Dhaka Division ঢাকা বিভাগ Dacca Division | |
|---|---|
 Location of Dhaka inBangladesh | |
| Coordinates:24°10′N90°25′E / 24.167°N 90.417°E /24.167; 90.417 | |
| Country |  Bangladesh |
| Established | 1829 |
| Capital and largest city | Dhaka |
| Government | |
| • Divisional Commissioner | Sharf Uddin Ahmed Choudhury |
| • Parliamentary constituency | Jatiya Sangsad (70 seats) |
| Area | |
| 20,508.8 km2 (7,918.5 sq mi) | |
| Population (2022)[2] | |
| 44,215,759 (Enumerated) | |
| • Density | 2,156/km2 (5,580/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 20,752,075 |
| • Rural | 23,454,222 |
| • Metro | 13,941,452 |
| • Adjusted Population[2] | 45,644,586 |
| Demonym | Dhakaiya |
| Time zone | UTC+6 (BST) |
| ISO 3166 code | BD-C |
| HDI(2022) |  0.698[3] |
| Notable sports teams | Dhaka Capitals Dhaka Metropolis Dhaka Division |
| Website | dhakadiv |
Dhaka Division (Bengali:ঢাকা বিভাগ,romanized: Ḍhaka Bibhag) is anadministrative division ofBangladesh.[4]Dhaka serves as thecapital city of Dhaka Division, theDhaka District andBangladesh. The division remains a population magnet, and covers an area of 20,508.8 km2 with a population in excess of 44 million, it is one of the fastest growing populousadministrative divisions of the world, growing at a rate of 1.94% since prior count, compared with the national average of 1.22%.[5] However, national figures may include data skewing expatriation of male labor force as gender ratio is skewed towards females.
Dhaka Division borders every other division in the country exceptRangpur Division. It is bounded byMymensingh Division to the north,Barisal Division to the south,Chittagong Division to the east and south-east,Sylhet Division to the north-east, andRajshahi Division to the west andKhulna Divisions to the south-west.
The origins of the name Dhaka are uncertain. It may derive from thedhak tree, which was once common in the area, or fromDhakeshwari, the 'patron goddess' of the region.[6][7] Another popular theory states that Dhaka refers to amembranophone instrument,dhak which was played by order ofSubahdarIslam Khan I during the inauguration of the Bengal capital in 1610.[8]
Some references also say it was derived from aPrakrit dialect called Dhaka Bhasa; or Dhakka, used in theRajtarangini for a watch station; or it is the same as Davaka, mentioned in theAllahabad pillar inscription ofSamudragupta as an eastern frontier kingdom.[9] According toRajatarangini written by a Kashmiri Brahman,Kalhana,[10] the region was originally known asDhakka. The wordDhakka meanswatchtower.Bikrampur andSonargaon—the earlier strongholds of Bengal rulers were situated nearby. So Dhaka was most likely used as the watchtower for the fortification purpose.[10]
The history of urban settlements in the area of modern-day Dhaka dates to the first millennium.[11] The Greater Dhaka region was under the kingdom ofVanga andGangaridai in ancient period.[12] The region was part of the ancient division ofBikrampur, which was ruled by theSena dynasty.[13] The ancient city ofBikrampur in Dhaka was also one of the capitals ofPalas,Chandras,Varmans andDevas. The ancient city of Dholsamudra in present-day Gazipur served as one of the capitals of the BuddhistPala Empire. In the sixth century, forts were built inToke and Ekdala which continued to be used as late as theMughal Period. Chinashkhania was the capital of the Chandalas and Shishu Pal had his capital in modern-daySreepur, which the ruins of can still be seen today. Another fort was built in Dardaria in 1200.[4] UnderIslamic rule, the centre moved to the historic district ofSonargaon, the regional administrative hub of theDelhi and theBengal Sultanates.[14]
At the end of theKarrani Dynasty (1564–1575), the nobles ofBengal became fiercely independent.Sulaiman Khan Karrani carved out an independent principality in the Bhati region comprising a part of greaterDhaka district and parts ofMymensingh district. During that periodTaj Khan Karrani and another Afghan chieftain helpedIsa Khan to obtain an estate inSonargaon andMymensingh in 1564. By winning the grace of the Afghan chieftain, Isa Khan gradually increased his strength and status and by 1571, the Mughal Court designated him as the ruler of Bhati.[15] Mughal histories, mainly theAkbarnama, theAin-i-Akbari and theBaharistan-i-Ghaibi refers to the low-lying regions of Bengal asBhati. This region includes the Bhagirathi to theMeghna River is Bhati, while others include Hijli,Jessore, Chandradwip andBarisal Division in Bhati. Keeping in view the theatre of warfare between the Baro-Bhuiyans and the Mughals, the Baharistan-i-Ghaibi mentions the limits of the area bounded by theIchamati River in the west, theGanges in the south, theTripura to the east; Alapsingh pargana (in presentMymensingh District) and Baniachang (in greaterSylhet) in the north. The Baro-Bhuiyans rose to power in this region and put up resistance to the Mughals, untilIslam Khan Chisti made them submit in the reign ofJahangir.[16] Throughout his reign Isa Khan put resistance againstMughal invasion. It was only after his death, when the region went totally underMughals.[16]Isa Khan was buried in the village ofBakhtarpur.[17]
