Lakhai (), 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 ...

in the Division of

Sylhet Sylhet (; ) is a Metropolis, metropolitan city in the north eastern region of Bangladesh. It serves as the administrative center for both the Sylhet District and the Sylhet Division. The city is situated on the banks of the Surma River and, as o ...

, Bangladesh.

History

Following the 1303

Conquest of Sylhet The Conquest of Sylhet () predominantly refers to an Early Muslim conquests, Islamic conquest of Srihatta (present-day Sylhet, Bangladesh) led by Sikandar Khan Ghazi, the military general of Sultan Shamsuddin Firoz Shah of the Lakhnauti Sultanat ...

, Bayazid Shah, a companion of Shah Jalal, took refuge in Bulla and propagated Islam there. Bayazid remains buried in a

mazar (mausoleum) A ''mazār'' (), also transliterated as mazaar, also known as ''marqad'' () or in the Maghreb as ''ḍarīḥ'' (), is a mausoleum or shrine in some places of the world, typically that of a saint or notable religious leader. Medieval Arabic ...

in Bulla bazaar. Lakhai was previously under the sub-registry of Charabhanga in modern-day Madhabpur Upazila. On 10 January 1922, the Lakhai

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 ...

was established as per

Assam Province Assam Province was a province of British India, created in 1912 by the partition of the Eastern Bengal and Assam Province. Its capital was in Shillong. The Assam territory was first separated from Bengal in 1874 as the 'North-East Frontier' ...

's gazette notification 176GK. During the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...

of 1971, a massacre was conducted in the village of Krishnapur on 18 September. The

Pakistani 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 ...

also attacked the villages of Murakari and Bhabanipur. In the village of Madna, the army set fire to the house of Dewan Ali. On 29 October, the Pakistani forces took shelter in the houses of some brokers at night in Muriyauk. Early in the morning, they wanted to go to the house of Shahjahan Chishti, a freedom fighter in Muriyauk. Unable to find Chishti at his house, the forces captured his sixty-year-old father, Abdul Jabbar, and set the house on fire. In the same village, the forces also captured 65-year old Idris Ali, father of Bengali freedom fighter Ilias Kamal. They then proceeded to kidnap the two old men to Lakhai Union. According to some sources, the next day the forces took a speed boat to Bhairab and the old men were shot dead on the way and were never found. In 1983, Lakhai was promoted to a designated police station through the efforts of many people. On 15 April 1983, the foundation was laid for a police station at Kalauk in Bhadikara Mouza, Bamai Union. In 1984, there was a circle officer development outpost in modern-day Swajangram in Lakhai Union.

Geography

Lakhai is located at . It has 27,759 households and total area of 196.54 km². Lakhai is the connecting point of 3 administrative divisions

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 ...

Chittagong Chittagong ( ), officially Chattogram, (, ) (, or ) is the second-largest city in Bangladesh. Home to the Port of Chittagong, it is the busiest port in Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. The city is also the business capital of Bangladesh. It ...

of Bangladesh. It is surrounded by

Habiganj Sadar Upazila Habiganj Sadar (, is an upazila of Habiganj District in Sylhet Division, Bangladesh. Geography Habiganj Sadar is located at . It has 38,977 households and total area 253.74 km2. Demographics According to the 2011 Bangladesh census, 2011 C ...

, Baniachang Upazila, Madhabpur Upazila of Habiganj,

Nasirnagar Upazila Nasirnagar () is an upazila of Brahmanbaria District in Chattogram Division, Bangladesh. Geography Nasirnagar is located at . It has 59,024 households and a total area of 311.66 km2. History Naming It is said that Hazrat Shah Jalal (R.A ...

of Brahmanbaria and

Austagram Upazila Austagram () is an upazila of Kishoreganj District in the Division of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Geography Austagram is located at . It has 31,129 households and a total area of 355.53 km. Demographics According to the 2011 Census of Bangladesh ...

of Kishoreganj where Lakhai Upazila is the centre Point. Main rivers are: Meghna, Sutang, Monikhai, Balabhadra rivers

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 ...

, Lakhai Upazila had 27,759 households and a population of 148,811. 49,273 (33.11%) were under 10 years of age. Lakhai had a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 33.73%, compared to the national average of 51.8%, and a sex ratio of 1104 females per 1000 males. 17,235 (11.58%) lived in urban areas.

