Faridpur District

Faridpur is a district located on the south-central part of Bangladesh under the jurisdiction of Dhaka division. The district lies in between 23°17′ and 23°40′ north latitudes and in between 89°29′ and 90°11′ east longitudes. Faridpur is bounded by Rajbari and Manikganj districts on the north, Gopalganj district on the south, Dhaka, Munshiganj and Madaripur districts on the east, Narail and Magura districts on the west. Faridpur was established as a district in 1815. It has an area of 2,072.72 sq. km. (800.28 sq. mi). The district consists of 9 Upazilas, 5 Municipalities and 81 Union Parishads. According to the 2011 Bangladesh Census, Faridpur has a population of 1,912,969. Density of the population is 920 inhabitants/sq. km.

Faridpur is one of the oldest districts created during the British rule. The region is well known as the abode of many saints and politicians. The former name of this district was “Fatehabad”. The district was named Faridpur after Shah Farid, a disciple of the eminent saint Khwaja Mainuddin Chishti(R). Although Faridpur district was first established in 1786 AD, it was known as Jalalpur during that period and its head office was in Dhaka. When Dhaka was divided from Jalalpur in 1807 AD, it was called Faridpur district and it’s headquarter was established in Faridpur town.  Goalanda, Faridpur Sadar, Madaripur and Gopalganj were the four sub-divisions of Faridpur district. The greater Faridpur district has now been transformed into five districts. The districts are Faridpur, Rajbari, Gopalganj, Madaripur and Shariatpur.

The Human Development Index (HDI) of Faridpur is 0.596 which is 11th among all districts of Bangladesh. It indicates moderate life expectancy, literacy Rate and per capita income of the inhabitants. The district has a literacy rate of 43.95% for the population 7 years and above. The district town is presently situated on the bank of the river Kumar. Padma, Old Kumar, Arial Kha, Gorai, Dhol Samudra, Ramkeli, Ghoradar, and Shakuner beel are the main waterbodies of the district. At the border area of Faridpur, there are two big rivers, Padma and Meghna. Padma separated Faridpur from Pabna & Dhaka districts at its north-east part and merged with Jamuna at Goalanda upazilla of Rajbari district. In the past, this district was filled with many bills and in the floodplain of the Padma the soil was fertile. The average high temperature of Faridpur is 35.8°C and the average low temperature is 12.6°C. Annual rainfall averages 1546 millimetres.

Numerous daily and weekly newspapers are published from the district. Daily Thikana, Daily Vorer Rana and Weekly Faridpur Barta are notable among them. Baul, Marami, Bichar, Murshidi-Marfati, Fakirali, Gazirgan, Kabigan, Jarigan etc. are notable folk songs prevailing in Faridpur. Dariabandha, boat racing, Ha-du-du and cock fighting are notable folk games popular in the district. Palanquin, horse carriage, bullock and buffalo carts were the traditional transports in the rural areas of Faridpur, which are now either extinct or nearly extinct. Now-a-days, all the upazilas are connected with the district headquarters with metalled roads. Bus, minibus, three wheelers ply over the district.

The economy of the district is mostly dependent on agriculture. Major sources of income comprises of agriculture with 58.60%, non-agricultural laborer 2.88%, industry 1.07%, commerce 14.09%, transport and communication 4.58%, service 8.87%, construction 1.91%, religious service 0.19%, rent and remittance 1.50% and others 6.31%. Out of a total of 382,686 holdings of the district, 57.97% holdings are farms that produce varieties of crops namely, local and HYV paddy, sugarcane, wheat, vegetables, spices, jute, pulses and other minor cereals. Various fruits like mango, banana, jackfruit, guava, coconut etc. are grown in the district. Almost all kinds of vegetables are cultivated, particularly bitter guard, pumpkin, potato and brinjal are abundantly grown. Pisciculture and rearing of livestock and poultry adds an additional income to the rural households. Fish of different varieties abound in this district. Moreover varieties of fish are caught from rivers, tributary channels, even from paddy field during rainy season. Some valuable timber and forest trees are grown in this district. Out of total 990 sq. km. of the total area to the district, organized forestry is almost absent but riverine areas occupy about 96.51 sq. km. (4.66%) of the total area.

Non-farm activities are also significant in Faridpur. Bangladesh River Research Institute and Fisheries Development Training Center is established here. There is a sugar mill, 4 jute mills, 2 textile mills, 2 pipe factories and 202 weaving industries in the district. Faridpur sugar mill, Karim jute mill, BS jute mill, Aziz pipes, Nur plastic pipes are some famous industries of Faridpur district. Glass sand, white clay and pit coal are important minerals found in the area.

Faridpur was always a place of pilgrimage for many movements. Fakir-Sannyasi Resistance took place in the region during the early part of the British rule. The Farayeji movement under the leadership of Haji Shariatullah spread widely in this district. Indigo was cultivated on the banks of rivers like Gorai, Madhumati, Barasia, Chandana, Kumar etc. during British rule. 2 main Neelkuthis were set up at Alfadanga and Mirganj. There were 52 more Neelkuthis in the district.  Like other districts, this district has also participated in the Indigo Rebellion.

The people of Faridpur played a strong role in all the movements including the language movement of 1952, the election of the United Front in 1954 and the mass uprising of 1971 and above all in the Liberation War. The freedom fighters captured huge number of arms and ammunitions after attacking the police outpost at Nagarkanda on 22 April, 1971. Many direct encounters were held between the freedom fighters and the Pakistan army in Faridpur during the nine months of war. There are 4 mass graves, 4 memorial monuments and a memorial sculpture in the district as marks of Liberation War.

The district is predominately Muslims with a population of 1576713. There are 178354 Hindus, 1073 Buddhists, 58 Christians and 370 people practicing other religions. There are 3,242 mosques, 462 temples, 3 churches and some tombs in Faridpur.

At A Glance Of Faridpur
01 Area 2,072.72 sq. km. (800.28 sq. mi).
02 Population 1,912,969
03 Founding Year 1786
04 Density 920/sq. km.
05 Literacy Rate 43.95%
06 Seats in the Parliament 4
07 Postcode 7800
08 Sector in Liberation War 2 & 8

Upazilas(9):

  • Faridpur Sadar
  • Alfadanga
  • Bhanga
  • Boalmari
  • Charbhadrasan
  • Madhukhali
  • Nagarkanda
  • Sadarpur
  • Saltha

Main Rivers:

Padma, Old Kumar, Arial Kha, Gorai, Dhol Samudra, Ramkeli, Ghoradar

Main Newspapers:

Daily Thikana, Daily Vorer Rana, Weekly Faridpur Barta

Notable Places:

  • Ashram of Jagadbandhu Sundar
  • Gaur Gopal Angina
  • Pathrail Shahi Mosque and Dighi
  • Mathurapur Deoul
  • Residence of Shah Saheb
  • Kanaipur Sikder Bari
  • Faridpur River Research Institute
  • Chaudarashi Zamindar Bari
  • Gerda mosque
  • Satair mosque
  • Bhanga munsef court building
  • Residence & graveyard of Kabi Jasim Uddin
  • Shrine of Hazrat Shah Farid
  • Atrashi and Chandrapara Pak Darbar Sharif
  • Baish roshi Jamidar Bari

Highlighted Personalities:

  • Bir Shestho Lance Nayek Munshi Abdur Rouf
  • Ambika Charan Majumdar
  • Hazi Shariat Ullah
  • Jasim Uddin
  • Yousuf Ali Chowdhury
  • Humayun Kabir
  • Justice Mohammad Ibrahim

Written & Edited by Sadia Siddika Zitu.

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