Tangail ( bn, টাঙ্গাইল, ), is a major city within the

Dhaka Division Dhaka Division ( bn, ঢাকা বিভাগ, ''Ḑhaka Bibhag'') is an administrative division within Bangladesh. Dhaka serves as the capital city of the Dhaka Division, the Dhaka District and Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), offic ...

in central

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million pe ...

. It sits on the bank of the

Louhajang River Louhajang River ( bn, লৌহজং নদী ) is located in central Bangladesh. It branches out from the Jamuna near Gabsain at Bhuapur, Tangail District. Thereafter it splits into two parts before the parts meet up again. It flows past Tan ...

, north-west of

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

, the nation's capital. It is considered to be the main urban area of the

Tangail District Tangail ( bn, টাঙ্গাইল জেলা) formerly a small Mohokuma of Greater Mymensingh district is a district (''zila'') in the central region of Bangladesh. In 1969, Tangail district was created by Tangail Mohokuma from its 237 s ...

, and is the 13th-largest city by population in

Etymology

The name ''Tangail'' is thought to originate from the

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the ...

word ''tanga'', meaning horse carts; long lines of horse carts were common in the area in the early 19th century, as these were the favored mode of transport for passengers and cargo.

History

Tangail has been a popular local business center since the early 19th century. In 1860, Tangail became the 4th ranking area of the Greater Mymensingh district due to its fertile land near the Louhajong River. It was close to main city Begunbari, Mymesningh. In 1969,

Tangail district Tangail ( bn, টাঙ্গাইল জেলা) formerly a small Mohokuma of Greater Mymensingh district is a district (''zila'') in the central region of Bangladesh. In 1969, Tangail district was created by Tangail Mohokuma from its 237 s ...

was established.

Tangail Airdrop

The

Tangail Airdrop The Tangail Airdrop was a successful battalion-size Para Commandos (India) operation mounted on 11 December 1971 by the 2nd Battalion (Special Operations) (2 PARA) of the Indian Army's Parachute Regiment and the 49 Squadron of the India ...

was a successful battalion-size Para Commandos (India) operation mounted on 11 December 1971 by the 2nd Battalion (Special Operations) (2 PARA) of the Indian Army's Parachute Regiment during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 for the liberation of Bangladesh. The main objective of the operation was the capture of Poongli Bridge on the Jamuna River which would cut off the Pakistani 93rd Brigade which was retreating from Mymensingh in the north to defend the capital of East Pakistan, Dhaka, and its approaches. The paratroop unit was also tasked to link up with the advancing Maratha Light Infantry on the ground to advance towards the East Pakistani capital. The Pourasabha (

municipal corporation A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to) cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. The term can also be used to describe municipally ow ...

) was established on July 1, 1887, and originally divided the city into five wards: This was later restructured to four wards - Ward No. 1 (Central), 2 (Betka), 3 (Dighulia) and 4 (Santosh) - and then, in 1988, to six wards with the addition of Wards 5 (Zila Sadar) and 6 (Kazipur). The first city election was held in November 1887 where eight ward commissioners from four wards were elected by the citizens. The Subdivision Commissioner of Tangail, Shashi Shekhar Dutt, was appointed as the first administrator of Tangail city. The city was poorly developed with a lack of paved roads and roadside lamps; subsequently, the regional

zamindar A zamindar (Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as ...

s and subdivision board provided financial support to dig ponds, lakes, and

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface fl ...

s, which created a safe

water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. T ...

. In the early 1900s, the Pourashava installed kerosene roadside lamps. The Pourashava gradually became populated in the first half of the 20th century. During this time, many tube wells were set up in the city and the main modes of transportation were

horsecar A horsecar, horse-drawn tram, horse-drawn streetcar (U.S.), or horse-drawn railway (historical), is an animal-powered (usually horse) tram or streetcar. Summary The horse-drawn tram (horsecar) was an early form of public rail transport, ...

s and cattle. Electricity was established in the city in the early 1930s.

