Thakurgaon District


Thakurgaon is a district in the north-western side of Bangladesh. It is a part of the Rangpur Division and borders India to the west. It was established as a mahakuma in 1860 consisting of 6 thanas named Thakurgaon sadar, Baliadangi, Pirganj, Ranishankail, Haripur and Ruhia. In 1947, it was re-established as a mahakuma including 3 thanas of Jalpaiguri and a thana of kochbihar of India. In 1981, Atoari was included in the new Panchagarh district and the area was shrunk in just 5 thanas. It was then established as a district on 1 February 1984.

Subdistricts

There are 5 upazilas, 6 thanas, 53 unions, 647 mouzas and 1016 villages in Thakurgaon. The Upazilas in this district are:
  1. Thakurgaon Sadar Upazila
  2. Baliadangi Upazila
  3. Haripur Upazila
  4. Ranisankail Upazila
  5. Pirganj Upazila
There is also another Pirganj upazila under Rangpur district
The Thana in this district are:
  1. Ruhea Thana

    Geography

The area of Thakurgaon is. Thakurgaon is in the north west corner of Bangladesh, it is about 467 km from Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. It is surrounded by Dinajpur district on its south, Panchagarh district to the east and India on its west and north sides, it is a part of the Himalayan plain land. Highest average temperature of this district is 33.5° Celsius and lowest average is 10.05° Celsius.

History

During British rule Thakurgaon was a tehsil. In 1947 at the time of the Partition of India, Thakurgaon Subdivision became part of the newly established Dinajpur District of East Bengal. In 1984 Takurgaon subdivision was split off Dinajpur and became a separate district. Before 1879 Thakurgaon District was ruled my Maithil Brahmins and Bengali Brahmins like Bikhash Jha, Barun Thakur and Vidhenesh Roy, Until 1947 Thakurgaon district had a just Hindu majority population of 52%.Most people believe thakurgaon district has got its name from Barun Thakur a maithil Brahmin.

Economy

In Bangladesh as a whole agriculture is the basis of the economy, and Thakurgaon has been striving for a long time to be economically productive, agriculture forming a major part of the districts economy. Thakurgaon produces many agricultural products, such as rice, wheat, sugarcane, seasonal vegetables and fruits etc. The sugarcane plantation - TSM --is part of the BSFIC. These become the main livelihood of the native. Poultry firms are quite productive business in Thakurgaon, there are several cold-stores in the district. Different businesses for producing and repairing agricultural tools have grown up.
However the community's distance from the capital causes difficulties in getting sufficient technical and logistic support and in transporting local products to the national market. It is not easy for the investors to set up their business far away from the center of national trade and commerce.

Places of interest

There are various places of interest in the district, these include:
  1. The Tangon River
  2. Senua Bridge
  3. Old Air Port, destroyed during the second world war, situated at Modergonj beside of Arazipaickpara
  4. Jomidar Mosjid at Shibganj
  5. Balia Mosjid at Balia Union
  6. The Fair of Nekmordon
  7. Ramrai Dighi, it is a pond having of area. A beautiful tourist spot.
  8. King's Palace
  9. The river of Kulic
  10. KhuniaDhighi Memorial
  11. Palace of King Tonko Nath
  12. Gorkoi Heritage
  13. 500 acre shal garden on the bank of the Tangon River
  14. Horinmari Amgach
  15. Haripur Rajbari
  16. Gorokkhonath temple
  17. Ranishankail Jomidar Bari
  18. Jagdal Rajbari
  19. Sangah Shahi mosque
  20. Fatehpur mosque
  21. Shalbari mosque

    Culture

There is a versatile practice of culture in the district; few festivals and cultural events are regularly arranged there. Alpona Sansad arranges Boishakhi Mela in every Bangla new year. Held "Eid Fair" at the occasion of Eid-Ul-Adha & Eid-Ul-Fitre every year at Thakurgaon Boro Matth also. Several drama clubs practice and perform regularly and stage original and famous dramas every month. Dhamer Gaan is a unique traditional cultural invention of Thakurgaon people. The existing 10 tribes in this area enjoy their own heritage and cultural practices.

Notable People