What is Dhaka District?

Coordinates:

Dhaka District
Skyline of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Skyline of Dhaka City
Dhaka
Division_name	Dhaka Division
Coordinates
Area	1,463 km
Time zone	BST (UTC+6)
Population (1991)  - Density  - Literacy rate	7,996,000  - 32,608/km  - 53.9%
Website: Banglapedia Article
Maplink: Official Map of Dhaka District

Dhaka District (Bengali: ঢাকা জেলা) is a district located in central Bangladesh. It is a part of the Dhaka Division. Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, rests on the eastern banks of the Buriganga River which flows from the Turag to the south of the district. Over half of the area of the district is dominated by the city, discounting its metropolis surplus.

Geography

Dhaka District shares borders with Gazipur and Tangail to the north, Munshiganj and Rajbari to the south, Narayanganj to the east and Manikganj to the west. Main rivers flowing through this district are Padma, Kaliganga, Dhaleshwari, Ichamati, Shitalakshya, Buriganga and numerous smaller rivers including Bangshi, Turag, Balu, Elamjani, Alam, Bherujkha, Ramkrishnadi, Elisamari, Tulsikhali. Major Beels include Belai, Saldaher, Labandaher, Churain, Damsharan and Kiranjir Beel. Annual average temperature of the district is maximum 34.5°C, minimum 11.5°C; average annual rainfall 1931mm^[1].

Subdivisions

Dhaka district consists of several Thanas unde Dhaka municipal area as well as five (5) upazilas:

1. Dhamrai Upazila
2. Dohar Upazila
3. Keraniganj Upazila
4. Nawabganj Upazila
5. Savar Upazila

Dhaka City has seven (7) principal thanas and fourteen (14) auxiliary thanas under its jurisdiction. The principal thanas are:

1. Dhanmondi Thana
2. Kotwali Thana
3. Motijheel Thana
4. Ramna Thana,
5. Mohammadpur Thana
6. Sutrapur Thana and
7. Tejgaon Thana

The auxiliary thanas are: Gulshan, Lalbagh, Mirpur, Pallabi, Sabujbagh, Cantonment, Demra, Hazaribagh, Shyampur, Badda, Kafrul, Kamrangir char, Khilgaon and Uttara. Dhaka City has 130 wards and 725 mahallas.

History

Main article: History of Dhaka

The administrative Dhaka District was first established in 1772^[1]. But, the existence of urbanised settlements in the area that is now Dhaka city - dates from the 7th century. The present day Savar was the capital of the Sanbagh Kingdom during seventh and eighth century. The city area of Dhaka was ruled by the Buddhist kingdom of Kamarupa and the Pala Empire before passing to the control of the Hindu Sena dynasty in the 9th century.^[3] Many believe that the name of the city was derived after the establishment of the Goddess Dhakeshwari's temple by Ballal Sena in the 12th century. Dhaka and its surrounding area was identified as Bengalla around that period. The town itself consisted of a few market centers like Lakshmi Bazar, Shankhari Bazar, Tanti Bazar, Patuatuli, Kumartuli, Bania Nagar and Goal Nagar. After the Sena dynasty, Dhaka was successively ruled by the Turkish and Afghan governors descending from the Delhi Sultanate before the arrival of the Mughals in 1608.^[3]

The development of townships and a significant growth in population came as the city was proclaimed the capital of Bengal under Mughal rule in 1608. During Mughal rule the areas currently under Dhaka district was famous for its textile products - especially the Muslin. Mughal subahdar Islam Khan was the first administrator of the city.^[5] Khan named the town "Jahangir Nagar" (City of Jahangir) in honour of the Mughal emperor Jahangir, although this name was dropped soon after Jahangir's death. The main expansion of the city took place under Mughal general Shaista Khan. The city then measured 19 by 13 kilometres (12 by 8 mi), with a population of nearly a million people.^[5] The city passed to the control of the British East India Company in 1765 after the Battle of Plassey. The city's population shrank dramatically during this period as the prominence of Kolkata rose,^[7] but substantive development and modernisation eventually followed. A modern civic water supply system was introduced in 1874 and electricity supply launched in 1878.^[8] The Dhaka Cantonment was established near the city, serving as a base for British and Indian soldiers.

During the abortive Partition of Bengal in 1905, Dhaka was declared to be the capital of the newly established state of Eastern Bengal and Assam, but Bengal was reunited in 1911. The rural areas under present Dhaka district, especially Dohar Upazila were used for the production of indigo.

During 1920s the people of Dhaka District were influenced by the Non Co-operation Movement led by Mahatma Gandhi. Avay Ashram was established at Dohar in 1922-23 following the ideals of Gandhi. The All India Convention of Gandhi Seba Sangha was held at village Malikandha of Dohar in 1940. On this occasion Gandhi came here and stayed for two days^[1].

Following the partition of India in 1947, Dhaka became the capital of East Bengal as a part of the new Muslim state of Pakistan. The city witnessed communal violence that left thousands of people dead. A large proportion of the city's Hindu population departed for India, while the city received hundreds of thousands of Muslim immigrants. The city's population rose dramatically in a very short period of time, which created severe shortages and infrastructural problems.^[10][11] As the centre of regional politics, Dhaka saw an increasing number of political strikes and incidents of violence. The adoption of Urdu as the sole official language of Pakistan led to protest marches involving large crowds. Known as the language movement of 1952, the protests resulted in police firing which killed students who were demonstrating peacefully.^[12] Throughout the 1950s and '60s, Dhaka remained a hotbed of political activity, and the demands for autonomy for the Bengali population gradually gained momentum.

