Comilla District

This article is about the district. For the city, see Comilla. For the municipality, see Comilla City Corporation.

Comilla
—  District  —
Location of Comilla in Bangladesh
Coordinates: 23°27′30″N 91°11′00″E / 23.4583°N 91.1833°E / 23.4583; 91.1833Coordinates: 23°27′30″N 91°11′00″E / 23.4583°N 91.1833°E / 23.4583; 91.1833
Country	Bangladesh
Division	Chittagong Division
Area
- Total	3,085.17 km2 (1,191.2 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
- Total	5,304,000
- Density	1,719.2/km2 (4,452.7/sq mi)
Literacy rate
- Total	55%
Time zone	BST (UTC+6)
- Summer (DST)	BDST (UTC+7)
Website	Banglapedia Article

Comilla District is a district of Bangladesh located about 100 kilometers south east of Dhaka. Established as a district of Bengal by the British in 1790, it included the Sub-divisions of Brahmanbaria and Chandpur which eventually became separate districts in 1984.

Comilla is bordered by Brahmanbaria and Narayanganj districts to the north, Noakhali and Feni districts to the south, Tripura of India to the east, and Munshiganj and Chandpur districts to the west.

Geography and climate

Comilla has a total area of 3085.17 square kilometers. It is bounded by Burchiganj and Tripura on the north, Laksham and Chauddagram on the south, and Barura on the west. Major rivers passing through Comilla include Gumti and Little Feni.

Administration

The headquarters of Comilla are located in the city of Comilla which has a total area of 11.47 square kilometers. It consists of 18 mouzas and 3 wards. Comilla thana was officially converted into an upazilla in 1983 which contains one municipality 18 wards, 19 union parishads, 452 mouzas and 458 villages.

Sub-divisions

Comilla district consists of the following upazilas:^[2]

1. Barura Upazila
2. Brahmanpara Upazila
3. Burichong Upazila
4. Chandina Upazila
5. Chauddagram Upazila
6. Daudkandi Upazila
7. Debidwar Upazila
8. Homna Upazila
9. Comilla Adarsa Sadar Upazila
10. Laksam Upazila
11. Monohorgonj Upazila
12. Meghna Upazila
13. Muradnagar Upazila
14. Nangalkot Upazila
15. Comilla Sadar South Upazila
16. Titas Upazila

Economy

Mainly based on agriculture, the economy of Comilla has been flourished through trade and cottage industries, especially the 'Khadi' textile. For the economic development of the region the "Bangladesh Export Promotion Zone Authority" has established the "Comilla Export Processing Zone" spread over an area of 104.44 hectares (258 Acres) in the Comilla old Airport Area.

Agriculture

Main occupations Agriculture 43.28%, commerce 11.6%, service 10.78%, transport 3.36%, agricultural labourer 15.89%, wage labourer 2.46%, construction 1.03%, and others 11.6%.

Land use Total cultivable land 243596.93 hectares; single crop 18.05%, double crop 63.99% and treble crop land 17.96%.

Land control Among the peasants 30% are landless, 46% small, 20% intermediate and 4% rich.

Value of land The market value of the land of the first grade is 135000 Taka per 0.01 hectare.

Main crops Paddy, jute, wheat, mustard seed, brinjal.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Linseed, sesame, sweet potato, china and kaun.

Main fruits Mango, jackfruit, banana, coconut, palm, guava and blackberry.

Fisheries, dairies, poultries Dairy 28, poultry 109, fishery 27, hatchery 69, nursery 200.

Manufacturing

In the second half of the eighteenth century east India company established a large cotton mill at Charpata on the south of the district. Cotton cloths were exported to other districts in those days. At present Comilla Khaddar is famous in the country. Manufactories include textile mills: Halima Textile Mills; iron and steel factory: Radharani Manufacturing Works, Mozaher Cooperative Mills, Qayum Steel Mills Ltd.; pharmaceuticals- Skylab, Comilla Ayurvedic Pharmacy, Sharma Chemical (extinct), Arco Industry.

Manufacturers of popular Comilla sweetmeats are mostly based on this Manoharpur area of the main town.

Cottage industries Comilla is noted for potteries of Bijoypur. Other cottage industries include bamboo and cane works, Shital Pati, hooka, and madur (mat) made of murta tree.

