Comilla (), officially spelled Cumilla, is a metropolis on the banks of the Gomti River in eastern

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 ...

. Comilla was one of the cities of ancient Bengal. It was once the capital of Tripura kingdom. Comilla Airport is located in the Dulipara area of Comilla city Although it is currently replaced with Comilla Export Processing Zone (EPZ). Comilla City is a division centered city district with surrounding districts coming to Comilla in more diverse areas of work. Bibir Bazar land port is located 5 km away from Comilla city. The area of Comilla City Corporation is 53.04 square kilometers, so the surrounding areas of the main city fall under the jurisdiction of the City Corporation. The urban areas falling outside the Comilla City Corporation are considered suburbs, forming part of the metro area, which was estimated at 691,000 in 2025- a 2.98% increase from 2024.

History

Ancient era

The Comilla region was once under the reign of

Gangaridai Gangaridai (, ) is a term used by the ancient Greco-Roman writers (1st century BCE–2nd century AD) to describe people or a geographical region of the ancient Indian subcontinent. Some of these writers state that Alexander the Great withdrew f ...

and

Samatata Samataṭa (Brahmi script: ''sa-ma-ta-ṭa'') was an ancient geopolitical division of Bengal in the eastern Indian subcontinent. The Greco-Roman world, Greco-Roman account of Sounagoura is linked to the kingdom of Samatata. Its territory corres ...

in ancient period. This district came under the reign of the kings of the

Harikela Harikela () was an ancient kingdom located in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent. Originally, it was an independent township of ancient eastern Bengal, which had a continuous existence of about 500 years. The state of Harikal consisted ...

in the ninth century AD. Lalmai Mainamati was ruled by the

Deva dynasty Deva Dynasty (c. 12th – 15th centuries) was a Bengali Hindu dynasty which originated in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent; the dynasty ruled over eastern Bengal after the Sena dynasty. The capital of the dynasty was Bikrampur in ...

(eighth century AD) and

Chandra dynasty The Chandra dynasty was a Buddhist dynasty, originating from the South East Bengal region of Indian subcontinent, which ruled the Samatata area of Bengal, as well as Arakan. Later it was a neighbor to the Pala Empire to the north. Rulers of Ch ...

(during the 10th and mid-11th century AD). In 1732, it became the centre of the Bengal-backed domain of Jagat Manikya. The Peasants' Movement against the king of Tripura in 1764, which originally formed under the leadership of Shamsher Gazi is a notable historical event in Comilla. It came under the rule of

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

in 1765. This district was established as the Tripura district in 1790. It was renamed Comilla in 1960.

British era

Communal tension spread over Comilla when a Muslim was shot in the town during the partition of

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

in 1905. On 21 November 1921,

Kazi Nazrul Islam Kazi Nazrul Islam (24 May 1899 – 29 August 1976) was a Bengalis, Bengali poet, short story writer, journalist, lyricist and musician. He is the national poet of Bangladesh. Nazrul produced a List of works by Kazi Nazrul Islam, large body of ...

composed patriotic songs and tried to awaken the townspeople by protesting the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

's visit to India. During this time, Avay Ashram, as a revolutionary institution, played a significant role. Poet

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Thakur (; anglicised as Rabindranath Tagore ; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengalis, Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter of the Bengal Renai ...

and

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...

visited Comilla at that time. In 1931, approximately 4000 peasants in Mohini village in Chauddagram Upazila revolted against a land revenue tax. The British Gurkha soldiers fired indiscriminately on the crowd, killing four people. In a major peasant gathering, the police fired at Hasnabad of Laksam Upazila in 1932. Two people were killed and many were wounded.

Comilla Victoria Government College Comilla Victoria Government College (), mostly known as Comilla Victoria College, is a public college in Comilla, Bangladesh. It is one of the oldest and prestigious colleges in Comilla as well as in the Chittagong division. The higher secondary b ...

in the city was named in memory of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

. The main meaning of the context is that the people of Comilla have always maintained good relations and harmonized with others.

World War II

Comilla Cantonment is an important

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

base and the oldest in

East Bengal East Bengal (; ''Purbô Bangla/Purbôbongo'') was the eastern province of the Dominion of Pakistan, which covered the territory of modern-day Bangladesh. It consisted of the eastern portion of the Bengal region, and existed from 1947 until 195 ...

. It was widely used by the

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. It was the headquarter of the British 14th Army. There is a war cemetery, Maynamati War Cemetery, in Comilla that was established after World War II to remember the Allied soldiers who died during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and II, mostly from Commonwealth states and the United States. There are a number of Japanese soldiers buried there as well, from the Second World War.

