Faridpur District Information

Faridpur is a district in central Bangladesh which is a part of the Dhaka Division. The Greater Faridpur region includes the present districts of Rajbari, Gopalgonj, Madaripur, Shariatpur and Faridpur. Present Faridpur District is situated on the banks of the Padma (Lower Ganges). This district consists of 9 upazilas, 4 municipalities, 79 union parishads, 36 wards, 92 mahallas and 1859 villages.
The upazilas of Faridpur district are:
• Faridpur Sadar Upazila
• Boalmari Upazila
• Alfadanga Upazila
• Madhukhali Upazila
• Bhanga Upazila
• Nagarkanda Upazila
• Charbhadrasan Upazila
• Sadarpur Upazila
• Shaltha Upazila

Area: 2072.72 km².

Boundary: Faridpur district is bounded by the Padma River to the north and east. It is bordered by Madaripur to the east, Gopalgonj to the south and Rajbari, Narail and Magura to the west.

Population: 1,714,496. Among them 50.55% of the people are male and 49.23% are female.

Religion: The major religions are Islam and Hinduism. 88% of people are Muslims and 11% of the populations are Hindu. Once it was a Hindu populated area. Others are 0.7% Christian and 0.3% follow others religion.

Literacy rate: Average literacy 37.44%; male 43.51%, female 30.76%.

Ethnicity: Bengali peopleare as usually the major ethnic group. a small Bihari and Oriya population are living here.

Rivers: The Padma is the main river. Other smaller rivers are Old Kumar, Arial khan, Gorai, Chandana, Bhubanshwar and Modhumoti.

Weather: Average highest temperature is 35.8°C and lowest 12.6°C. Annual rainfall is 1546 mm. The soil of this district is alluvial soil of the PADMA which is very fertile.

Main depressions: Main depressions are Dhol Samudra, Beel Ramkeli, Shakuner Beel and Ghoradar Beel.

Main crops: Paddy, jute, peanut, wheat, oilseed, pulse, turmeric, onion, garlic and coriander.

Main fruits: Mango, jackfruit, black berry, palm, coconut, betel nut, kul, tetul, ata, bel, papaya, banana, guava and jamrul.

Main occupations: Agriculture 42.76%, fishing 1.47%, agricultural labourer 21.67%, wage labourer 2.74%, commerce 10.63%, transport 2.06%, service 7.16%, others 11.51%.

Marks of War of Liberation: There are 4 Mass grave, 4 mass killing site, 2 memorials and 1 memorial sculpture.

Communication facilities: Main communication process of this district with the outer world is by Roads, waterways and railways. But the district’s transport with Dhaka is severally affected as there is no bridge over the Padma river. People use ferry services.In 2009, the Bangladesh government announced plans to construct the long demanded Padma Multipurpose Bridge. When it will be completed in 2012, it will be the longest bridge in South Asia.

Mills and factories: Notable factories include Faridpur Sugar Mill, Aziz Pipes, Khankhanapur Textile Mill, Karim Jute Mill, Saiyed Jute Spinning, Faridpur Cold Storage, Faridpur Jute Fibres, Aziz Jute Fibres, Sharif Jute Mill, Rokeya Rextile, BADC Cold Storage etc.

Main exports: Jute, onion, garlic, date molasses, palm molasses, sugarcane molasses and pulse.

Educational institutions: There are 2 Medical Colleges, 1 university college, 1 law college, 1 technical college, 1 polytechnic institution, 1 primary training institute, 1 homeopathy college and 1 river research institute. Beside these there are also 7 government college, 1 commerce college, 41 non-government college 41, 1 mentally retarded school, 1 deaf and dumb school, 6 government high school, 228 non-government high school, 21 junior high school 21, 155 madrasa etc. Faridpur Medical College, Government Rajendra University College, Faridpur Diabetic Association Medical college, Faridpur Zilla School, Govt. Girls High School, Faridpur High School, Govt. Yasin College, Faridpur City College, Sardoda Shundori Mohila College, Govt. Polytechnic Institute etc are the notable institutions.

