Rangpur District

History

Rangpur was conquered by the army of Raja Man Singh, a commander of the Mughal emperor, and Akbar, in 1575, but it was only until 1686 that it was fully integrated into the Mughal Empire. Place names such as Mughalbasa ('Mughal locality') and Mughalhat ('Mughal market') bear testimony to the Mughal association and past of Rangpur and its hinterland. Later on, Rangpur passed under the control of "Sarker" of Ghoraghat. During the period of the East India Company, the Fakir-Sannyasi rebellion took place. The Greater Rangpur district was divided in five districts in 1984.

The population of the district is 2.9 million according to the 2011 census. There has been a 1.2% annual population growth between 2001 and 2011. The population density of the area is 1,200/km2.

Geography

Under the Rangpur Division (one of eight divisions) composed of eight districts of northern Bangladesh, the District of Rangpur is bordered on the north by Nilphamari District, on the south by Gaibandha District, on the east by Kurigram, and on the west by Dinajpur district. Rangpur town is the divisional headquarter. The soil composition is mainly alluvial soil (80%) of the Teesta River basin, and the remaining is barind soil. The temperature ranges from 32–11 °C (90–52 °F), and the annual rainfall averages 2,931 mm (9.616 ft).

Demographics

According to the 2022 Census of Bangladesh, Rangpur District had 834,307 households and a population of 3,169,614, of whom 32.55% of lived in urban areas. 17.54% of the population was under 10 years of age. The population density was 1,320 people per km2. The literacy rate (age 7 and over) was 70.73%, compared to the national average of 74.80%, and the sex ratio was 98.04 females per 1000 males.

Muslims make up 90.64% of the population, while Hindus are 8.96% of the population. The majority of Hindus are Rajbanshis. Other minorities are mainly Christians who are found among ethnic minorities. The ethnic population was 15,947 (0.50%), of which 8,580 were Oraon and 4,687 were Santal.

Administration

The district has 1 city corporation and 3 municipalities, namely, Rangpur City Corporation, Badarganj, Haragach, and Peerganj, and eight upazilas, namely:

Badarganj

Mithapukur

Gangachara

Kaunia

Rangpur Sadar

Pirgacha

Pirganj

Taraganj

Rangpur town, covering an area of around 43 square kilometers, lies on the bank of the Ghaghat river and was turned into a municipality back in 1869. Rangpur City Corporation, which was founded in 2012, has a population of 294,000. The city has an area of 50.7 km2 (19.6 sq mi).

Places of interest

Just south of the city of Rangpur lies the Tajhat Zamindar's palace. After the end of the British Raj, the building was abandoned and decayed rapidly, although it was used for a few years as a courthouse during the 1980s. In the year 2004, it was largely restored and turned into a museum with ancient inscriptions, art, and coins from the area on display. RDRS (Rangpur and Dinajpur Rural Service) Bangladesh, an NGO in northwest Bangladesh, has a large office and guesthouse/convention center in the town of Rangpur.

A museum and women's training center was established in Pairabondh, the birthplace of Begum Rokeya. It is half an hour's drive away from Rangpur city.

There is an ancient auditorium named 'Town Hall' at the center of the city, where different cultural programs are held. In the great Rangpur region, no economic development took place until the 1990s, mainly because of the yearly flooding the region used to see before the making of the "Teesta Barrage."

"Bhinno Jogot" is a theme park and a picnic spot that is situated 15 kilometers from Rangpur Town.

Jadu Nibash in Radhaballav was the house of former senior minister of Bangladesh, Mashiur Rahman Jadu Mia (1924–1979).

Transport

The main transportation methods here are by air, rail, or road. To travel by air, people have to first travel to Dhaka Domestic Airport and then fly to Saidpur Airport (DAC-SPD route). Seven flights travel this route daily. US-Bangla Airlines, Novoair, and Biman offer the flights. The distance by airways from Dhaka to Saidpur is 254.28 km (158 mi). By rail, the district is accessible from Kamalapur railway station which runs a daily-except-Sunday train, the "Rangpur Express", to Rangpur Railway Station. The total journey by rail is 453 km (281 mi). By road, travelers have to travel 307 km (191 mi) using the Savar-Kaliakair route or 327 km (203 mi) using the Tongi-Mawna route, Shamu.

Education

Universities

Begum Rokeya University

Teesta University

Medical colleges

Rangpur Medical College

Prime Medical College

Rangpur Community Medical College

Colleges

Carmichael College

Rangpur Cadet College

Police Lines School and College, Rangpur

Cantonment Public School and College, Rangpur

Rangpur Government College

Schools

Rangpur Zilla School

Police Lines School and College, Rangpur

Cantonment Public School and College, Rangpur

Collectorate School and College, Rangpur

Lions School and College, Rangpur

Media

Bangladesh Betar Rangpur (BBR) has a broadcasting station in Rangpur. Bangladesh Television (BTV) has a satellite station in Rangpur. The Rangpur Press Club is situated in Rangpur. Rangpur has almost 19 cinema halls. There are several locally published newspapers in the district.

Development organisations

RDRS Bangladesh – previously Rangpur-Dinajpur Rural Service – has its main operational headquarters in Rangpur town at the RDRS Complex.

Notable people

Members of the tenth Jatiyo Sangsad

The members of the national parliament were:

Rangpur-1: Mashiur Rahaman Ranga, Bangladeshi MP and Jatiya Party leader

Rangpur-2: Abul Kalam Md. Ahasanul Hoque Chowdhury from Awami League

Rangpur-3: Saad Ershad, from Jatiya Party

Rangpur-4: Tipu Munshi, Minister of Commerce of Bangladesh, former president of BGMEA, Awami League politician

Rangpur-5: H. N. Ashequr Rahman, Bangladeshi MP, Awami League, five time selected central treasurer of the Bangladesh Awami League, chairman of Meghna Bank Limited and member of the Board of Trustees, East–West University, Bangladesh

Rangpur-6: Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, from Awami League