Rajshahi division is situated in Northwestern part of Bangladesh. The major cities of Rajshahi division are Rajshahi, Rangpur, Bogra and Dinajpur. Rajshahi and the city of Saidpur have airports, with daily flights to the capital city of Dhaka. A major landmark in Rajshahi is the Kantaji Mondir, a Hindu temple north of Dinajpur. The temple is covered entirely with thousands of terra cotta tiles, each with a unique design. Other sites of interest are Sompur Bihara, a large buddhist monastery, a Mohasthangar, home to archeological sites of Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim periods. Barendra Museum in Rajshahi is one of the foremost museums specializing in history of ancient Bengal. Rajshahi is well-known for its fruit, particularly mangoes.
Geography
Rangpur District is bordered on the north by Nilphamari District, on the south by Gaibandha District, on the east by Kurigram, and on the west by Dinajpur district. Rangpur town is the district headquarters. The soil composition is mainly alluvial soil (80%) of the Teesta River basin, and the remaining is barind soil. The temperature ranges from 32 degrees Celsius to 11 degrees Celsius, and the annual rainfall averages 2931 mm.
Subdivisions
The district has 3 municipalities (namely, Rangpur Sadar, Badarganj, and Kaunia), and eight Upzillas, namely, Badarganj, Gangachara, Kaunia, Rangpur Sadar, Mithapukur, Pirgachha, Pirganj, and Taraganj. Rangpur town, covering an area of around 43 square kilometers, lies on the bank of Ghagat river, and was turned into a municipality long back in 1869. The current population of the Rangpur municipality is 251,699, with 52 % male and 48 % female, and the literacy rate is 54.6 %.
History
Mansingh, a commander of the Mughal emperor, Akbar, conquered Rangpur in 1575, but it be completely integrated with the Mughal Empire only by 1686. Names of places like Mughalbasa (literal meaning being a locality of the Mughals), and Mughalhat (literal meaning a “local market” organized by the Mughals) bear testimony to the Mughal association and past of Rangpur and its hinterland. Later on, Rangpur passed under the control of “Sarker” of Ghoraghat. During the period of the East India Company, Fakir-Sannyasi Rebellion took place.