Faridpur Town: Faridpur Town stands on both sides of the river Kumar. Its municipality was established in 1869. The town consists of 9 wards and 35 mahallas. The area of the town is 20.23 sq km with a population 99634. Among them male is 51.73%, female 48.27%. The density of population is 4925 per sq km. The literacy rate among the town people is 66.6%. The town has many institutions like 2 medical colleges, Government Rajendra University College, Faridpur Zilla School, Govt. Girls High School, Faridpur High School, Govt. Yasin College, Faridpur City College, Sardoda Shundori Mohila College, Govt. Polytechnic Institute , two dakbungalows and many others.

Specialty of Faridpur district:
• Faridpur district produces the finest raw jute.
• Has a lot of aristocratic zamindarbaries
• Was a focal point for political movements in Bengal during the British Raj .
• An annual fair or mela is held in Faridpur for the birth of renowned Bengali poet Jasimuddin. This fair is held on January 1 and is arranged by the Polli Jasim Foundation.
• Famous for Nakshikantha, pottery, khejur pati etc traditional goods.

Places to see:
• Kobi Jasimuddin’s House. Is the residence of the renonwed Bengali poet Jasimuddin.
• Faridpur District Court. A 19th century colonial styled court house.
• Mazar of Dewan Saker Shah. Is the Mausoleum of the Dewan of the Boalmari Estate.
• River Research Institute. A government research institute.
• Moyez Manzil Palace. A mansion of the Chanpur Estate.
• Baisrashi Babu Bari Palace. A mansion of the Baisrashi Estate.
• Kamlapur. Is a historic neighbourhood housing colonial buildings and a zamindar mansion.
• Dighir Par Masjid. A mosque in Bhanga built during the Mughal era.
• Basudeva Mandir. A famous Hindu temple.
• Faridpur Zila School. One of the oldest schools in Bangladesh.
• Bishwa Zaker Monjil. A mansion of the Aatroshi Estate.
• Garoda Mosque. Was established in1013 AH.
• Pathrail Mosque and dighi. Was established in 1493-1519 AD.
• Satoir Mosque. Was established in 1519 AD.
• Fatehabad Taksal. Was established in 1519-32.
• Mathurapur Wall.
• Bhanga Munsif Court Building (1889).
• Basudeva Mandir .
• Jagabandhu Angina.

Some renowned Personalities:
• Jasim Uddin. Famous pastoral poet.
• Munsi Muhammad Abdur Rouf. He is one of the Bir Shrestho (valiant war hero of 1971).
• Ambika Charan Majumder. Was the President of the Indian National Congress (1916-1917).
• Nawab Abdul Latif. A renowned Muslim educator and social reformer during the 19th Century.

History events:
Earlier The district was known as Fatehabad. In 1860 the district was named as Faridpur after the famous sufi saint Shah Sheikh Fariduddin.
In 1840 the Faridpur Zila School was established which is one of the oldest schools in modern day Bangladesh.
During the 1800s, Haji Shariatullah began the famous Faraizi movement after returning from Mecca in the district.
Indigo was being cultivated on the banks of the rivers Garai, Madhumati, Barasia, Chandana, Kumar etc. The main kuthi (indigo headquarter) was located in Mirganj of Alfadangha upazila. The Indigo Resistance Movement which resisted Indigo plantations also began in Faridpur. The movement was led by Pir Dudu Miah.
Faridpur hosted several important meetings of the Indian Independence movement. Subhash Chandra Bose, Chittaranjan Das, Rabindranath Tagore, and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad visited Faridpur. The annual conference of the Bengal Congress held in the Moyez Manzil Palace in Faridpur in 1921. Mahatma Gandhi attended it.
Faridpur also has glorious history of Bangladesh Liberation War. On April 26 the Pakistan army landed on Daulatdia river port and began a massacre as soldiers went from village to village killing sleeping civilians.