Paved road A road surface (British English), or pavement (American English), is the durable surface material laid down on an area intended to sustain vehicular or foot traffic, such as a road or walkway. In the past, gravel road surfaces, hoggin, cobble ...

s were constructed in the 1960s, connecting the city to

. Simultaneously,

bridges A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

and culverts were installed. In 1985, Tangail was promoted from a ''C Class'' city to a ''B Class'' city. In 1989, the Pourashava was promoted to ''A-Class''. In the 1990s, the city was financed by the

Asian Development Bank The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established on 19 December 1966, which is headquartered in the Ortigas Center located in the city of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. The bank also maintains 31 field offi ...

and the

Government of Bangladesh The Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ সরকার — ) is the central executive government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Co ...

to develop

sanitation Sanitation refers to public health conditions related to clean drinking water and treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage. Preventing human contact with feces is part of sanitation, as is hand washing with soap. Sanitation syste ...

, wastewater drainage, bus terminals, supermarkets, and other infrastructure. In 1999, the city was restructured again into 18 wards (its current organization).

Wards

Tangail has an area of , divided into 18 wards and 64 mahallas. The Bangladeshi government is planning to expand the city to a total area of 81.75 km².

Geography And Climate

The city of Tangail is located in

, Central

. The city lies in a low-lying floodplain plain area near Jamuna River, south of the high plateau of Madhupur tract. The average elevation of Tangail is 14 meters (49 feet). Tangail experiences a

Tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry winter) and ''As'' (for a dry summer). The driest month has less than of ...

''( Köppen: Aw )'' with hot, humid tropical

Wet season The wet season (sometimes called the Rainy season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. It is the time of year where the majority of a country's or region's annual precipitation occurs. Generally, the se ...

(Monsson Season) and warm, dry

Winter Winter is the coldest season of the year in Polar regions of Earth, polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring (season), spring. The tilt of Axial tilt#Earth, Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a Hemi ...

, with high humid condition year-round. The yearly average temperature in Tangail is 27.5 °C and average rainfall is 1817 mm.

Demographics

Tangail had 700,000 residents as of 2017. The majority of this population are Muslim (88.2%), like most of the cities in Bangladesh. Other religious groups include Hindus (11.7%),

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

(0.08%) and

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

s (0.02%).

Sports

In the centre of the city, Tangail Stadium hosts the city's most important sporting events. The stadium has hosted national events. It is the home venue of Bangladesh Football Premier League club Team BJMC. It was converted into a cricket stadium in 2015 and regularly hosts First Division Cricket.

Transport

Bangabandhu Bridge, the longest bridge in Bangladesh, connects Tangail and

Sirajganj Sirajganj ( bn, সিরাজগঞ্জ) is a city in north-western Bangladesh on the right bank of the Jamuna River. It is the administrative headquarters of Sirajganj District, and with a population of 167,200 is the fourteenth most popul ...

. It takes approximately 1 hour and 55 minutes to reach Tangail from

(about 98 km away), via Kaliakair and

Tongi Tongi ( bn, টঙ্গী) is a major township in Gazipur, Bangladesh, with a population of 350,000. It hosts the Biswa Ijtema and features a BSCIC industrial area, which produces BDT 1500 crore of industrial products annually, and marks the ...

. Several bus lines operate between Tangail and Dhaka's Mohakhali (মহাখালী) bus terminal. Among them are the Nirala, Dhaleshwari, Jathika, and High Choice bus lines. Tangail railway station offers travel to Dhaka and other cities within Bangladesh. The

inter-city Inter-city rail services are express passenger train services that run services that connect cities over longer distances than commuter or regional trains. There is no precise definition of inter-city rail; its meaning may vary from country ...

Ekota Express, Sundarban Express and

Rangpur Express Rangpur Express is a Bangladeshi Intercity train which runs between Rangpur and Dhaka under Bangladesh Railway. The train was launched in 2011. It is one of the fastest and most luxurious trains in Bangladesh. The train does not operate on Sundays ...

(amongst others) serve the station alongside

commuter rail Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are co ...

and mail train services.

Tangail Airport Tangail Airport is an airstrip in Tangail city, Bangladesh. The airport was built in 1967 to serve Tangail District and other nearby districts, mainly for agricultural purposes. Several cargo airbuses were used in the 1970s to spread pesticides in l ...

was opened in 1967 for agricultural purposes but has been unmaintained since 1976.

