Atpara () is the smallest

upazila An ''upazila'' ( pronounced: ), formerly called ''thana'', is an administrative division in Bangladesh, functioning as a sub-unit of a district. It can be seen as an analogous to a county or a borough of Western countries. Rural upazilas ...

Netrokona District Netrokona District () is a district of Mymensingh Division in north-eastern Bangladesh. Etymology The headquarters of Netrokona District was located at the end of the Mogra River and was called Natorkona. Many people believe that over a period o ...

, in the Division of

Mymensingh Mymensingh () is a metropolis, metropolitan city and capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of the Old Brahmaputra River, Brahmaputra River, about north of the national capital Dhaka, it is a major financial center ...

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 and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

History

When the

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

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

pargana Pargana or parganah, also spelt pergunnah, equivalent to Mohallah as a subunit of Subah (Suba), was a type of former administrative division in the Indian subcontinent during the time of the Delhi Sultanate, Mughal and British Colonial empire ...

s of Sirujial and Mymensingh. The ''

zamindar A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian was the official language; ''zamindar'' is the ...

'' (landlord) of Mymensingh Pargana,

Brajendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury Brajendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury (1874 AD - 1957 AD; Bengali Year: 1281-1364 ) was a patron of Indian classical music and national education of the Indian national movement. Background He was the zamindar of Gouripur in Mymensingh, Bengal. His ...

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 in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of pre ...

, 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 () are adherents of Hinduism who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. They make up the majority in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Assam's Barak Valley ...

''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 (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...

, 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 Paki ...

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 the

2011 Census of Bangladesh 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 r ...

, Atpara Upazila had 31,437 households and a population of 144,624. 39,623 (27.40%) were under 10 years of age. Atpara has a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 38.70%, compared to the national average of 51.8%, and a sex ratio of 1005 females per 1000 males. 9,687 (6.70%) lived in urban areas. 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 had a population of 120491. Males constituted 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 Thana was formed in 1926 and it was turned into an upazila on 2 July 1983. Atpara Upazila is divided into seven

union parishad Union council (), also known as union parishad, rural council, rural union and simply union, is the smallest rural administrative and local government unit in Bangladesh, with zila parishads (district councils) being the largest rural authori ...

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

Chairmen

Notable people

* Nuruzzaman Nayan, Coach, Bangladesh National Football Team * Khalekdad Chowdhury, author * Abdul Khaleq, assassinated politician

References