Economy

Lakhai consists of both plain lands and haor areas, not only self-sufficient in food and fish but also exports, is famous for

paddy Paddy may refer to: People *Paddy (given name), a list of people with the given name or nickname *A nickname or slur for an Irish person Birds *Paddy (pigeon), a Second World War carrier pigeon *Snowy sheathbill or paddy, a bird species *Black ...

jute Jute ( ) is a long, rough, shiny bast fibre that can be Spinning (textiles), spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from flowering plants in the genus ''Corchorus'', of the mallow family Malvaceae. The primary source of the fiber is ...

and winter corps.

Points of interest

Kalauk, Bhadikara, Bamai, Katihara, Lakhai, Amanullahpur (Borbari) Morakori, Muriauk, Karab, Bulla, Madna, Sinhagram, Begunai, Teghoria, Shibpur, Krishnapur, Dharmapur, Moshadia, Fulbaria, Satauk, Sajangram, Rarishal, Marugach, Noagaon, Sontoshpur, Zirunda Manpur, Kamrapur, Montoil, Shuneswar, Moubari, Gonipoor, Kataia, Foridpur, Bali, Chondipur, Morshidpur.Nokhlak,Bamoi

Administration

Lakhai Upazila is divided into six

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: Bamai, Bulla, Karab, Lakhai, Murakari, and Muriauk. The union parishads are subdivided into 70 mauzas and 65 villages.

Transport

Lakhai is connected through Habiganj, Ashuganj, Fandauk, Chatiain by road; Bhairab by

launch Launch or launched may refer to: Involving vehicles * Launch (boat), one of several different sorts of boat ** Motor launch (naval), a small military vessel used by the Royal Navy * Air launch, the practice of dropping an aircraft, rocket, or ...

and Shayestaganj, Shahjibazar, Nayapara by rail communications. Regional highway runs through Sarail, Nasirnagar, Lakhai, Habiganj route is important for road communications in this region. Lakhai–Dhaka and Lakhai–Sylhet direct bus services are available. Lakhai was river based upazila in the past. But nowadays it has developed immediately.

Education and culture

At the 2001 census the average

literacy rate Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...

of Lakhai Upazila was 28.7% (7+ years), where national average is 46.2%. Lakhai is famous for

pitha Pithas () are a variety of food similar to pancakes, dumplings or fritters, originating from India and Bangladesh. Pitha can be sweet or savoury, and usually made from a dough or batter, which is then steamed, fried or griddled. Very few varieties ...

s and hospitality, rich with cross cultures of greater Sylhet, Dhaka & Chittagong's flavour and foreign connections, it is unique of Bangladesh. There is a non-governmental orphanage in Battala called Nurul Huda Orphanage. Notable are Mashadiya and Kataiya Eidgah and well-known mosques are Teghoriya Mosque, Singhgram Masjid and Bhadikara Mosque. Educational institutes include * Karab Nuria Islamia Madrasah. * Hazrat Aisha Siddika (R.) Women's Madrasah, Karab. * Fulbaria Mujibia Islamia Hafizia Madrasa * Lakhai Muktijoddha Degree College * Kalauk High School, (Upazila Sadar) * Zirunda Manpur Tofailia Senior Madrasa * Muriauk High School * Dharmapur Baage Modina Gausia Dakhil Madrasa * Bamai Model High School (founded 1961) * Rarhishal Korab High School * Amanullahpur Shafikia Hafizia Madrasah, (Borbari) * Lakhai Darul Hoda Madrasah & Yeateem Khana * Bhabanipur High School * Kataia Darussalam Islamia Madrasa * Katihara Hafizia Madrasah * Teghoria Darul Ulom Madrasah * Morakori High School (founded 1962) * Bulla Singhgram Girls High School * Teghoria SEDF Model High School * Krishnapur High School * Korab Rahmania Dakhil Madrasa * Fulbaria Ebtedaee Madrasa

Notable residents

Mostafa Ali Mostafa Ali (; 1921–26 July 1975) was a Bangladeshi politician and advocate. He was a member of parliament for Sylhet-19 as an Awami League representative. Early life and education Ali was born in 1921, to a Bengali Muslim family in the villa ...

, former parliamentarian *

Mukhlesur Rahman Chowdhury Mukhlesur Rahman Chowdhury (), also known as Mokhles Chowdhury, is a Bengali people, Bangladeshi journalist and editor. He served as Press Secretary of the President Iajuddin Ahmed. Mukhles Chowdhury performed as an advisor to the President Iajud ...

, journalist, editor, and adviser in the caretaker government of President Iajuddin Ahmed, attended Lakhai A.C.R.C. Pilot High School.

References

{{Upazilas of Sylhet Division Upazilas of Habiganj District