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30 Oct 2013

Jessore District

Jessore
যশোহর
District
Central Jessore Town
Central Jessore Town
Location of Jessore in Bangladesh
Jessore District is located in India
Jessore
Location of Jessore in Bangladesh
Coordinates: 23.17°N 89.20°ECoordinates: 23.17°N 89.20°E
Country  Bangladesh
Area
 • Total 2,606.94 km2 (1,006.55 sq mi)
Elevation 7 m (23 ft)
Population (2011 Census)
 • Total 2,764,547
 • Density 1,100/km2 (2,700/sq mi)
Literacy rate
 • Total 52.5%
Time zone BST (UTC+6)
 • Summer (DST) BDST (UTC+7)
Postal code 7400
Website Banglapedia Article
Jessore is a district in the of southwestern tip of Bangladesh. It is bordered by India to the west. The district produces a variety of crops year-round. Date-sugar, called patali, is made from the sap of locally grown date trees. It is cooked, thickened and crystallised using a traditional method. Patali is mainly produced in Khajura, but many date trees are cultivated in the Keshabpur Upazila and Manirampur Upazila areas.
Jessore district was established in 1781. It consists of 4 municipalities, 36 wards, 8 upazilas, 92 unions, 1329 mouzas, 1434 villages and 120 mahallas. Upazilas are Abhaynagar Upazila, Bagherpara Upazila, Chaugachha Upazila, Jessore Sadar Upazila, Jhikargachha Upazila, Keshabpur Upazila, Manirampur Upazila, and Sharsha Upazila.
Jessore town consists of 9 wards and 73 mahalls. Jessore municipality was established in 1864. The area of the town is 25.72 km2. It has a population of 201,796 at the 2011 Census. The literacy rate among the townspeople is 56.57% in 1991. The town has one dakbungalow.

History

Jessore is a kingdom and Raja Pratapaditya is the king. Jessore district once belonged to the ancient Janapada kingdom of Samatat Janapada. In 1947, Jessore was partially divided. Except for the Bangaon and Gaighata thanas, the district became part of East Bengal.
The Bengali soldiers stationed at Jessore cantonment mutinied against the Pakistan Army on 29 March 1971. They were led by Captain Hafiz Uddin and Lieutenant Anwar in an uprising where 300 soldiers were killed. The rebels killed 50 Pakistani soldiers with machine gun fire at Chanchara.
On 7 December 1971, Jessore became the first district of Bengal to be liberated from Pakistani forces.

Places to see

Village Balia Vakutia is famous for its small weaving industry (loom), where shaari, loongi, gamchha etc. clothes are produced. Village Rampur has become a tourist attraction for its island-like look surrounded by two rivers, Jhapa Bayor and Khajura Bayor. The Kopotak-kho River flows through the area.
At Abhaynagar Upazila, there is a small village called Dhoolgraam. It once had a magnificent complex of 17 Hindu temples, but only one remains today. Most of the temples were destroyed by the Bhairab River. A beautiful terracotta design can be seen all over the temple. It is considered a very holy place by Bengali Hindus.
The main gate of the house of Michael Madhusudan Dutta at Sagardari village in Jessore. This house is currently being used as a museum.
In Vaatnogor at Abhaynagar Upazila, ruins of eleven temple complex, dedicated to Lord Shiva, remains. Though the central temple is partially destroyed, the site still shows the majesty of Bengal's glorious past.
A terracotta plaque bearing the image of Mallinath, a female tirthankar (saint) of the Jain religion, was found at the Mound of Dam Dam Peer in Manirampur Upazila. It is believed to be the most ancient relic discovered from this part of the world. The Archaeology Department at Khulna said that the plaque is at least 1800 years old. It is currently kept at the Khulna Museum. [1]
  • Near the town of Jessore is the suburb Chanchra. A Chanchra Rajbari once stood but has deteriorated. Visitors can see the Lord Shiva Temple, which is almost restored; the remains of the Dosh Mohabid-da Temple, unique in Bengal; and Jora Shiv Temple at Murali in a deteriorated condition.
  • Imam Bara, at Murolir Mor beside the Dhaka-Khulna Highway, is a historical building constructed by Hazi Muhammad Mohsin.
  • The Jessore Collectorate Building, in Doratana, is one of the oldest buildings in Jessore.
Shaagordaari is the birthplace of the poet Michael Madhusudan Dutta. His large villa consists of a huge garden, a small museum and houses. The front gate has a solid sculpture work. The Kopotak-kho River is at a stone's throw away.
Near Jessore Sadar Upazila village Hamidpur has an ancient mosque, known as "Shani mosque." It is an example of the high architecture of Muslim Sultani period.

Demographics

District

  • Jessore District had a population of 2,764,547 at the 2011 Census.
  • 85.5% of the population are Muslims, 14.21% are Hindus and the remaining 0.29% practise another religion. Religious institutions included 3928 mosques, 463 temples, 86 churches and 17 Buddhist temples.
  • The average literacy rate is 45.2% — very low compared to the rest of the world, but average in Bengal. 41% of males are literate, while only 25.1% of females are.
  • The main occupations are agriculture 39.84%, agricultural labourer 24.13%, wage labourer 2.68%, commerce 11.99%, service 8.66%, industry 1.41%, transport 3.11% and others 8.18%.
  • The main crops are paddy, jute, sugarcane, tuberose, vegetables. Main fruits are date, jackfruit, papaya, banana, litchi and coconut. Main exports are cotton, jute, leather, jackfruit, banana, comb and date molasses, and vegetables.
  • Jessore is a place for growing flowers.

Town

  • The town area is almost 64 km².
  • The town of Jessore has a population almost half of that of the entire district's — 1,178,273, of which 52.97% are male and 47.03% are female.
  • The literacy rate amongst townspeople (68.57%) is significantly higher than that of the entire district.
Jessore District encompasses 2606.98 km². It is bounded by Jhenaidaha and Magura districts at the north, Satkhira and Khulna districts at the south, Narail and Khulna districts at the east, and Assam of India at the northeast. Major rivers that flow through this region are the Voyirob and Kopotak-kho.
Annual average temperature range from 9 to 41 °C (48 to 106 °F). The annual rainfall is 1,537 millimetres (60.5 in).
Jessore District's administrative framework was established in 1781. It consists of the following eight Upazilas
(data from Banglapedia):
Upazila Area in
km2		 2011 Census
population
Upazila Area in
km2		 2011 Census
population
Abhaynagar Upazila 247.21 262,434
Keshabpur Upazila 258.44 253,291
Bagherpara Upazila 308.29 216,897
Jessore Sadar Upazila 435.22 742,898
Chaugachha Upazila 269.31 231,370
Manirampur Upazila 444.20 417,421
Jhikargachha Upazila 307.96 298,908
Sharsha Upazila 336.28 341,328
The upazilas are further divided into 4 municipalities, 36 wards, 92 unions, 1329 mouzas, 1434 villages and 120 mahallas.

Transport

Jessore has communication links with nearby districts. It has highways for transportation to West and East Bengal.
Jessore is a junction on the broad gauge-based network of the Eastern Railway. The network has links extended into Indian territory. Service linking the capital Dhaka and the Indian city Kolkata was to start April 2008. Jessore is about midway along the route.
The Jessore Airport, near the city, is an airbase for the Bangladesh Air Force. Alongside military service, its runways cater to some commercial airlines, such as GMG Airlines, United Airways and Royal Bengal Airlines, for domestic flights.

Notable educational institutions

Notable natives and residents

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