Bazaars

Notable bazaars and markets include Dulalpur, Companyganj, Rajganj, Bibir Bazar, Daulatganj, Nangalkot, Nimshar, Chandina, Gunabati Bazar, Homna, Ramchandrapur,Chandanail Bangshanagar, Chauddagram, Govindapur, Monipur, Chandimura, Madhavpur, Mohanpur, Rasulpur, Syedpur, Madhaya, Eliotganj, Baroikandi, Changini Bazar, Chawkbazar, Mainamati Mela, Punra Mela, Chandala Mela, Baira Mela, Betakhali Mela, Thanda Kalibari Mela, Laksam Bazar, Khela Bazar,Tomsombridge,E asin market,EPZ Gate Ishaq Market, Kaptan Bazar (Beside Gumti River)

Education

Comilla is known as the hub of education in Bangladesh. With a high education rate comilla is always in domination in the education sector and the top rated school,college and universities also located in Comilla.

Jahapur K.K. Academy & College (1914)

Comilla Cantonment High School

Comilla Govt. College.

Government Laboratory High School

Comilla Cantonment College

Chandina Redwan Ahmed Degree College

The University Of Comilla (UNIC)

Comilla University

Comilla Medical College

Comilla Teachers Training College

Comilla Polytechnic Institute (CPI)

Nimshar Junab Ali College

Comilla Victoria Govt. College

Comilla Cadet College

Comilla Zilla School

Comilla Iswar Pathsala

Nawab Faizunnesa Girls High School

Our Lady of Fatima Girls High School

Rose Garden International School

Comilla High School

Shailarani Devi Girls High School

Ispahani Public School and College Comilla

School of Military Intelligence at Comilla Cantonment

Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD)

Debidwar Reaz Uddin Pilot High School

Debidwar S.A.GOVT College

Comilla Modern High School.

Ibne Taimiya School & College.

Ghorashal Abdul Karim High School.

Montoly High School ( Nangol Kot)

Debidwar al-haj jobeda khatun mohila college

shamals chakraborty

Khalil Pur High School. Debidwar. Comilla

Chandpur Model Technical High School. Debidwar. Comilla

Companigong Badiul Alam Degree College.

Gunabati Digree college,chowddagram,Comilla

Gunabati Gov.High School,chowddagram,Comilla

Matha Bhanga Bhairob High School,Homna,Comilla

Homna Degree Collage,Homna,Comilla

Beltoli High School,Sadar Dakhin,Comilla

Moinamati High School and College, Burichang, Comilla

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_universities_and_schools_in_Comilla

Religion

Religion in Comilla District
Religion			Percent
Islam			95.38%
Hinduism			2.62%
Christianity			1.56%
Buddhism			0.44%

The district of Comilla consists 4543 mosques, 379 temples, 98 churches, 34 Buddhist temples and six tombs.

Places of interest

Important landmarks include Kotbari, a cantonment, or military installation and Kandirpar, considered the heart of the Comilla district. Ancient Buddhist Monastery ruins are the major attraction of Mainamati, near Kotbari. There is also a Second World War cemetery located about 3.1 km away from Comilla Cantonment, which was a frontier military base in the fight against the Japanese who had occupied Burma. British Army soldiers killed during the fight with the Japanese Army at the Burma (Myanmar) frontier were buried here. Pashchimgaon Nawab Bari, the place of only lady Jaminder Faizunnesa, a poet, educationist and a great donor.

Kazi Nazrul Islam, the national poet of Bangladesh, passed significant time of his life in this town. Both his wives, Promila Devi and Nargis, hailed from this district.

Comilla Victoria College and Comilla Zilla School are two ancient and famous college and school in the country. Comilla Zilla School was established in the year of 1837. Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD) is situated in Kotbari.

Situated by the bank of the river Ghumti, Comilla is also famous for some tanks such as 'Dhormo Sagor', 'Ranir Dighi', 'Nanuar Dighi', 'Ujir Dighi' etc.

Marks of rich ancient civilization have been found in Lalmai Mainamati hills. In these hills there are plenty of archaeological sites including Shalvan Vihara, Kutila Mura, Charandra Mura, Rupban Mura, Itakhola Mura, Satera Ratna Mura, Ranir Banglar Pahar, Ananda Bazar Palaces, palaces of Bhoj King, Chandi Mura, etc. Various archaeological relics including images and metalled utensils discovered from these viharas, muras and palaces are now preserved in the Mainamati Museum. Other archaeological heritage and relics include Saptaratna Mandir (Jagannath Mandir), Shah Suja Mosque, Dharmasagar, Chandimata Mandir (on the top of Lalmai Hill of Barura), Chandala Shiva Mandir (Brahmanpara, eighteenth century), Saitshala Jami Mosque (Brahmanpara, 1719), Mazars of Panch Pir (five saints) at Shashidal (Brahmanpara, 1815), Harimangal Math (Brahmanpara, 1822), Ramnagar elongated Math (Brahmanpara, 1705), Saitshala Rammahan Mandir (Brahmanpara, 1805), Hasnabad Math.