War of liberation of Bangladesh

During the war for the liberation of Bangladesh, when

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 ...

created the 39th ''ad hoc'' Division in mid-November, from the 14th Division units deployed in those areas, to hold on to the Comilla and

Noakhali Noakhali District (), historically known as Bhulua (), is a Districts of Bangladesh, district in southeastern Bangladesh, located in Chattogram Division. It was established as a district in 1821, and officially named Noakhali in 1868. The distr ...

districts, and the 14th Division was tasked to defend the Sylhet and Brahmanbaria areas only. Pakistan Army's 93,000 troops unconditionally surrendered to the Joint Coalition forces on 16 December 1971. This day and event is commemorated as the Bijoy Dibos () in Bangladesh.

Geography

Comilla is bounded by

Burichang Upazila Burichang, also known as Burichong, () is an upazila of Comilla District in the Division of Chittagong, Bangladesh. History Raghunath Tarkavachaspati, a Bramhin scholar in the subject of logic migrated from Dingshai village now in West Bengal in ...

and

Tripura Tripura () is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a populat ...

on the north, Laksam and Chauddagram on the south, and Barura Upazila on the west. The major rivers that pass through Comilla include Gomoti River and Little Feni.

Climate

Points of interest

Comilla has a number of tourist attractions. Various archaeological relics discovered in the district, especially from the seventh–eighth centuries, are now preserved in the Mainamati Museum. There is a World War II war cemetery in Comilla, which is protected and maintained by the

Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...

Sports

Comilla Victorians is a professional cricket team based in Comilla and is the most successful franchise in the Bangladesh Premier League.

Administration

Comilla is controlled by the Comilla City Corporation. It has 27 wards.

Demographics

As of 2022 census results, Comilla City Corporation had 101,245 households and a population of 440,233. 17.63% of the population was under 10 years of age. Comilla had a literacy rate of 87.28% for those 7 years and older and a sex ratio of 100.68 males per 100 females.

Transportation

Highway

One of the oldest highways of the Indian subcontinent, 'The Grand Trunk Road', passes through the city. The Dhaka–Chittagong Highway bypasses the city from the cantonment to Shuagaji through Poduar Bazar.

Airport

Comilla Airport is a public-use airport that is not in use for commercial travel.

Media

Daily newspapers published in Comilla include ''Comillar Kagoj'', ''Daily Amader Comilla'', ''Shiranam'', and ''Rupasi Bangla'', established in 1972. '' Amod'', founded in 1955, is the city's oldest weekly newspaper.

Notable residents

* Kazi Zafar Ahmed, Prime Minister * Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan, General (Retired), 15th Chief of Army Staff of the

Bangladesh Army The Bangladesh Army () is the land warfare branch, and the largest component of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The primary mission of the Army is to defend the land of Bangladesh from any external attack. Control of personnel and operations is ad ...

* Kamrul Ahsan: Secretary to the Government and now serving as Bangladesh Ambassador to Russia. Earlier served as High Commissioner to Canada and Singapore. * Buddhadeb Bosu, Bengali poet, novelist, translator, editor, and essayist * S. D. Burman, Indian singer, composer and music director, was born in Comilla in 1906. * Sabitri Chatterjee Indian Actress,was born in Comilla in 1937 * Shib Narayan Das, member of BLF. One of the designers of the first

flag of Bangladesh The national flag of Bangladesh, nicknamed ''Lal–Sobuj'' (), was adopted officially on 17 January 1972. It consists of a red circle on top of a dark green banner. The red circle is offset slightly toward the hoist so that it appears centred whe ...

. * Shaheed Dhirendranath Datta was ex-Minister of Law, Language movement activist and Shaheed of 1971. * Major Abdul Gani, organizer of the First East Bengal Regiment *

, resided at Comilla * Abdul Kadir, poet, researcher and editor * Mustafa Kamal served as president of the

International Cricket Council The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the global Sports governing body, governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from Australia, England, and South Africa. In 1965, the body wa ...

. He is a member of the Jatiya Sangsad representing the Comilla-10 constituency and is a former Minister for Planning and former Minister of Finance. * Shaukat Mahmood, senior journalist and editor of ''Weekly Economic Times''. Elected president of National Press Club. * Abdul Matin Patwari, former vice-chancellor, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and former director general, IUT * Reba Rakshit, bodybuilder and circus performer, was born in Comilla in the early 1930s. * Bidya Sinha Saha Mim, National Film Award winner actress * Ayman Sadik, Founder of 10 Minute School * Biplob Bhattacharjee, former Bangladesh national team footballer * Asif Nazrul, an

adviser An adviser or advisor is normally a person with more and deeper knowledge in a specific area and usually also includes persons with cross-functional and multidisciplinary expertise. An adviser's role is that of a mentor or guide and differs catego ...

to the

interim government of Bangladesh An interim government led by Muhammad Yunus was formed on 8 August 2024 in Bangladesh, following the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on 5 August 2024 amid nationwide student and public protests against the government. Following the ...

References

External links

*
City Corporation
{{Authority control History of Tripura 8th-century establishments Populated places in Cumilla District