Sher-e-Bangla Nagar (;
lit. ''City of the Lion of Bengal'') is a neighborhood and a
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 ...
of
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 ...
, the capital of
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 ...
.
It is also known as the 'capitol within the capital' due to it being the home to the
National Parliament
In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
and
Ganabhaban. The area was named after
A. K. Fazlul Huq
Abul Kasem Fazlul Huq (26 October 1873 – 27 April 1962), popularly known as Sher-e-Bangla, was a Bengalis, Bengali lawyer and politician who served as the first and longest Prime Minister of Bengal, prime minister of Bengal during the Britis ...
, a Bangladeshi statesman and political figure who was known as "Sher-e-Bangla" (''Tiger of Bengal''). The
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 formed in 2009 from parts of
Tejgaon,
Kafrul and
Mohammadpur thanas.
Sher-e-Bangla Nagar is a commercial and central neighborhood in the city, home to offices of government and public institutions, educational institutions, banks and financial institutions and shops.
History
The history of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar can be traced back to before the
independence of Bangladesh
The independence of Bangladesh was Proclamation of Bangladeshi Independence, declared from Pakistan on 26 March 1971, which is now celebrated as Independence Day (Bangladesh), Independence Day. The Bangladesh Liberation War started on 26 March ...
. Designed by
Louis I. Kahn, the complex 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 ...
was designed to make a significant impact locally and internationally and to represent the strong presence of the central government of what was then Pakistan. from the city center, the project originally consisted of the National Assembly building and three hostels (that is, temporary accommodations for officials and delegates coming from
West Pakistan
West Pakistan was the western province of Pakistan between One Unit, 1955 and Legal Framework Order, 1970, 1970, covering the territory of present-day Pakistan. Its land borders were with Afghanistan, India and Iran, with a maritime border wit ...
when parliament was in session). One hostel was for ministers, one for secretaries, and one for the delegates to the National Assembly. The assembly and hostels were grouped together and called the "Citadel of the Assembly."
An early version shows some civic functions, called by the architect the "Citadel of the Institutions," grouped opposite the assembly. None of its constituents was ever built and, in 1971, it was replaced by the National Secretariat of Bangladesh. After 1975, the nation became more stable, and the project was revived. The capítol complex was again seen as a symbol; this time of the new government's stability and accomplishments.
Demographics
According to
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 ...
, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Thana has a population of 137,573 with average household size of 4.6 members, and an average literacy rate of 78.2% vs national average of 51.8% literacy.
Offices and organizations
The Ministry of Defense and Election Commission of Bangladesh are in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. Furthermore,
Asian Development Bank
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank to promote social and economic development in Asia. The bank is headquartered in Metro Manila, Philippines and maintains 31 field offices around the world.
The bank was establishe ...
Bangladesh Resident Mission is across from the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED). Sher-e-Bangla Nagar houses the Department of Immigration and Passports, an attached department under the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh.
The
National Parliament
In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
is located here which is one of the country's prominent aesthetic architectural structures designed by American architect
Louis I. Kahn. Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies and Sher-e-Bangla nagar Telephone Exchange Dhaka are here as well.
Islamic Development Bank
The Islamic Development Bank (, abbreviated as IsDB) is a multilateral development finance institution that is focused on Islamic finance for infrastructure development and located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. There are 57 shareholding member st ...
Bangladesh branch is right beside BCS Computer City. The
Bangladesh–China Friendship Conference Center, is one of the largest international convention centres in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh-China Friendship Center was built in 2002 at a cost of approximately ৳300 crore (US$56 million) in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.
Education
The
Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University is located in Sher-e-Bangla.
Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College is near the Ministry of Defense. Some well-known schools including
Gonobhaban Government High School,
Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Government Boys' High School,
St. Joseph Higher Secondary School are also housed in Sher-e-Bangla.
Gallery
File:National Assembly of Bangladesh (12).jpg, Offices of Members of Parliament
File:Sangshad 2.jpg, National Parliament of Bangladesh
Image:IDB Dhaka.jpg, Islamic Development Bank, Dhaka
File:Mausoleum of Ziaur Rahman (11).jpg, Mausoleum of Ziaur Rahman
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sher-E-Bangla Nagar
Thanas of Dhaka
A. K. Fazlul Huq