Bahubal (), is an

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 ...

Habiganj District Habiganj District (; ), formerly known as Habibganj District (), is a district in north-eastern Bangladesh, located in the Sylhet Division. It was established as a district in 1984 as a successor to its ''subdivision'' status since 1867. It is na ...

Sylhet Division Sylhet Division () is a northeastern Divisions of Bangladesh, division of Bangladesh, renowned for its lush tea gardens, rolling hills and vibrant cultural heritage. Covering an area of approximately 12,298 square kilometres, it is bordered by t ...

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

Bahubal was a part of the Tungachhal and Rajpur kingdoms. The last Raja of Tungachhal, Achak Narayan, was defeated in 1303 during the Conquest of Taraf by Syed Nasiruddin and his 12

lascar A lascar was a sailor or militiaman from the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, the Arab world, British Somaliland or other lands east of the Cape of Good Hope who was employed on European ships from the 16th century until the mid-20th centur ...

s. In the 17th century, after

Khwaja Usman Khawāja Uthmān Khān Lōhānī (), popularly known as Khwaja Usman, was a Pashtun chieftain and warrior based in northeastern Bengal. As one of the Baro-Bhuyans, he was a zamindar ruling over the northern parts of Bengal, including Greater M ...

's departure from Bokainagar Fort, he reached Putijuri in Bahubal. Here, he built a fort at the foot of the Giripal and stationed his brothers, Malhi and Wali, and son, Mumriz in Putia Hill. The area was historically famous to be the home of fighters and people of physical strength. Famed for sports such as

malla-yuddha Malla-yuddha (Sanskrit: मल्लयुद्ध, ) is the traditional form of combat-wrestling originating in the Indian subcontinent. It is closely related to Southeast Asian wrestling styles such as naban and is one of the two ancestors o ...

and

lathi khela Lathi khela () is a traditional Bengali martial art – a kind of stick fighting practiced in Bangladesh. A practitioner is known as a ''lathial''. Lathi khela originated from the Bengal region in Indian subcontinent. Etymology The word '' la ...

. One day, a wrestler (Mal) from Dakshinbhag,

Moulvibazar Moulvibazar (), is a town in north-eastern Bangladesh just south of Sylhet. It is the capital of Moulvibazar Sadar Upazila and Moulvibazar District, and is located on the banks of the Manu River, Tripura, Manu River. History In 1771, Moulvi S ...

, came to this area to fight another wrestler by the name of Qudrat Mal in a game of malla-yuddha. Qudrat defeated the wrestler and made his famous statement, ''"Bahuka Bol Dekh, Beta"''. This phrase became famous in the local area and from Bahuka-Bol, the place eventually was shortened to Bahubal. This incident is remembered through a common folk rhyme. On 20 December 1793, Bahubal became a part of Lashkarpur District. In 1921, Bahubal was made

thana Thana means " station" or "place" in South Asian countries. The word ''thana'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''sthana'' or "sthanak", meaning "place" or "stand", which was anglicized as ''thana'' by the British. * Thanas of Bangladesh, forme ...

headquarter. During the

1950 East Pakistan riots The 1950 East Pakistan riots (, ) took place between Hindus and Muslims in East Pakistan, which resulted in several thousands of Hindus being killed in pogroms. Background In August 1947, British India was partitioned into the Dominions of ...

, the village of Silani was attacked at 9 A.M. on 15 February. The mob raised provocative slogans and set fire to many homes. The inhabitants fled to the nearby jungles to save their lives while the others were killed. Bahubal thana was upgraded to an

in 1984.

Geography

Bahubal is located at . It has a total area of 250.65 km².

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 ...

, Bahubal Upazila had 37,334 households and a population of 197,997. 58,458 (29.52%) were under 10 years of age. Bahubal had a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 39.77%, compared to the national average of 51.8%, and a sex ratio of 1018 females per 1000 males. 4,045 (2.04%) lived in urban areas. Ethnic population was 8,268 (4.18%), of which

Santal The Santal (or Santhal) are an Austroasiatic languages, Austroasiatic-speaking Munda peoples, Munda ethnic group of the Indian subcontinent. Santals are the largest tribe in the Jharkhand and West Bengal in terms of population and are also found ...

were 1,368.

Administration

Bahubal 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: Bahubal, Bhadeshwar, Lamatashi, Mirpur, Putijuri, Satkapan, and Snanghat. The union parishads are subdivided into 146 mauzas and 325 villages.

Education

There are many schools and colleges.

Gallery

File:ফয়জাবাদ হিল বধ্যভূমি ও গণকবর ১৯৭১.jpg, ফয়জাবাদ হিল বধ্যভূমি ও গণকবর ১৯৭১ File:ঐতিহ্যবাহী মির্জাটুলা হাজার বছরের পুরনো ঐতিহ্যবাহী মসজিদ.jpg, Ancient Mirzatula Mosque in the village of Mirjatula, Mirpur Union.

References

{{Upazilas of Sylhet Division Upazilas of Habiganj District