Natore District Information
Natore is a district of northern Bangladesh within Rajshahi Division. Natore was the District head quarter of Rajshahi area since 1769-1825. Then Natore was declared as a Subdivision. And that’s why Natore is the first Subdivision of Bangladesh. It became a district in 1984. It consists of 6 Upa-Zillas . They are
• Natore Sadar
• Bagatipara
• Lalpur
• Baraigram
• Singra
• Gurudaspur
Bagatipara is a model thana (Police Station) of Natore. There are eight Municipalities in Natore. They are:
• 1.Natore
• 2.Singra
• 3.Boraigram
• 4.Gurudaspur
• 5.Bagatipara
• 6.Gopalpur(Lalpur Upazilla)
• 7.Naldanga(Natore Sadar Upazilla)
• 8.Bonpara(Baraigram Upazilla)
Area: 1896.05 km²
Boundary: The district is bounded by Naogaon and Bogra districts on the north, Pabna and Kushtia districts on the south, Pabna and Sirajganj districts on the east, Rajshahi district on the west.
Weather: Average annual temperature: maximum 37.8°C, minimum 11.2°C
Annual rainfall: 1862 mm. Lalpur of Natore is the lowest Average annual rainfall area of Bangladesh.
Population: 1521359; male 50.86%, female 49.14%
Religion: Muslim 90.47%, Hindu 8.47%, Christian 0.61% and others 0.45%; ethnic national: Santal.
Major rivers: Atrai, Baral, Narod, Nandakunja
Notable depression: Chalan Beel. This is the biggest beel of Bangladesh. It is one the major sourse of fish of sweet water.
Distance from Dhaka: Natore to Dhaka is 220 Kilometres.
Literacy Rate: Average literacy 59%; male 65% and female 53%.
Cantonment: Quadirabad Cantonment of Engineering Core Bangladesh Armyis situated at Dayarampur of Bagatipara Upazilla.
Major Educational institutions: Natore has one teacher’s training college , 1 nursing institution and 5 government colleges, 89 non-government colleges and many other institutes. Nawab Siraj-Ud Dowla(N.S)Govt. College(1956)is the largest and oldest college of Natore district.
Natore town: Natore town is a very old town because from the early british period, it was the district HQ of Rajshahi area. Natore Town consists of 9 wards and 33 mahallas. Natore municipality was established in 1869. Then in 1959, it was transformed into Town Committee. Finally the municipality was again established in 1993. The area of the town is 15.05 km² with a population of 72615. Alaipur,kanaikhali,Nichabazar,Lalbazar are the most inhabited areas of Natore Town.
Main occupations: Agriculture 41.75%, agricultural labourer 28.84%, commerce 10%, service 5.02% etc.
Economy of Natore: Economy of Natore is based on mainly agriculture. Cultivable land under irrigation is 64%. Beside agriculture, Natore has Sugar mill, rice mill, oil mill, flour mill, printing, biscuit factory, ice factory etc. North Bengal Sugar Mills Limited,Lalpur,Natore(1933) is one of the oldest sugar mill. Another is Natore Sugar Mills Limited,Natore Sadar,Natore(1985). These two sugar mills are the enterprises of the Bangladesh Sugar & Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC).Pran Agro Ltd. (2005) is a food manufacturing plant of Pran-RFL Group. Jamuna Distillery Limited (1995) is a industry of Jamuna Group. The Distillery produces industrial alcohol. There are many hats in Natore. Tebaria is the biggest Hat of Natore.
Main crops: Paddy, wheat, sugarcane, betel leaf.
Main fruits: Mango, jackfruit, banana, coconut and litchi.
Major Exports: Main exports Sugar, paddy and vegetables.
Specialty of Natore:
- Chalan beel, the biggest beel of Bangladesh. During the monsoon, the area of the Bil increases and touches four upazilas (sub-districts) of the Natore district.
- Rani vabani Rajbari, the palace of Queen Bhabani. Rani Bhabani was a great social worker and one of the pioneer to spread education for the women of Bengal.
- Natore is the first Subdivision of Bangladesh. It was once the district headquarter of Rajshahi area.
- Kacha Golla, one kind of a sweet. Kacha golla is famous all over the country for its taste. If you go Natore, then don’t miss to go for it!
Places to see:
• Dighapatia Rajbari (Uttara Ganabhaban) is the most popular sight with visitors. Once upon a time, the kings of Natore lived here. Now it is called Uttara Gano Bhaban, and is one of the official residences of the president of Bangladesh. There is a pond and a sculpture here. It is just 5 km away from Natore town.
• Tourist attractions in Natore include Rani Bhabanir Rajbari, the palace of Rani Bhabani. She was a great female social worker. It is a historical palace, situated in the Bongojol area in the Natore town.
• Chalan Beel is a large natural wetland of Bangladesh. The picnic parties come to Cholon Bil every season. During the rainy season, it seems that the water has no end and looks like a sea.
• Dayarampur Rajbari (Bagatipara)
• Budpara Kali Mandir (Lalpur)
• Pagla Raja’s Palace (jubo park)
• Modoner Pukur Par
• Natore Adunik Stadium
• Natore Sugar Mills
• North Bengal Sugar Mills and the “Shaheed Sagar” memorial on the mill campus
• Pran-Agro Limited
• Maharaja’s Palace
• Beautiful village of Moshinda