkari Ray Choudhary (son of Horonath Ray Bahadur who died in 1949). The Roy Choudhary family still prevails in kolkata and are now well settled.

Dibar Dighi

One of the ancient and historic places of Naogaon District is Dibar Dighi. It is situated on the side of village Dibar, in Dibar Union of Patnitala Upazila.

Administration

Secretary of District Council: ATM Abdullahel Baki 

Chairman of District Council: AKM Fozley Rabbi

Deputy Commissioner (DC): Khalid Mehdi Hasan, PAA

Superintendent of Police (SP): Md. Iqbal Hossain

Upazilas

The district is divided into 11 upazilas:

• Atrai Upazila
• Badalgachhi Upazila
• Dhamoirhat Upazila
• Manda Upazila
• Mohadevpur Upazila
• Naogaon Sadar Upazila
• Niamatpur Upazila
• Patnitala Upazila
• Porsha Upazila
• Raninagar Upazila
• Sapahar Upazila

Schools

• Naogaon Medical College
• Jahangirpur Government College
• Naogaon Government College
• Nazipur Government College
• Sapahar Government College
• Tetulia B. M. C. College
• Agradigun ML High School
• Al-Helal Islami Academy & College
• Chak Atitha High School
• Chakmuli High School
• Chandipur High School
• Fatehpur First High School
• Khirshin S.K. High School
• Mithapur B. L. High School
• Mohadevpur Sarba Mongala (Pilot) High School
• Naogaon K.D. Government High School
• Naogaon Zilla School
• Sapahar Pilot High School
• Saraswatipur High School
• Tilna Multilateral High School

Notable residents

• Mohammad Baitullah, first deputy speaker of Bangladesh Parliament
• Gahanananda, 14th President of the Ramakrishna Order
• Talim Hossain, poet; recipient of Ekushey Padak and Bangla Academy Literary Award; founder of Nazrul Academy in Dhaka
• James, singer
• Abdul Jalil, politician, Awami activist, former Secretary of Bangladesh Awami League and founding chairman of Mercantile Bank Limited, Bangladesh
• Kala Pahar, Muslim general of Bengal Sultanate
• Shabnam Mustari, singer; recipient of Ekushey Padak; daughter of Talim Hossain
• Shiran Khalji, second Muslim ruler of Bengal