Joypurhat (Bengali: জয়পুরহাট) is a district in the northern part of Bangladesh, part of the Rajshahi Division.[2]

Joypurhat District
জয়পুরহাট
Shrine near Patharghata
Shrine near Patharghata
Location of Joypurhat in Bangladesh
Location of Joypurhat in Bangladesh
Map
Expandable map of Joypurhat
Coordinates: 25°06′N 89°02′E / 25.10°N 89.03°E / 25.10; 89.03
Country Bangladesh
DivisionRajshahi Division
EstablishedFebruary 26, 1984 CE
HeadquartersJoypurhat
Government
 • Deputy CommissionerMd. Sharif
Area
 • Total965.44 km2 (372.76 sq mi)
Population
 • Total956,431
 • Density990/km2 (2,600/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Joypurhati, Rajshahiyo
Time zoneUTC+06:00 (BST)
Postal code
5900
Area code0571
ISO 3166 codeBD-24

Etymology

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Prior to the coming of the Calcutta–Jalpaiguri railway line in 1884, the area was known as Jaipur. There was already a Jaipur railway station elsewhere in India, so when the local station was built it was named Jaipur Hat station (there was a hat, or market, nearby) to distinguish it from the other Jaipur.[3] When the area was carved out of Bogra District in 1984, it took the name Joypurhat District.

History

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Ancient history

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Joypurhat was an area under the Pala Empire & Sena dynasty for a long period of time. Till 16th and 17th centuries, there was no clear information about Joypurhat's history. Previously the local name for Joypurhat was Baghabarihat. Later it was called Gopendraganjahat in many archives.

Once Lalbazar Thana was established by containing the present Joypurhat Sadar Upazila and Panchbibi Upazila. The thana was located on the east side of Small Jamuna River named Puranapoil. Then Puranapoil Union was known as Karimnagar. A post office was established in Lalbazar Thana. The sub-registry office was established in Nawabganj. There were many Neelkuthi established in this area. At that era, Lalbazar Thana was a town. Back then it was the only work for the ordinary people of that area. From Lalbazar Thana, Small Jamuna River gorge, the whole travel, commerce, and trade were maintained. At that period Lalbazar Thana, Khetlal Upazila & Badalgachhi Upazila were under Dinajpur District. As Dinajpur District, Rangpur District & Rajshahi District were very large, in 1821, a new district was formed from the three districts and named Bogra District. At that time, Bogra District occupied by Adamdighi, Bogra Sadar, Sherpur from Rajshahi District; two upazila from Rangpur District and Khetlal Upazila, Badalgachhi Upazila, Lalbazar Thana from Dinajpur. Later, on December 16, 1868, Lalbazar Police Thana was moved to Khasbaguri. The local name of Khasbabri was Panchbibi.

Geography

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Rivers

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Bangladesh is a country of many rivers. There are mainly five rivers in Joypurhat District. They are:

Climate

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Joypurhat is a district of Tropical climate. In winter there is much more rainfall in Joypurhat than in summer. According to The Köppen climate classification, The average annual temperature in here is 25.4 °C and The average annual rainfall is 1738 mm. The driest month is December with 3 mm. Most precipitation falls in July, with an average of 364 mm. The warmest month of the year is August with an average temperature of 28.9 °C. In January, the average temperature is 18 °C. It is the lowest average temperature of the whole year.

