Rajarhat Upazila

Rajarhat
রাজারহাট
Upazila
Sindurmati Dighi
Sindurmati Dighi
Location of Rajarhat
Coordinates: 25°48′N 89°33′E / 25.800°N 89.550°E / 25.800; 89.550
Country Bangladesh
DivisionRangpur
DistrictKurigram
Government
 • Upazila Parisad ChairmanAbul Hashem
 • UNOMD. Rafikul Islam
Area
 • Total
166.64 km2 (64.34 sq mi)
Population
 (2022)[1]
 • Total
203,060
 • Density1,200/km2 (3,200/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+6 (BST)
Postal code
5610[2]
Websiterajarhat.kurigram.gov.bd

Rajarhat (Bengali: রাজারহাট) is an upazila of Kurigram District in the Division of Rangpur, Bangladesh. Since 1981 it has been a Thana and later on September 14, 1983, it was turned into an upazila by the government.[3]

Geography

Rajarhat is located at 25°48′00″N 89°33′00″E / 25.8000°N 89.5500°E / 25.8000; 89.5500, which is about 10 kilometers west to the center of Kurigram district. It is surrounded by Phulbari and Lalmonirhat Sadar upazilas on the north, Ulipur and Pirgachha upazilas on the south, Kurigram sadar upazila on the east, and Lalmonirhat Sadar and Kaunia upazilas on the west. It has 46,489 households and a total area of 166.64 km2. Two rivers, Teesta and Dharla pass through this upazila.

Demographics

Religions in Rajarhat Upazila (2022)[4]
Religion Percent
Islam
 
 81.66%
Hinduism
 
 18.32%
Other or not stated
 
 0.02%

According to the 2011 Census of Bangladesh, Rajarhat Upazila had 46,489 households and a population of 182,981. 39,385 (21.52%) were under 10 years of age. Rajarhat had a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 52.03%, compared to the national average of 51.8%, and a sex ratio of 1060 females per 1000 males. 9,292 (5.08%) lived in urban areas.[5][6]

As of the 1991 Census of Bangladesh, Rajarhat has a population of 158,648. Males constitute 50.52% of the population, and females 49.48%. Upazila's adult (over 18) population is 72,315. Rajarhat has an average literacy rate of 27.1% (7+ years), and the national average of 32.4% literacy.[7]

Points of interest

Administration

Rajarhat Upazila is divided into seven union parishads: Biddanondo, Chakirpashar, Chinai, Gharialdanga, Nazimkhan, Rajarhat, and Umarmajid. The union parishads are subdivided into 110 mauzas and 180 villages.[5]

Similar to other upazilas in the country, Upazila Parisad headed by an Upazila Chairman who is elected in a direct vote of the people is the highest form of local government in Rajarhat upazila.

Education

  • Literacy Rate: 60%
  • Number of Colleges: 4
  • Number of High Schools: 34
  • Number of Madrasas: 45
  • Number of Primary Schools (government run): 49
  • Number of Primary Schools (private): 67

Notable residents

  • Abdullah Sarwrdi (Ex MP)
  • Raufun Basunia (Late leader of anti dictatorship movement)[8]
  • Jahangir Hossain Chowdhury (First Upazilla Chairman Rajarhat)
  • Badol Khondokar ( film director and producer )

See also

References

  1. ^ National Report (PDF). Population and Housing Census 2022. Vol. 1. Dhaka: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. November 2023. p. 403. ISBN 978-9844752016.
  2. ^ "Bangladesh Postal Code". Dhaka: Bangladesh Postal Department under the Department of Posts and Telecommunications of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. 21 October 2024.
  3. ^ Md. Kamal Hossain (2012), "Rajarhat Upazila", in Sirajul Islam and Ahmed A. Jamal (ed.), Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.), Asiatic Society of Bangladesh
  4. ^ Population and Housing Census 2022 - District Report: Kurigram (PDF). District Series. Dhaka: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. June 2024. ISBN 978-984-475-277-1.
  5. ^ a b "Bangladesh Population and Housing Census 2011 Zila Report – Kurigram" (PDF). bbs.gov.bd. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.
  6. ^ "Community Tables: Kurigram district" (PDF). bbs.gov.bd. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. 2011.
  7. ^ "Population Census Wing, BBS". Archived from the original on 2005-03-27. Retrieved November 10, 2006.
  8. ^ "5. You May Touch This Statue", The Dream of the Moving Statue, Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, pp. 69–91, 2019-12-31, retrieved 2022-07-15