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Comilla District

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Comilla District, officially known as Cumilla District,[6] is a district located in southeastern Bangladesh. It lies about 100 kilometres south east of Dhaka. Comilla is bordered by Brahmanbaria and Narayanganj districts to the north, Noakhali and Feni districts to the south, Tripura state of India to the east and Munshiganj and Chandpur districts to the west.[7]

Comilla
কুমিল্লা জেলা
District of Bangladesh
Cumilla District
Clockwise from top-left: Skyline of Comilla, Shah Shuja Mosque, Nawab Faizunnesa House at Laksam, Gomti River, Shalban Vihara in Mainamati
Location of Comilla within Bangladesh
Location of Comilla within Bangladesh
Map
Expandable map of Comilla
Coordinates: 23°16′N 91°07′E / 23.27°N 91.12°E / 23.27; 91.12
Country Bangladesh
DivisionChittagong Division
CapitalComilla
Government
 • Deputy CommissionerMd. Kamrul Hasan [1]
 • District Council ChairmanAbu Taher [2]
 • Chief Executive OfficerMd. Helal Uddin [3]
Area
 • Total
3,146.30 km2 (1,214.79 sq mi)
Population
 (2022)[4]
 • Total
6,212,216
 • Density2,000/km2 (5,100/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+06:00 (BST)
Postal code
3500
Area code081
ISO 3166 codeBD-08
HDI (2018)0.614[5]
medium · 7th of 21
Notable sport teamsComilla Victorians
Websitewww.comilla.gov.bd

History

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World War II cemetery in Mainamati.

The name Comilla is derived from the Bengali word Komolangko (Bengali: কমলাঙ্ক), the previous ancient name of the region, which means 'lotus pond'. The present Comilla is a district under the Chittagong Division. It was once under the reign of Gangaridai and Samatata in ancient period. As far as is known from the ancient archeology found in the region, Gupta emperors ruled Comilla since the fifth century AD. It was under the control of Gauda Kingdom in 6th century AD after the fall of Gupta rule in Bengal.[8] According to historians, the Buddhist Deva dynasty ruled the region from the seventh to the middle of the eighth century. In the ninth century, Comilla came under the control of the kings of Harikela and Chandra dynasty during the tenth and mid-eleventh century AD. The region became a part of Hindu Sena and Deva dynasty before the invasion of Muslim rulers in this region. Comilla became part of the kingdom of Tripura in mediaeval period. Later on, it was ruled by the Mughals and then it came under the rule of East India Company in 1765.

In order to facilitate revenue collection, the company hired a district collector in the province in 1769. Comilla then belonged to the province of Dhaka. Comilla was made under the office of the district collector in 1776. The Tripura Collector's journey began with the formation of Tippera or Tipperah district of Bengal by the British in 1790.[9] According to the Third Regulation in 1793, a civil judge was appointed for the Tripura district and in that year he was given magisterial powers. In 1837, the posts of magistrates and collectors were separated. In 1859, these two posts were merged again. After the partition in 1947, the district was renamed Comilla in 1960 and the post of district magistrate and collector was named deputy commissioner.[10] Chandpur and Brahmanbaria sub-divisions of this district became districts in 1984.

Geography and climate

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Comilla has a total area of 3146.30.17 square kilometres. It is bounded by Brahmanbaria district and Narayanganj district of Dhaka division to the north, Munshiganj district of Dhaka division and Chandpur district to the west, Noakhali and Feni districts to the south and the Indian state of Tripura to the east. The district headquarters of Comilla is located close to the Indian border, with the town of Sonamura on the other side. Major rivers passing through Comilla include the Gumti and the Little Feni. It is hot in summer and cold in winter.[7]

The district is primarily plain land.

Administration

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The administrative headquarters of Comilla are located in the city of Comilla which has a total area of 11.47 square kilometres. It consists of 18 mouzas and 3 wards. Comilla thana was officially converted into an upazila in 1983 which contains one municipality, 18 wards, 19 union parishads, 452 mouzas, and 458 villages.[7]

Deputy Commissioner (DC): Md Jahangir Alam[11]

Subdistricts

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Comilla district consists of the following Upazilas:[12]

  1. Barura Upazila
  2. Brahmanpara Upazila
  3. Burichong Upazila
  4. Comilla Sadar Upazila
  5. Comilla Sadar Dakshin Upazila
  6. Chandina Upazila
  7. Chauddagram Upazila
  8. Daudkandi Upazila
  9. Debidwar Upazila
  10. Homna Upazila
  11. Laksam Upazila
  12. Lalmai Upazila
  13. Monohorgonj Upazila
  14. Meghna Upazila
  15. Muradnagar Upazila
  16. Nangalkot Upazila
  17. Titas Upazila

Demographics

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Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1974 2,802,944—    
1981 3,355,953+2.61%
1991 4,032,666+1.85%
2001 4,595,557+1.32%
2011 5,387,288+1.60%
2022 6,212,216+1.30%
Sources:[4][13]

According to the 2022 Census of Bangladesh, Comilla District had 1,407,368 households and a population of 6,212,216 with an average 4.33 people per household. Among the population, 1,356,351 (21.83%) inhabitants were under 10 years of age. The population density was 1,974 people per km2. Comilla District had a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 76.68%, compared to the national average of 74.80%, and a sex ratio of 1142 females per 1000 males. Approximately, 20.43% of the population lived in urban areas. The ethnic population was 2,044.[4]