Climate data for Joypurhat
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 24.8
(76.6)
27.6
(81.7)
32.5
(90.5)
35
(95)
33.6
(92.5)
32.4
(90.3)
35.5
(95.9)
35.3
(95.5)
31.2
(88.2)
29.5
(85.1)
28.7
(83.7)
25.9
(78.6)
31.0
(87.8)
Daily mean °C (°F) 18
(64)
20.2
(68.4)
24.9
(76.8)
28.4
(83.1)
28.7
(83.7)
28.9
(84.0)
28.9
(84.0)
28.9
(84.0)
28.6
(83.5)
27
(81)
22.8
(73.0)
19.3
(66.7)
25.4
(77.7)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 11.2
(52.2)
12.9
(55.2)
17.3
(63.1)
21.9
(71.4)
23.8
(74.8)
25.4
(77.7)
26.1
(79.0)
26.2
(79.2)
25.6
(78.1)
22.9
(73.2)
17
(63)
12.6
(54.7)
20.2
(68.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 10
(0.4)
15
(0.6)
21
(0.8)
52
(2.0)
186
(7.3)
330
(13.0)
364
(14.3)
321
(12.6)
283
(11.1)
140
(5.5)
13
(0.5)
3
(0.1)
1,738
(68.2)
Source: National newspapers

The difference in precipitation between the driest month and the wettest month is 361 mm. The average temperatures vary during the year by 10.9 °C.

Demographics

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Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1974 507,741—    
1981 619,351+2.88%
1991 765,011+2.13%
2001 846,696+1.02%
2011 913,768+0.77%
2022 956,431+0.42%
Sources:[4][5]

According to the 2022 Census of Bangladesh, Joypurhat District has 269,905 households and a population of 956,431 with an average 3.50 people per household. Among the population, 140,366 (14.68%) inhabitants are under 10 years of age. The population density is 945 people per km2. Joypurhat District has a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 73.73%, compared to the national average of 74.80%, and a sex ratio of 97.72 males per 100 females. Approximately, 23.44% (224,181) of the population live in urban areas. Ethnic population is 26,325 (2.75%) belonging to a variety of groups of which Oraon, Barman, Munda, Santal, Kudumi Mahato and Bedia have a population over 2,000.[4]

Religion

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The district of Joypurhat has 2573 mosques, 186 mosque-based library, 675 trained Imam, 2200 Imam, 424 temples, 21 churches and 18 Buddhist temples.[citation needed] Hinda - Kasba Shahi Mosque is one such mosque in Joypurhat.

Religions in Joypurhat District (2022)
Religion Percent
Islam
89.91%
Hinduism
9.16%
Christianity
0.50%
Other or not stated
0.43%
Religion in present-day Joypurhat District
Religion 1941[6]: 92–93 [a] 1981[5] 1991[5] 2001[5] 2011[5] 2022[7]
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
Islam   165,275 73.46% 538,293 86.91% 674,584 88.18% 758,324 89.56% 819,235 89.66% 859,960 89.91%
Hinduism   47,664 21.18% 68,152 11.00% 73,193 9.57% 76,033 8.98% 80,696 8.83% 87,595 9.16%
Ethnic religion 11,929 5.30%
Christianity   130 0.06% 2,064 0.34% 3,331 0.44% 4,715 0.56% 4,822 0.53% 4,756 0.50%
Others [b] 2 0.00% 10,842 1.75% 13,903 1.81% 7,624 0.90% 9,015 0.98% 4,120 0.43%
Total Population 225,000 100% 619,351 100% 765,011 100% 846,696 100% 913,768 100% 956,431 100%

Muslims make up 89.91% of the population, while Hindus are 9.16% and Christians 0.50% of the population respectively. Other religions (mainly Sarna) are 0.43% of the population.[8][5]

Economy

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Joypurhat's economy is mainly based on seasonal crops like rice, potato, wheat, onion, mango, jackfruit, and banana. It also produces a huge amount of sugarcane and it holds the country's largest sugar mill, Joypurhat Sugar Mill's Limited. There are also a lot of industries, rice mills and poultry farm sin this district. It exports many agricultural products. Hili land port is very close to Joypurhat district, so many people of this district do export-import business by this port and about all the vehicles of this port run over this district. This district is appropriate for all kind of business.

 
Joypurhat sugarmill at dusk

Arts and culture

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Joypurhat is a district of rural or rich folk culture. In British Raj period, many festivals such as keerton (কীর্তন), jaree (জারী), palagaan (পালাগান), kabigaan (কবিগান), baul (বাউল), murshidee (মুর্শিদী), lokgeeti (লোকগীতি), bhaoyaiya (ভাওয়াইয়া), and jattra (যাত্রা) were held on various occasions.

