Banaripara () 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 ...

Barishal District Barisal District, officially Barishal District () is a district in south-central Bangladesh, it was formerly called Bakerganj district, and established in 1797. Its headquarters is in Barisal city, which is also the headquarters of Barisal Di ...

Barisal Barisal ( or ; , ), officially known as Barishal, is a major city that lies on the banks of the Kirtankhola river in south-central Bangladesh. It is the largest city and the administrative headquarter of both Barisal District and Barisal Divi ...

in southern-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 and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

History

During the Independence War in 1971, the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

killed 212 in Gava Village, where all Ghosh Dastidar and Ghosh Ray used to live and they mostly left their ancestral land for India. The villagers were rounded by local collaborators of the Pakistan Army, Akkas Ali Khan and Sarat Samaddar, in front of a canal and told their photos would be taken. Instead the Pakistan Army shot and killed the 200 people gathered there. Benu Bahini fought against

in the upazila.

Geography

Banaripara is located at . It has a total area of 134.32 km². It is surrounded by

Wazirpur Wazirpur () is a municipality in Barisal, Bangladesh Barisal ( or ; , ), officially known as Barishal, is a major city that lies on the banks of the Kirtankhola river in south-central Bangladesh. It is the largest city and the administrative ...

to the north and the east, Nesarabad to the south,

Jhalokati Jhalokati () is a town in Jhalokati district in Barisal Division in southern Bangladesh. It is the administrative headquarters and the largest town of the district. The town covers an area of with a population of 54,029 as of the 2011 census. ...

to the east, Nazirpur to the west. The upazila is criss-crossed by many rivers. Banaripara pourashava stands on the Shandhya. River erosion is a matter of concern for this area.

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 ...

, Banaripara Upazila had 34,186 households and a population of 148,188. 31,694 (21.39%) were under 10 years of age. Banaripara had a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 67.25%, compared to the national average of 51.8%, and a sex ratio of 1028 females per 1000 males. 16,882 (11.39%) lived in urban areas. According to the

1991 Bangladeshi 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 ag ...

, Banaripara had a population of 143,825. Males constituted 50.67% of the population, and females 49.33%. The population aged 18 or over was 70,724.

Administration

UNO: Antara Haldar. Banaripara was established as a thana in 1913 and in 1983, it was upgraded to upazila (sub-district) status due to

Hussain Muhammad Ershad Hussain Muhammad Ershad (1 February 1930 – 14 July 2019) was a Bangladeshi military officer, dictator and politician who served as President of Bangladesh, the president of Bangladesh from 1982 to 1990. He seized power as a result of a 1982 ...

's decentralization programme. Banaripara Upazila is divided into Banaripara Municipality and eight union parishads: Baisari, Banaripara, Bisarkandi, Chakhar, Iluhar, Saliabakpur, Saidkati, and Udaykati. The union parishads are subdivided into 76 mauzas and 76 villages.

Archaeological heritage and relics

There are two Swathidaha Maths, a copper Manasa Bigraga weighing 3.5 maunds and a six-foot-high Bigraha at Narattampur (200 years old) which used to be family lineage of the Ghosh Ray family of Narratampur.

Education

There are three colleges in the upazila. Government Fazlul Huq College, founded in 1940, is the only public one. There are 27 high schools, 80 government primary schools, 41 non-government primary schools, 59 madrassas, 1 school for the deaf and dumb and 1 commercial school in this upazila. According to Banglapedia, Baisari High School, founded in 1880, Govt. Banaripara Model Union Institution (Pilot), (1889), and Nalasree Government Primary School (1910) are notable schools.

Notable people

Syed Azizul Huq Syed Azizul Huq (; 1 October 1912 – 11 February 1992), also known by his nickname Nanna Mia (), was a Bangladeshi politician and former member of parliament for Barisal-2 in the 1986 and 1988 Bangladeshi general elections. He was a member of ...

, former Education Minister of Bangladesh

References

{{Upazilas of Barisal Division Upazilas of Barisal District