Gaibandha () is a
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
and district headquarters of
Gaibandha District
Gaibandha District () is a district in northern Bangladesh, located within Rangpur Division. Covering an area of 2,179.27 square kilometers (841.42 sq mi), it had a population of 2,562,232 as of the 2022 census. The district's administrative headq ...
in
northern Bangladesh. It is a centre of commerce and trade of the Gaibandha District and is located under the
Rangpur Division
Rangpur Division (; ;
) is a first-level Divisions of Bangladesh, administrative division of Bangladesh. It covers the northernmost part of the country with a population of about 18 million inhabitants within an area of . Rangpur Division shar ...
. The area of the city is approximately 10.54 square kilometres. To its north is the neighbouring city of Rangpur
It consists of nine
wards. It is certified as a "ka" (A) category Paurasava (
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
).
Etymology
The city is named after its eponymous district. There are two opinions about the name of Gaibandha. The most famous opinion is: around five thousand years ago, capital of
Matsya Kingdom of King
Birat was in Gobindaganj area. "Matsa" means fish and "desh" means country(মাছের দেশ). Fishes were abundant in his kingdom so the term "Matsa Desh" was created. According to
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...
, king Birat had 60,000 cows which were frequently robbed by robbers. To protect his cattle from robbers, king Birat established a huge cattle-shed. The cattle were tied up alongside the rivers of this area. "Gai" means "
cow" and "Bandha" means "to tie up". From this reason the area was called Gaibandha.
Demographics
According to the
2022 Bangladesh census, Gaibandha city had a population of 79,237 and a literacy rate of 87.66%.
According to the
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 ...
, Gaibandha city had 15,430 households and a population of 67,833. 12,736 (18.78%) were under 10 years of age. Gaibandha had a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 74.48%, compared to the national average of 51.8%, and a sex ratio of 996 females per 1000 males.
Nearby sites
* Shah Sultan Gazi's Mosque
* Balashi Ghat
* Mirer Bagan Zam-E Mosque
* Bardhan Kuthi
* Varatkhali Kastho Mandir
* Naldanga Zamindar Bari
References
Towns in Bangladesh
Populated places in Rangpur Division
{{Rangpur-geo-stub