Pabna () is a city of

Pabna District Pabna District () is a district in west central Bangladesh. It is a geographically and economically important district. Its administrative capital is the eponymous Pabna town. The main five rivers of this district are: Padma, Jamuna, Baral, Atra ...

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 ...

and the administrative capital of the

eponym An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...

ous Pabna District. It is on the north bank of the

Padma River The Padma () is a major river in Bangladesh. It is the eastern and main distributary of the Ganges, flowing generally southeast for to its confluence with the Meghna River, near the Bay of Bengal. The city of Rajshahi is situated on the banks ...

and has a population of about .

Etymology

* According to the historian Radharaman Saha, Pabna is named after Paboni, a branch of the Ganges (Originated from Himalayan). * Archeologist

Alexander Cunningham Major General Sir Alexander Cunningham (23 January 1814 – 28 November 1893) was a British Army engineer with the Bengal Sappers who later took an interest in the history and archaeology of India. In 1861, he was appointed to the newly crea ...

theorized that the name came from the name of the ancient kingdom Pundra or Pundravardhana. * Haraprasad Shastri, the author and historian, regarded the name Pabna as originating from Podubomba, a small feudal kingdom, which was established by a king named Shom, during the Pal Dynasty period. * Historian Durgadas Lahiri, in his book ''Prithibir Itihash'', used a map from the ancient period where a village named Pabna can be seen. * Historian

Syed Murtaza Ali Syed Murtaza Ali (1 July 1902 – 9 August 1981) was a Bangladeshi writer. He was the elder brother of writer and linguist Syed Mujtaba Ali. He is noted for his works relating to the histories of Chittagong, Sylhet and Jaintia. Background and ...

wrote that Pabna took its name from a robber named Pobna.

Administration

Pabna Municipality comprises a mayor and 15 councillors and 5 female councillors. Each councillor represents a ward of the town. All of them are elected by people's vote.

Demographics

According to the 2022 Bangladesh census, Pabna city had a population of 175,982. 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 ...

, Pabna city had 33,217 households and a population of 144,442. 24,391 (16.89%) were under 10 years of age. Pabna had a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 76.22%, compared to the national average of 51.8%, and a sex ratio of 951 females per 1000 males.

Transport

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 ...

is about five hours by road, through the Jamuna Bridge. Cities and towns of

Dhaka Division Dhaka Division () is an Divisions of Bangladesh, administrative division of Bangladesh. Dhaka serves as the capital city of Dhaka Division, the Dhaka District and Bangladesh. The division remains as a population magnet, and covers an area of 20, ...

Chittagong Division Chittagong Division (), officially Chattogram Division, is geographically the largest of the eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh. It covers the southeasternmost areas of the country, with a total area of and a population according to th ...

and

Sylhet Division Sylhet Division () is a northeastern Divisions of Bangladesh, division of Bangladesh, renowned for its lush tea gardens, rolling hills and vibrant cultural heritage. Covering an area of approximately 12,298 square kilometres, it is bordered by t ...

are connected through it.

Kushtia District Kushtia District (; ) is a district in the Khulna Division, Khulna administrative division of western Bangladesh. Kushtia is the second largest municipality in Bangladesh and the eleventh largest city in the country. Kushtia has existed as a sepa ...

and other parts of

Khulna Division Khulna Division () is the second largest of the eight divisions of Bangladesh. It has an area of and a population of 17,416,645 at the 2022 Bangladesh census (preliminary returns). Its headquarters and largest city is Khulna city in Khulna Dist ...

and Barisal Division is connected through Lalon Shah Bridge. River crossing (''ferry ghaat'') at Nagarbari on the

Jamuna River The Jamuna River () is one of the three main rivers of Bangladesh. The two other major rivers in Bangladesh are the Padma and the Meghna. The Jamuna is the lower stream of the Brahmaputra River, which originates in Tibet as Yarlung Tsangpo, ...

is the old route to Dhaka and the eastern part of Bangladesh. It took three to four hours to cross only the Jamuna from Nagarbari to Aricha river port in Manikgonj District. Nowadays, the ferry terminal as well as launch terminal shifted from Nagarbari to Kazirhat. It takes approximately 1 hour to cross

through ferry from Kazirhat to Aricha Port. There are several ferry and launch services in operation from Kazirhat to Aricha. Najirganj river crossing on the

connects Pabna city with neighbouring

Rajbari District Rajbari District () is a district in central Bangladesh, located in Dhaka Division. It is a part of the Padma Division, Greater Faridpur subregion of Bengal due to the historical and cultural identities of its inhabitants, with Kushtia border on th ...

as well as Faridpur, Madaripur, Shariatpur and Gopalganj, and Barisal Division. Pabna is well connected to all the districts and towns of Bangladesh by road. Pabna city has connected with a new railway network. Pabna Railway Station is in Shalgaria near ''Pabna Central Bus Terminal'', opened on 14 July 2018. A nearby railway station was in Tebunia, from the city center. Ishwardi Airport serves Pabna town. But the airport is non-operational due to lack of passenger demand. Biman Bangladesh Airlines used to operate twice-weekly services to Ishwardi from

Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Dhaka (; ) is the main international airport serving Dhaka City, the capital city of Bangladesh, and it is the largest airport in the country. It is located in Kurmitola, from the city centre, in the ...