After 1971, many cultural organizations established in this district level and upazila level.

Cultural groups

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  • Drama Circle[9]

Points of interest

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Jamalganj is situated 10 km south west of Joypurhat. Pahar Pur (Buddhist Bihar), largely known as Sompur Bihar, is situated 6 km(approx)north-west of Jamalganj which is a symbol of past legacy of our knowledge on philosophy, architecture, arts and sculptures.[citation needed] It is UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) certified world heritage site.

Jamalganj is known for its long traditional bazar (in English market) fore surrounded places.[citation needed] It is also known for its agricultural products like banana, paddy, rice, wheat, and potato.[citation needed] Also famous for its coal (bituminous) and cement.[citation needed] Joypurhat is famous for various sweets including inception of sweet named “Harivanga” which is now popular in the country

Administration

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Sub-districts

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Map of Joypurhat District; Joypurhat Sadar Upazila, Panchbibi Upazila, Khetlal Upazila, Akkelpur Upazila, Kalai Upazila

Joypurhat has five subdistricts (upazilas):[2]

Upazila Official Website Area (km2) Population (2022)[1]
Akkelpur akkelpur.joypurhat.gov.bd 139.47 144,693
Joypurhat Sadar joypurhatsadar.joypurhat.gov.bd 238.5 315,205
Kalai kalai.joypurhat.gov.bd 166.30 146,055
Khetlal khetlal.joypurhat.gov.bd 142.60 110,866
Panchbibi panchbibi.joypurhat.gov.bd 278.53 239,612

Municipalities

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There are five municipalities in Joypurhat District.

Deputy Commissioner (DC): Mohammad Yasin [10]
Mayor: MD Mustafizur Rahaman Mostak [11]

Parliamentary seats

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Joypurhat has two parliament seats: Joypurhat-1 and Joypurhat-2.

Constituency
NO.
Constituency
Name
Extent Present Jatiyo Sangshad MP Political party Legislature Election occupied
34
Joypurhat-1

Advocate Shamsul Alam
Bangladesh Awami League 11th Parliament December 30, 2018
35
Joypurhat-2


Abu Sayeed Al Mahmud Swapan
Bangladesh Awami League 11th Parliament December 30, 2018

Transport

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Roads

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Joypurhat is a small district in Rajshahi Division. It has 342.59 km cobbled road, 61.59 km semi-cobbled road and 1569 km raw road.

Railway stations

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Joypurhat contains eight railway stations. The total railways of Joypurhat are 38.86 km.

Joypurhat Railway Station was established in 1884 in the British Raj period. It is a very important railway station in the northern part of Bangladesh.

Education

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There are 27 colleges in the district. They include Joypurhat Government College, Akkelpur Mujibar Rahman College, Amdai United Degree College, founded 1946, Joypurhat Government Women's College (1972), Joypurhat Womens Degree College, Kalai Degree College, Khetlal Syeed Altafunnesa College, and Mohipur Haji Mohsin Government College (1969).[2][12]

Joypurhat Girls' Cadet College, founded in 2006, is a military high school and college for girls.

According to Banglapedia, R.B. Govt. High School (1946), Haripur High School, founded in 1917, Joypurhat Government Girls' High School (1977), Kalai Moyen Uddin High School (1913), Khanjanpur High School (1901), Khanjanpur Mission Girl's High School (1919), Sonamukhi High School (1916), Teghar High School (1940), and Uchai Jerka S.C. High School (1925) are notable secondary schools.[2]