The 1970 Bhola cyclone devastated much of the region, killing an estimated 500,000 people. More than half the city of Dhaka was flooded and millions of people marooned.^[13] With public anger growing against ethnic discrimination and poor cyclone relief efforts from the central government, Bengali politician Sheikh Mujibur Rahman held a nationalist rally on March 7 1971 at the Race Course Ground. An estimated one million people attended the gathering, leading to the March 26 declaration of Bangladesh's independence.^[14][15] In response, the Pakistan Army launched Operation Searchlight, which led to the arrests, torture and killing of hundreds of thousands of people, mainly Hindus and Bengali intellectuals.^[16]

During the Bangladesh Liberation War the Pakistan army arrested fourteen Muktijoddhas from Dhamrai Bazar and brutally killed all of them at a place near Kalampur Bazar. A mass grave created during the war still exists in the western side of Kalampur Bazar^[17]. The Pak army also burnt down many houses in Konakhola, Basta, Brahmankirtha, Goalkhali and Khagail Kholamora villages of Keraniganj Upazila.

The fall of Dhaka city to the Indian Army on December 16 marked the creation of the independent state of Bangladesh. The post-independence period has seen a rapid and massive growth of the city population, attracting migrant workers from rural areas across Bangladesh.^[11] A real estate boom has followed the expansion of city limits and the development of new settlements such as Gulshan, Banani and Motijheel.^[11]

Economy

Places of interest

The historic city of Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and lies on the banks of the Buriganga River in the central area of Bangladesh. The old town of Dhaka, south of the city centre, is the site of most of the tourist attractions, including the Lalbagh Fort, the Stat Mosque, and the Ahsan Manzil Palace Museum.

The city of Dhaka was predominantly a city of the Mughals, whose governors and viceroys built several palace, mosques and katrias. Dhaka's finest specimen of this time is the Aurangabad Fort, commonly known as Lalbaght Fort, incomplete but well worth for visit. Also in this area of Dhaka is the spectacular Ahsan Manzil Plance Museum, the Bara Katra, the Cotta Katra and several mosques of note.

The old European quarter lies just north of Dhaka's old town, which houses the presidential place and the National Museum, Dhaka's commercial and diplomatic regions are north-east of this zone. Dhaka Zoo and the Botanical Gardens are a short taxi ride into the suburbs.

Once famed for its Muslim, Dhaka is now renowned for pink pearls and a rich tradition of handicrafts. Shoppers can find lower prices of gold and silver products, and the Dhaka shopping areas of New market and Elephant road and Dhanmondi are good for shopping.

The Botanical garden is a park at Mirpur in Dhaka.It contains various species of plants.It is also a major tourist spot.

Lalbagh Fort

Built in 1678 by the Viceroy of Bengal, it contains a three-domed mosque, the tomb of Pari Bibi, the reputed daughter of Nawab Shaista Khan, the Audience Hall and the hammam of the Governor. Four Kilometres from the hotel. Ahsan Manzil Palace Museum

A majestic place, it was once home to the Nawab of Dhaka, and houses 23 galleries displaying portraits, furniture and household articles.

Jatiyo Smriti Soudho

Jatiyo Smriti Soudho or National Martyrs' Memorial is a monument in Bangladesh. It is the symbol of the valour and the sacrifice of the martyrs of the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, which brought the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistani rule. The monument is located in Savar, about 35 Kilometres north-west of the capital, Dhaka.

Star Mosque

A 200 years old mosque with five domes, with hundreds of twinkling starts on its surface.

Satmasjid

This mosque in the Mohammadpur area of Dhaka is known for its seven domes.

National Museum

In the old European quarter of Dhaka, the museum contains a large number of interesting collections, including sculptures and paintings of the Hindu, Buddhist of Muslim period. One kilometre from the hotel.

Bara Katra

One the most important of the Mughal period in Dhaka.

See also

• Districts of Bangladesh
• Dhaka Division

References

•  • [ e] Divisions and districts of Bangladesh
Barisāl Division	Barguna Barisal Bhola Jhalokati Patuakhali Pirojpur	Geography of Bangladesh
Chittagong Division	Bandarban Brahmanbaria Chandpur Chittagong Comilla Cox's Bazar Feni Khagrachari Lakshmipur Noakhali Rangamati
Dhaka Division	Dhaka Faridpur Gazipur Gopalganj Jamalpur Kishoreganj Madaripur Manikganj Munshiganj Mymensingh Narayanganj Narsingdi Netrakona Rajbari Shariatpur Sherpur Tangail
Khulna Division	Bagerhat Chuadanga Jessore Jhenaidah Khulna Kushtia Magura Meherpur Narail Satkhira
Rajshahi Division	Bogra Dinajpur Gaibandha Jaipurhat Kurigram Lalmonirhat Naogaon Natore Nawabganj Nilphamari Pabna Panchagarh Rajshahi Rangpur Sirajganj Thakurgaon
Sylhet Division	Habiganj Maulvibazar Sunamganj Sylhet