Traditional foods

* Chomchom, a well-known dessert from Tangail. *

Pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centurie ...

Parks

Tangail contains numerous parks, including Tangail Poura Uddan (one of the city's most-visited places), SP Park and DC Lake and Soul Park. The city also contains part of the

Madhupur National Park Madhupur National Park ( bn, মধুপুর জাতীয় উদ্যান) is a major and one of the earliest national park in Bangladesh. Description Madhupur National Park covers an area of . The Forest was established as a nationa ...

, one of Bangladesh's oldest

national park A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individua ...

Education

The literacy rate of the city area is 71.8%.

Schools

Bindu Basini Govt. Boys' High School Bindu Basini Govt. Boys' High School ( bn , বিন্দুবাসিনী সরকারি বালক উচ্চ বিদ্যালয়), commonly referred to as Bindu Basini Boys' or B. B. Boys' or BBB, is a public boys' seco ...

(established in 1880 by

of Santosh of the famous Roy

Chowdhury Chowdhury is a title of honour, usually hereditary, originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is an adaption from Sanskrit. During the Mughal rule, it was a title awarded to eminent people, while during British rule, the term was associate ...

family) * Bindu Basini Govt. Girls' High School (established in 1882 by zamindar of Santosh of the famous Roy

family) * Govt. Dhanbari Nawab Institution (Established in 1910 by

Syed Nawab Ali Chowdhury Syed Nawab Ali Chowdhury (29 December 1863 – 17 April 1929) was Nawab of Dhanbari of Tangail in East Bengal (modern day Bangladesh). He was one of the founders of Dhaka University. He was the first Muslim minister of united Bengal. He was mini ...

) famous zamindar of

Dhanbari Dhanbari ( bn, ধনবাড়ী) is a town of Dhanbari Upazila, Tangail, Bangladesh. The town is situated 63 km northeast of Tangail city and 143 km northwest of Dhaka city, the capital of Bangladesh. l. Education The lit ...

. He is also a founder member of

Dhaka University The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently it ...

* Miyavai International School and College, Madhupur (This school was established in 2.2.22 (2 February 2022) by Boro Miya (Miya vai/Rasel Miya) of the famous Miya family of Madhupur.) * Police Lines High School * Sristy College Of Tangail * Tangail Polytechnic * Santosh Jannabi Govt. High School *

Vivekananda High School Swami Vivekananda (; ; 12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta (), was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the introd ...

* Madhupur Shaheed Smriti Higher Secondary School & College,Madhupur * Gvt.Rani Bhavani Pilot High School,Madhupur * A.R.L Memorial School and College,Madhupur * Bharateshwari Homes,Mirzapur * B.A.F Shaheen College,pahar Kanchanpur * Zila Sadar Girls' High School * Shibnath High School * P.T.I. High School *

Shaheen School and College Shahin or Shaheen , is a persian and kurdish male given name which is the generic term for ''hawk'' or ''falcon'', although in specific, the peregrine falcon. The name Shahin is a composite of two nouns, "''shah''" - king and "''īn''" - which is a ...

* Bulbul Residential Model School, Tangail Sadar, Tangail * Athail Shimul High School Ghatail Tangail * Brammon Kushia Government Primary School, Brammon Kushia, Tangail * Bararia Suruj Bisweswari High School, Bararia, Tangail * Apon Pathshala, Tangail *Ghatail Cantonment Public School & College. *Suti V.M Pilot High School,Gopalpur

Higher education

* Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Santosh, Tangail *

Sheikh Hasina Medical College, Tangail Sheikh Hasina Medical College, Tangail is a government medical school in Bangladesh, established in 2014. It is situated at the Kodalia Area of Tangail city. History In 2008, Before 9th Parliamentary Election of Bangladesh, Prime Leader of Bang ...

* Kumudini Womens’ Medical College, Mirzapur *

Mirzapur Cadet College Mirzapur Cadet College ( bn, মির্জাপুর ক্যাডেট কলেজ) is a Military high school in Tangail, Bangladesh. Like other cadet colleges it follows the national curriculum prescribed by the National Curricul ...