, Dhaka. However, no airlines are operating to and from Ishwardi at the moment. The nearest operation airport is

Shah Makhdum Airport Shah Makhdum Airport, Rajshahi is a domestic airport serving Rajshahi, the principal city of the Rajshahi Division in Bangladesh. The airport‌ is located at Nowhata, about 10 kilometers north from city center of Rajshahi and named after Sufi ...

Rajshahi Rajshahi (, ) is a metropolis, metropolitan city and a major Urban area, urban, administrative, commercial and educational centre of Bangladesh. It is also the administrative seat of the eponymous Rajshahi Division, division and Rajshahi Distr ...

which is more than 90 km away from city centre. Several Dhaka-bound private bus services are available such as Pabna Express, Shyamoli, Sarkar Travels, Raja Badsha, Badol, Mohanagar, C-line, Arif, Ishurdi Express, Night Star, Kings, Esha, Capital Service, Al-Hamra, Silver Line, etc. Government-owned Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) provides bus services to Rajshahi and Bogra city. Water transport is important, as the Padma and other rivers, and Chalan Beel wetland are in Pabna. In Pabna district, rides by Nosimon, rickshaw-van, and Korimon are pleasure worthy.

Industry

Pabna has fledgeling

knitted fabric Knitted fabric is a textile that results from knitting, the process of inter-looping of yarns or inter-meshing of loops. Its properties are distinct from woven fabric in that it is more flexible and can be more readily constructed into smaller ...

and

handloom A loom is a device used to weaving, weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the Warp (weaving), warp threads under tension (mechanics), tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of ...

related textile industries. There are consumer and

pharmaceutical Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the ...

producing factories.

Square Pharmaceuticals Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd. is a Bangladeshi Multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical company. It was founded in 1958 by Samson H. Chowdhury along with three of his friends PK Saha, Kazi Harunur Roshid and Radhabinod Rai as a priva ...

is the largest pharmaceutical company in Bangladesh. A majority of its factories are at Shalgaria near Jubilee Tank area of the town.

Notable industries

, Square Road, Shalgaria, Pabna * Square Toiletries, Meril Road, Shalgaria * Square Food and Beverages, Meril Road, Shalgaria * Akij Jute Mills Ltd., Ataikula *Edruc Limited, Arifpur *Shyamoli Foods Ltd, Shalgaria * Bengal Meat *Shamim Flower Mills, Radhanagor *Ms. Gani & Brothers, Kalachandpara *Intra Foods, Balarampur *Ms. Shapla Plastics Ltd., BSCIC I/A *Seven Star Fish Processing Company Ltd., near Central bus terminal, Laskarpur *Universal Foods Ltd., Dilalpur *Apan Store, Hazir hat, Pabna Sadar. *Nuclear Power Plant, Ruppur, Ishwardi, Pabna.

Education

The only University in this town is Pabna University of Science and Technology. There are several higher and secondary education institutions such as: * Govt. Edward College, Pabna * Radhanagar Majumder Academy, Pabna * Govt. Shaheed Bulbul College * Government Women's College, Pabna * Govt. Technical School and College, Pabna * North Point School & College, Pabna * Imam Ghazzali Girls' School and College * Pabna College * Pabna Cadet College * Pabna Islamia College * Pabna Medical College * Pabna Polytechnic Institute * Pabna Zilla School * Pabna Government Girls' School * Pabna Central Girls' School * Pabna Islamia Madrasha * Shaheed M. Munsur Ali College * Textile Engineering College, Pabna. * Al-Hera Academy School & College, Bera * Debuttor Kabi Bande Ali Mia High School * Galaxy School & College, Bera-Pabna *Masundia Bhawanipur Degree College *Masundia Bhawanipur High School *Chatmohar Pilot Girls' High School, Chatmohar *Govt. RCN & BSN Model High School & College, Chatmohar *Chatmohar Govt. College, Chatmohar *Chatmohar Women's College, Chatmohar *Saint Rita's High School, Chatmohar

Health

Pabna has the largest

mental hospital A psychiatric hospital, also known as a mental health hospital, a behavioral health hospital, or an asylum is a specialized medical facility that focuses on the treatment of severe mental disorders. These institutions cater to patients with ...

