Kakrail () is a neighbourhood in

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

. It is under

Ramna Thana Ramna () is a Thanas of Bangladesh, thana (precinct) in central Dhaka and a historic colonial neighbourhood. Once the site of Mughal Empire, Mughal gardens, it developed into an institutional area during British Raj, British rule in the late ...

and falls under the jurisdiction of

Dhaka South City Corporation Dhaka South City Corporation (), is a local governing body that manages all civic services in the southern part of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. The DSCC government is elected by popular vote every five years. It is headed by a mayor, who p ...

. Over time, Kakrail has grown into a mostly residential area, with apartment plots and schools, but subsequently, several NGOs and government offices have been set up there.

Etymology

Historian Muntassir Mamoon theorized that Kakrail may be named after a British commissioner to

Dacca Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

, Cockerell. The name "Kakrail" could be a

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

corruption of his name.

History

As Dhaka expanded after the

1947 Partition of Bengal The Partition of Bengal in 1947, also known as the Second Partition of Bengal, part of the Partition of India, divided the British Indian Bengal Province along the Radcliffe Line between the Dominion of India and the Dominion of Pakistan. T ...

, Kakrail became a residential colony. A mosque in the area, the

Kakrail Mosque The Kakrail Mosque, also known as the Malwali Mosque () or as the Kakrail Markaz (), is a Tabligh Jamat mosque in the Kakrail neighbourhood of Ramna, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Located near Ramna Park, it is the centre of the Tabligh Jamat in Bangl ...

, became the ''markaz'' (headquarters) of the

Tablighi Jamaat Tablighi Jamaat ( , also translated as "propagation party" or "preaching party") is an international Islamic schools and branches, Islamic religious movement. It focuses on exhorting Muslims to be more religiously observant and encourages f ...

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 ...

. Their '' Bishwa Ijtema'' was held there annually starting in 1954. The gathering was moved to

Tongi Tongi () is a major township in Gazipur, Bangladesh, with a population of 350,000. It hosts the Biswa Ijtema and features a BSCIC industrial area, which produces BDT 1500 crore of industrial products annually, and marks the northern border of D ...

in 1966 when it outgrew the Kakrail Mosque. Kakrail has become part of Dhaka's main central business district. It became an early site of hotel-centered prostitution. By 2005, it was also one of the main places in the city for streetwalking. A ''posterwallah'' interviewed by anthropologist Lotte Hoek named Kakrail as the second best place in the city for putting up film posters. A large number of potential moviegoers pass through its densely choked streets, and are forced to do so slowly enough that they have an opportunity to take in the posters.

Geography

Kakrail is located in south central Dhaka. To the north of Kakrail lies Siddheswari. Shantinagar of Paltan Thana is to the east and northeast of Kakrail. Kakrail touches Shahbag Thana to the south via

Segunbagicha Segunbagicha () is an upscale Residential area, residential, administrative, commercial, and institutional neighbourhood in south-central Dhaka, Bangladesh. The neighbourhood is an important area of Dhaka featuring a large number of government an ...

Ramna Park Ramna Park (, or ) is a significant urban green space renowned for its historical significance and recreational amenities, situated at the centre of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Described as the "lungs of Dhaka City," the park was built during the Britis ...

lies to Kakrail's west.

References

External links

{{authority control Neighbourhoods in Dhaka