Notable personalities

• Mahasthabir Shilvadra(529-654):a great buddhist monk & pandit, professor & chancellor of Nalanda Bihar. Born in Koilain, Chandina Upazila of Comilla
• Faizunnesa Chowdhurani(1834–1903): poet & philanthropist.
• Dhirendranath Datta(1886–1971): Political leader, provincial minister of the than East Pakistan, Language Movement activist & lawyer.
• barrister Shafiq Ahmed - Minister of Law
• Advocate Abdul Motin Khosru- Ex. Law Minister
• Buddhadeb Basu (1908–1974):Bangla poet, novelist, essayist, translator & editor.
• Kailashchandra singha(1851–1914): historian & archaeologist (author of 'Rajmala' and many historic books on tippera, sylhet, comilla).
• Nowab Musharaf Hussen(1871–1966): politician,education minister,member of bengal legislative assembly
• Maheshchandra vottracharjya(1858–1944): philanthropist, munificent & writer (founder of Iswar patsala, ram mala hostel, library & 35 educational institutions and many other charitable organisations in comilla & other parts of the then Bengal & India).
• Kaminikumar Dutta(1878–1958): Provincial minister of East Pakistan.
• Professor.Ghulam Subhan (1920–2006):Legendary educationalist and scholar, Former Head of the chemistry- Comilla Victoria College
• Sachin Dev Burman(1906–1975):singer, composer & music director
• Himanshu Dutta(1908-15 Nov 1944):composer,singer.Titled"Sur-Sagar"(The Ocean of Music)
• Abdur Rahim(1988-), poet, lyricist, novelist. He wrote several popular books.
• Mohamed Ali Azam(1908–1974): educationist, translator & author (a contributor to Encyclopædia Britannica).
• Major(Red)Abdul Gani(1919–1957): founder of Bengal Regiment & member of BLA.
• Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad(1919–1996): Ex-president of Bangladesh
• Dr Akhtar Hameed Khan(1914–1999) : Social reformer and Development activist.
• Professor Shamsul Haque : Educationist & ex-foreign minister of Bangladesh.
• Shib Narayan Das: the designer of first national flag of Bangladesh in 1971, a freedom fighter & political activist.
• Abdur Rashid Engineer (1934–2006): Ex-Minister of Bangladesh Government.
• Lt. Col.(Ret) Akbar Hossain BP : Ex-Minister of Bangladesh Government.
• M.K. Anwar: Ex-minister of Bangladesh.
• Dr. Redwan Ahmed (1952- : Ex-state Minister, Philanthropist, Freedom Fighter, Educationist
• Dr. Khondoker Mosharraf Hossain: Ex-minister of Bangladesh.
• Kazi Shamsul Hoque, an eminent journalist, founder editor of weekly Akhon Samoy, New York, USA.
• Mr. Sifullah Miajee : [Nangalkot]: Political leader and Social reformer.
• Kazi Zafar Ahmed : Ex Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
• Abdur Rahim Chowdhury (satbaria,Nangolkot,Comilla):Ex Leo district council President 315B2,Bangladesh
• Capt. Sujat Ali (1926–2007), ex-Minister, founder of Sujat Ali College
• Fazle Nizami (1933–1984), music teacher & Rabindra sangeet singer
• Shib Narayan Das, one of designers of the first national flag of Bangladesh and veteran freedom fighter
• Air Vice-Marshall Mohammad Jamaluddin, ex-Chief of Staff of Bangladesh Air Force
• Kamini Kumar Dutta (1878–1958), ex-Minister
• Anis Chowdhury (1929–1990), novelist and dramatist
• AHM Lotus Kamal, President Bangladesh cricket board,Chairman of Parliamentary committee of Finance Ministry

References

1. ^ "Population and Housing Census 2011". http://www.bbs.gov.bd/WebTestApplication/userfiles/Image/BBS/PHC2011Preliminary%20Result.pdf. 
2. ^ Upazilas of Comilla. Bangladesh Government.

• The list of notable personalities is collected from the following:
• Bangla AcademyCaritabhidhan ( Dictionary of Biography), 2nd ed, by Selina Hussain & Nurul Islam, Dhaka, 1997.
• Mahasthavir Shilabhadra by Shahidullah Mridha, 1st ed, Bangla Academy, Dhaka, 1994.
• Research by The Modifier.
• Maryland Imran Hossain Bhuiyan

External links

• Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development
• [1]
• [2]
• [3]
• Comilla Polytechnic Institute Friend Community (CPI Friend)