* Major General Mahmudul Hassan Adarsha College * Sristy College of Tangail * Madhupur Shahid Smrity Higher Secondary School & College,Madhupur * Kumudini Government Mohila College * GRB University ,Madhupur (Recommended) * A.R.L Memorial School and College * Hazi Giyash Uddin Medical College, Madhupur * Madhupur Assistant Medical Training Centre *

Govt. Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Mohila College Govt. Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Mohila College ( bn, সরকারী শেখ ফজিলাতুন নেসা মুজিব মহিলা মহাবিদ্যালয়), also called Govt. Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Women's Co ...

Tangail Polytechnic Institute Tangail Polytechnic Institute ( bn, টাংগাইল পলিটেকনিক ইন্সটিটিউট) or (TPI) is a polytechnic institute in Tangail, Bangladesh established in 1991. History Tangail Polytechnic Institute was est ...

* Vivekananda College * B.A.F Shaheen College,pahar Kanchanpur * Govt. Saadat College, Karatia * Bangabandhu Textile Engineering College,(BTEC) Kalihati * Textile Institute of Tangail * M.M Ali College *

Haji Abul Hossain Institute of Technology Haji Abul Hossain Institute of Technology ( bn, হাজী আবুল হোসেন ইন্সটিটিউট অব টেকনোলজি ) or (HABHIT) is a polytechnic institute in Tangail, Bangladesh established in 2000. Departm ...

Notable residents

Zamindar A zamindar (Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as ...

, He was a famous educationist. He established about 38 schools and colleges. He is a founder member of

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...

, He was the first Muslim minister of united bengal. For his contribution in education he was given the office of education ministry. * Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, Islamic scholar, political leader, and ex-president of the

Awami League In Urdu language, Awami is the adjectival form for ''Awam Awam ( ur, ) is the Urdu language word for common people or general public. In the early 20th century, the word was extensively used in the Indian subcontinent to refer to the general po ...

. * Shamsul Huq, the first general secretary of the

. *

Abu Sayeed Chowdhury Abu Sayeed Chowdhury (31 January 1921 – 2 August 1987) was a jurist and the President of Bangladesh. Besides that, he held the positions of the Chairmen of the United Nations Commission on Human rights, the vice-chancellor of the University ...

, the second president of Bangladesh. *

Abdul Mannan ʻAbd al-Mannān (ALA-LC romanization of ar, عبد المنّان) is a Muslim male given name and, in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words '' ʻabd'' meaning 'servant' and ''al-Mannān, "''Benefactor, the Giver of All Good/Ben ...

, the Home and Family Planning Minister (1972-1975), MNA (1970), MP (1996-2001). He established the Tangail General Hospital, Govt. Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib College, and Atia College. * Qader "Tiger" Siddiqi,

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...

havildar Havildar or havaldar (Hindustani: or (Devanagari), ( Perso-Arabic)) is a rank in the Indian, Pakistani and Nepalese armies, equivalent to sergeant. It is not used in cavalry units, where the equivalent is daffadar. Like a British sergeant ...

,'' famed

Mukti Bahini The Mukti Bahini ( bn, মুক্তিবাহিনী, translates as 'freedom fighters', or liberation army), also known as the Bangladesh Forces, was the guerrilla resistance movement consisting of the Bangladeshi military, paramilitary ...

leader (decorated

Bir Uttom Bir Uttom ( bn, বীর উত্তম, lit=Great Valiant Hero) is the second highest award for individual gallantry in Bangladesh after the Bir Sreshtho and the highest gallantry award for a living individual. Since the independence of Bang ...

) (MP 1999-2013), and founding leader of Krishak Sramik Janata League. * Soto Monir,

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house ...

from Tangail-2 * SM Aslam Talukder aka Manna, film actor and producer. * Tarana Halim, M.P., film actress

References

{{reflist

External links

District portal of Tangail
Populated places in Dhaka Division Populated places established in 1887 Pourashavas of Bangladesh Populated places in Tangail District Tangail District