Religions in Comilla District (2022)[4]
Religion Percent
Islam
 
 95.56%
Hinduism
 
 4.33%
Other or not stated
 
 0.11%
Religion in present-day Comilla District
Religion 1941[14]: 102–103 [a] 1981[13] 1991[13] 2001[13] 2011[13] 2022[4]
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
Islam   1,407,494 80.41% 3,119,300 92.95% 3,784,774 93.85% 4,348,227 94.62% 5,123,410 95.10% 5,936,391 95.56%
Hinduism   340,010 19.43% 230,947 6.88% 237,818 5.90% 241,742 5.26% 258,105 4.79% 269,214 4.33%
Others [b] 2,804 0.16% 5,706 0.17% 10,074 0.25% 5,588 0.12% 5,773 0.11% 6,611 0.11%
Total Population 1,750,308 100% 3,355,953 100% 4,032,666 100% 4,595,557 100% 5,387,288 100% 6,212,216 100%

Muslims make up 95.56% of the population, while Hindus are 4.33% of the total population. Formerly a centre of Buddhism, there are now 5,801 Buddhists in the district, concentrated in Lalmai and Laksam upazilas.[13]

Economy

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Manufacturers of popular Comilla sweetmeats are mostly based on this Manoharpur area of the main town.

Mainly based on agriculture, the economy of Comilla has flourished through trade and cottage industries, especially the 'Khadi' textile. For the economic development of the region the "Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority" has established the "Comilla Export Processing Zone" spread over an area of 104.44 hectares (258.1 acres) in the Comilla Airport area in 2000.[15] The export zone employs 20 thousand people as of 2013.[16]

Places of interest

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Landmarks include Kotbari, a cantonment, or military installation and Kandirpar, considered the heart of the Comilla district. Ancient Buddhist monastery ruins are the major attraction of Mainamati, near Kotbari. There is an ancient Hindu Temple named Comilla Jagannath Temple located on East Bibirbazar Road. There is also the recently constructed Allah Chattar, a tower in Muradnagar.

A Second World War cemetery, Mainamati War Cemetery, lies about 3.1 kilometres (1.9 mi) away from Comilla Cantonment, which was a frontier military base in the fight against the Japanese who had occupied Burma. British Army soldiers killed during the fight with the Japanese Army at the Burma (Myanmar) frontier were buried here.[17] Pashchimgaon Nawab Bari, the place of only lady Jaminder Nawab Faizunnesa, a poet, educationist and a philanthropist.[18]

Kazi Nazrul Islam, the national poet of Bangladesh, passed a significant time of his life in this town. Both his wives, Promila Devi and Nargis, hailed from this district.[19]

Comilla Victoria College and Comilla Zilla School are here, the latter since 1837.[20] Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD) is situated in Kotbari. The area saw the development of Comilla Model.[21]

Education

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Noteable people

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The following people were either born or stayed in this district for a significant span of their lifetime:


See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ 1941 figures are for the Sadar subdivision of erstwhile Tippera district, which roughly corresponds to the present district
  2. ^ Including Jainism, Christianity, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Ad-Dharmis, or not stated

References

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  1. ^ "List of Deputy Commissioners". pmis.mopa.gov.bd. Archived from the original on 8 November 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  2. ^ "কুমিল্লা জেলা". www.comilla.gov.bd.
  3. ^ "কুমিল্লা জেলা". www.comilla.gov.bd.
  4. ^ a b c d e Population and Housing Census 2022 National Report (PDF). Vol. 1. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. November 2023.
  5. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  6. ^ Mahadi Al Hasnat (2 April 2018). "Mixed reactions as govt changes English spellings of 5 district names". Dhaka Tribune. Archived from the original on 6 February 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  7. ^ a b c Siddiqi, Mamun (2012). "Comilla District". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  8. ^ Prasad, Bindeshwari (1977). Dynastic History of Magadha. p. 136.
  9. ^ "Gazetteer - Bengal District Gazetteer Tipperah District - South Asia Archive". www.southasiaarchive.com. 1933.
  10. ^ কুমিল্লা জেলা [District background]. Comilla District (in Bengali).
  11. ^ "Outcry over Comilla DC's misbehaviour with journos". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  12. ^ Upazilas of Comilla Archived 24 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Bangladesh Government.
  13. ^ a b c d e f "Bangladesh Population and Housing Census 2011 Zila Report – Comilla" (PDF). bbs.gov.bd. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.
  14. ^ "Census of India, 1941 Volume VI Bengal Province" (PDF).
  15. ^ "Profile Of Zone Comilla | Comilla EPZ". www.bepza.gov.bd. Archived from the original on 20 September 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  16. ^ "9 new units to start production in Comilla EPZ soon". Dhaka Tribune. Archived from the original on 20 September 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  17. ^ "Tributes paid at Maynamati War Cemetery". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  18. ^ "Choudhurani, Nawab Faizunnesa". Banglapedia. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  19. ^ "Islam, Kazi Nazrul". Banglapedia. Archived from the original on 6 July 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  20. ^ "Comilla Zila School". Banglapedia. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  21. ^ Binswanger-Mkhize, Hans P.; Regt, Jacomina P. de; Spector, Stephen (12 February 2010). Local and Community Driven Development: Moving to Scale in Theory and Practice. World Bank Publications. p. 32. ISBN 9780821381953.
  22. ^ Khan, Saleh Athar (2012). "Ahmad, Khondakar Mostaq". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  23. ^ রবীন্দ্রনাথকে হৃদয়ে ধারণ ও নজরুল চেতনায় উজ্জীবিত হতে হবে. Comillar Kagoj (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 28 February 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  24. ^ "Life sketch of newly appointed Chief Justice of Bangladesh". Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha. 23 December 2009. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  25. ^ "Karim, AKM Bazlul". Banglapedia.
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