Atpara ( bn, আটপাড়া) is the smallest

upazila An ''upazila'' ( bn, উপজেলা, upôzela, lit=sub-district pronounced: ), formerly called ''thana'', is an administrative region in Bangladesh, functioning as a sub-unit of a district. It can be seen as an analogous to a county or a ...

Netrokona District Netrokona ( bn, নেত্রকোণা) is a district of the Mymensingh Division in northern Bangladesh. Etymology The headquarters of Netrokona District was located at the end of the Mogra River and was called Natorkona. Many people believe ...

, in the Division of

Mymensingh Mymensingh ( bn, ময়মনসিংহ) is the capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of Brahmaputra River, about north of the national capital Dhaka, it is a major financial center and educational hub of north- ...

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 ...

History

When the

Baro-Bhuiyan The Baro-Bhuyans (or ''Baro-Bhuyan Raj''; also ''Baro-Bhuians'' and Baro-Bhuiyans) refers to the confederacies of soldier-landowners in Assam and Bengal in the late Middle Ages and the early modern period. The confederacies consisted of loose ...

s were in power in Bengal, Atpara was a part of the Sarkar Bazuhar. It later became part of the

pargana Pargana ( bn, পরগনা, , hi, परगना, ur, پرگنہ) or parganah, also spelt pergunnah during the time of the Sultanate period, Mughal times and British Raj, is a former administrative unit of the Indian subcontinent and each ...

s of Sirujial and Mymensingh. The ''

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 ...

'' (landlord) of Mymensingh Pargana,

Brajendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury Brajendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury (1874 AD - 1957 AD; Bengali Year: 1281-1364 (1281-1364 Bengali Year http://www.thedailystar.net/gouripur-house-needs-urgent-attention-35277)) was a patron of Indian classical music and national education of the Ind ...

of Gouripur named this area as Brajer Bazaar (Braj's market) after himself. It was later renamed to Atpara, although some locals may still refer to it today as Brajer Bazaar. During the

Mughal period The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

, a three-domed mosque was constructed in between the villages of Shormushia and Haripur. An established Hindu ''zamindar'' family later formed in the village of Rameshwarpur. The remnants of the family palace (Roy Bari) remains a popular tourist site. The Village of Amati in Teligati Union, Atpara is quite notable. Social reformers such as Sonafor Uddin, Muktul Husayn Khan, Shariat Khan, Anfar Uddin, Manfar Uddin and Jafar Uddin were born in Amati. During British period, Shyam Biswas, a

Bengali Hindu Bengali Hindus ( bn, বাঙ্গালী হিন্দু/বাঙালি হিন্দু, translit=Bāṅgālī Hindu/Bāṅāli Hindu) are an ethnoreligious population who make up the majority in the Indian states of West Benga ...

''zamindar'', was noted to be very cruel and abusive towards the local inhabitants. He had certain regulations such as no one being allowed to pass his front yard wearing shoes or slippers. The social reformers organised people against this humiliation, rising against Biswas. Their revolution was soon followed in other parts of the district. Amati became a symbol of revolution against tyrant landlords. On 21 August 1917, Atpara was made a thana. During the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali ...

, freedom fighters attacked the Atpara Thana on 19 August 1971. They killed a number of

Razakar Razakar (رضا کار) is etymologically an Arabic word which literally means volunteer. The word is also common in Urdu language as a loanword. On the other hand, in Bangladesh, razakar is a pejorative word meaning a traitor or Judas. In Pakista ...

s as well as the officer-in-charge of the thana, and they also looted arms and ammunition from the thana. On 7 October, a battle was fought leading to the death of three more Razakars. Atpara was made an upazila on 2 July 1983.

Demographics

According to

2011 Bangladesh census In 2011, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, conducted a national census in Bangladesh, which provided a provisional estimate of the total population of the country as 142,319,000. The previous decennial census was the 2001 census. Data were reco ...

, Atpara had a population of 144,624. Males constituted 49.87% of the population and females 50.13%. Muslims formed 90.81% of the population, Hindus 9.09%, Christians 0.01%, and others 0.09%. Atpara had a literacy rate of 38.7% for the population 7 years and above. As of the

1991 Bangladesh census In 1991, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, conducted a national census in Bangladesh. They recorded data from all of the districts and upazilas and main cities in Bangladesh including statistical data on population size, households, sex and a ...

, Atpara has a population of 120491. Males constitute 51.15% of the population, and females 48.85%. This Upazila's eighteen up population is 60858. Atpara has an average literacy rate of 24% (7+ years), and the national average of 32.4% literate.

Administration

Atpara Upazila is divided into seven

union parishad Union council ( bn, ইউনিয়ন পরিষদ, translit=iūniyan pariṣad, translit-std=IAST), also known as union parishad, rural council, rural union and simply union, is the smallest rural administrative and local government unit ...

s: Baniyajan, Duoj, Lunesshor, Shormushia, Shunoi, Sukhari, and Teligati. The union parishads are subdivided into 139 mauzas and 177 villages.

Chairmen

Notable people

Khalekdad Chowdhury Khalekdad Chowdhury ( bn, খালেকদাদ চৌধুরী; 2 February 1907 - 16 October 1985), also known by pen names Shahadat Chowdhury and Atashbaz, is a reputed Bangladeshi writer, playwright and novelist. In recognition of his con ...

, author *

Abdul Khaleq Abdul (also transliterated as Abdal, Abdel, Abdil, Abdol, Abdool, or Abdoul; ar, عبد ال, ) is the most frequent transliteration of the combination of the Arabic word '' Abd'' (, meaning "Servant") and the definite prefix '' al / el'' (, me ...

, assassinated politician

References