Notable residents

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Name Name in Bengali Birthplace Notable works Time period
Jayadeva Goswami জয়দেব গোস্বামী Kendoil village, Joypurhat Sadar Upazila Geeti Gabinda Grontho (গীতি গবিন্দ গ্রন্থ) In the time period of King Lakshman Sen
Arif Saha আরিফ সাহা Kuzail karimpur, Khetlal Upazila Jingle tripadi(ত্রিপদী ছন্দ) 2nd decade of 20th century
Jasimuddin Munshi জসীম উদ্দীন মুন্সী Vadsha, Joypurhat Sadar Upazila Islam Missionary, Nachihate phucchaka(নছিহতে ফুচ্ছাক) British Raj

In modern era Joypurhat contains many poets. Among them poet-litterateur:

  • Ataur Rahman
  • Jahangir Chowdhury – Modern Koryar Poem (আধুনিক কোরয়ার কবিতা)
  • Abbas Ali Khan – Smritir Sagore Dheu (স্মৃতির সাগরে ঢেউ)
  • Sayed Mohsin Ali Dewan
  • Sahadat Hossain
  • Mozahar Hossain Jamalee(মোজাহার হোসেন জামালী) – Jeebon Nadir Bake Bake (জীবন নদীর বাঁকে বাঁকে)
  • Md. Ansar Ali – Je Agun Nive Na (যে আগুন নিভলোনা)
  • Md. Alauddin
  • Rezaul Karim – Porajito Shaliker Anusochona (পরাজিত শালিকের অনুশোচনা)
  • Sachindranath Barman
  • Tahura Begum
  • Sayed Emdad Ali Dewan
  • Abdus Sattar
  • Abu Haidar Sajidur Rahman ( Kuasha, Nayagra etc. )
  • Azizul Haque Biswas ( Obbacto Dristi )
  • Jaton Kumar Devnath ( Schorar Ghora )
  • Nazrul Islam ( Jiboner Bornomala )
  • Aminul Haque Babul ( Pothe Jete jete )
  • Kobita Pervin ( Nisha Bai )
  • Shahana Bithi ( Door Subas )
  • Mojammel Hossen ( Shuktara )
  • Roushon Ara Pervin ( Ghass Foring-er-Beye )
  • Abdus Sattar Mridha, akkelpur ( Onuswar Bisorgo Chondrabindu )
  • Mohammad Ali Masum ( protarona )
  • Playwright Mansurul Aziz (Firiye Dao Oronno,Shongkito Podojatra,Otoshi,Shimultolir ghat-e etc.)

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Joypurhat, Khetlal and Panchbibi thanas of Bogra district
  2. ^ Including Jainism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Ad-Dharmis, or not stated. After 1981 includes ethnic religions.

References

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  1. ^ a b Population and Housing Census 2022 - District Report: Joypurhat (PDF). District Series. Dhaka: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. June 2024. ISBN 978-984-475-234-4.
  2. ^ a b c d Md Azizul Haq (2012). "Joypurhat District". In Sirajul Islam and Ahmed A. Jamal (ed.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  3. ^ জেলার ঐতিহ্য [District traditions]. Joypurhat District (in Bengali).
  4. ^ a b National Report (PDF). Population and Housing Census 2022. Vol. 1. Dhaka: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. November 2023. p. 192. ISBN 978-9844752016.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Bangladesh Population and Housing Census 2011 Zila Report – Joypurhat" (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.
  6. ^ "Census of India, 1941 Volume VI Bengal Province" (PDF).
  7. ^ Population and Housing Census 2022 - District Report: Joypurhat (PDF). District Series. Dhaka: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. June 2024. ISBN 978-984-475-230-6.
  8. ^ Population and Housing Census 2022: Preliminary Report. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. August 2022. pp. viii, 28, 30, 39, 44, 46. ISBN 978-984-35-2977-0.
  9. ^ ‘ড্রামা সার্কেল’ প্রতিষ্ঠা করলেন আকবর. Kaler Kantho (in Bengali). Retrieved 2018-05-26.
  10. ^ "01 Joypurhat DC". Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  11. ^ "02 Joypurhat Mayor". Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  12. ^ "List of Colleges". Department of Secondary and Higher Education. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
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