. It also has a big general hospital, numerous medical centres, and small private clinics. Pabna Medical College and Hospital was established in 2008. In healthcare, Pabna Community Clinic, a division of Dhaka Community Clinic, established and led by Professor Dr. Quazi Qumruzzaman, has made a great contribution in development and mitigation of arsenicosis. The nine

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 ...

s under

holds an upazila health complex each. Government doctors get appointment through

Bangladesh Civil Service Bangladesh Civil Service (), popularly known by its acronym BCS, is the civil service of Bangladesh. Civil service in the Indian subcontinent originated from the Imperial Civil Service which was the elite higher civil service of the British Empir ...

commission. A 250-bed government-owned general hospital is at Shaalgaariya and a 450-bed mental hospital is at Hemayetpur. Recently the government-owned Pabna Medical College has been set up near the

, Pabna premise.

Culture

There is a mosque at Chatmohar Upzilla named Shahi Mosque which built by Masum Khan kabuli at 15th century. A

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

-era mosque 'Varara Moshjid' () is some 10 km southeast of the town.There is a rumour that the mosque built in one night. The remains of

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

temple Jor Bangla (recently renovated) is in Jor Baangla Paara of the town.

Jagannath Temple The Jagannath Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Jagannath, a form of Vishnu in Hinduism. It is located in Puri in the state of Odisha, situated on the eastern coast of India. As per temple records, King Indradyumna of Avanti (reg ...

at Chatmohar Upazila is considered one of the most beautiful Hindu temples in northern Bangladesh. Rassundari Devi, a Bengali writer who is identified as the author of first full-fledged autobiography in modern

Bengali literature Bengali literature () denotes the body of writings in the Bengali language and which covers Old Bengali, Middle Bengali and Modern Bengali with the changes through the passage of time and dynastic patronization or non-patronization. Bengali h ...

, was born in Pabna in 1809 or 1810.

Notable residents

* Sarder Jayenuddin, novelist *

Air Vice Marshal Air vice-marshal (Air Vce Mshl or AVM) is an air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries which have historical British infl ...

(Rtd.) A. K. Khandker, first

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

Bangladesh Air Force The Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) () is the aerial warfare branch of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The air force is primarily responsible for air defence of Bangladesh's sovereign territory as well as providing air support to the Bangladesh Army a ...

(1971–1975), Former Minister, Ministry Planning of People's Republic of Bangladesh * Mirza Abdul Halim, State minister, Ministry of Shipping * Mirza Abdul Awal, Founded chairman of Pabna district section of BNP * Zia Haider, writer * Amiya Bhushan Majumdar, Indian novelist * Mohammed Shahabuddin Chuppu, jurist and politician,

President of Bangladesh President of Bangladesh (POB), officially the President of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is the head of state of Bangladesh and commander-in-chief of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The role of the president has changed three times since ...

* Amjad Hossain, MNA, (Member of

National Assembly of Pakistan The National Assembly of Pakistan, also referred to as ''Aiwān-ē-Zairīñ'', is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Pakistan, with the upper house being the Senate of Pakistan, Senate. As of 2023, the National Assem ...

) * Bonde Ali Miah, poet *

Group Captain Group captain (Gp Capt or G/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British influence. Group cap ...

(Rtd.) Saiful Azam, former pilot, a war hero of 1965 Indo-Pakistani War and

1967 Arab-Israeli War The Six-Day War, also known as the June War, 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states, primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan from 5 to 10June ...

(

Six-Day War The Six-Day War, also known as the June War, 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states, primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan from 5 to 10June ...

) * General Joyanto Nath Chaudhuri

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, Indian Army Officer and former

Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) is a statutory office held by the professional head of the Indian Army (IA), the land forces branch of the Indian Armed Forces. Customarily held by a four-star general officer, the COAS is the senior-most ...

. * Pramatha Chaudhuri, writer * Samson H. Chowdhury, businessman, former chairman of Square Group * Thakur Anukulchandra,

guru Guru ( ; International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian religions, Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: tr ...

, Indian physician and founder of

Satsang Satsang () is an audience with a satguru for the purpose of spiritual or yogic instruction. The ''satsanga'' is a gathering of good people for the performance of devotional activities. Meanings The word is derived from the Sanskrit ''sat'' mean ...

Ashram An ashram (, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery in Indian religions, not including Buddhism. Etymology The Sanskrit noun is a thematic nominal derivative from the root 'toil' (< Mohammed Fazle Rabbee,

cardiologist Cardiology () is the study of the heart. Cardiology is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery di ...

, intellectual, murdered in the intellectual killing during the 1971 genocide in Bangladesh by Pakistani army and its local collaborators * A. B. Mirza Azizul Islam, advisor * Pramatha Chaudhuri, writer * Daud Haider, poet * Rashid Haider, writer * Makid Haider, writer * Kamal Ahmed, singer, administrator

References

External links

Pabna city website
{{Bangladesh cities Pabna District Populated places in Pabna District Municipalities of Bangladesh