_Dhaka_Bangladesh_2011_54.JPG)
Dhaka became the capital of the Mughal province of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa in 1610 with a jurisdiction covering modern-day Bangladesh andeastern India, including the modern-dayIndian states ofWest Bengal,Bihar andOrissa. This province was known asBengal Subah. The city was founded during the reign ofEmperor Jahangir. EmperorShah Jahan visited Dhaka in 1624 and stayed in the city for a week, four years before he became emperor in 1628.[18] Dhaka became one of the richest and greatest cities in the world during the early period of Bengal Subah (1610–1717). The prosperity of Dhaka reached its peak during the administration of governorShaista Khan (1644-1677 and 1680–1688). Rice was then sold at eight maunds per rupee. Thomas Bowrey, an English merchant sailor who visited the city between 1669 and 1670, wrote that the city was 40 miles in circuit. He estimated the city to be more populated thanLondon with 900,000 people.[19]
Bengal became the economic engine of the Mughal Empire. Dhaka played a key role in theproto-industrialisation of Bengal. It was the centre of themuslin trade in Bengal, leading to muslin being called "daka" in distant markets as far away asCentral Asia.[20]Islam Khan I was the first Mughal governor to reside in the city.[21] Khan named it "Jahangir Nagar" (The City of Jahangir) in honour of the Emperor Jahangir. The name was dropped soon after the English conquered. Dhaka became home to one of the richest elites in Mughal India.[22]
Under the Nawabs of Bengal, theNaib Nazim of Dhaka was in charge of the city. The Naib Nazim was the deputy governor of Bengal. He also dealt with the upkeep of the Mughal Navy. The Naib Nazim was in charge of the Dhaka Division, which included Dhaka,Comilla, and Chittagong. Dhaka Division was one of the four divisions under the Nawabs of Bengal. The Nawabs of Bengal allowed European trading companies to establish factories across Bengal. The region then became a hotbed for European rivalries. The British moved to oust the last independent Nawab of Bengal in 1757, who was allied with the French. Due to the defection of Nawab's army chiefMir Jafar to the British side, the last Nawab lost theBattle of Plassey.[citation needed]
In the northern part of the Dhaka division,Bhawal Estate was a largezamindari inBengal (in modern-dayGazipur, Bangladesh) until it was abolished according toEast Bengal State Acquisition and Tenancy Act of 1950. In the late 17th century, Daulat Ghazi was the zamindar of the Ghazi estate of Bhawal. Bala Ram was Diwan of Daulat Ghazi. In 1704, as the consequence of change in the policy of revenue collection, Bala Ram's son Sri Krishna was installed as the zamindar of Bhawal byMurshid Quli Khan. Since then, through acquisitions the zamindari expanded. The family turned into the proprietor of the whole Bhawal pargana after purchasing the zamindari of J. Wise, an indigo grower for Rs 4,46,000.[23] In 1878,British Raj conferredRaja title to Zamindar Kalinarayan Roy Chowdhury who oversaw the Bhawal estate.[23] At its peak, the estate comprised over 1,500 square kilometer, which included 2,274 villages and around 55,000 villagers.[24]
On the southern side the notable township was Fatehabad located by a stream known as the Dead Padma, which was 32 kilometres (20 mi) from the main channel of the Padma River. SultanJalaluddin Muhammad Shah established amint in Fatehabad during his reign in the early 15th century. Fatehabad continued to be a mint town of theBengal Sultanate until 1538. InAin-i-Akbari, it was named asHaweli Mahal Fatehabad during the reign ofEmperor Akbar in theMughal Empire. ThePortuguese cartographerJoão de Barros mentioned it asFatiabas. The Dutch map of Van den Brouck described it asFathur.[25] By the 19th century, the town was renamed as Faridpur in honour of theSufi saint Shah Fariduddin Masud, a follower of theChishti order ofAjmer.[25]Haji Shariatullah andDudu Miyan led the conservativeFaraizi movement in Faridpur during the early 19th century. The Faridpur District was established by the British in 1786. The Faridpur Subdivision was a part of Dacca Division in theBengal Presidency established by theEast India Company. The municipality of Faridpur was established in 1869.[26] The subdivision covered modern day Faridpur,Rajbari,Madaripur,Shariatpur andGopalganj districts (collectively known as Greater Faridpur). It was included inEastern Bengal and Assam during theBritish Raj between 1905 and 1912.
During theIndian mutiny of 1857, Dhaka witnessed revolts by theBengal Army.[27]Direct rule by the British crown was established following the successful quelling of the mutiny. It bestowed privileges on the Dhaka Nawab Family, which dominated the city's political and social elite. In 1885, the Dhaka State Railway was opened with a 144 km metre gauge (1000 mm) rail line connectingMymensingh and thePort of Narayanganj through Dhaka.[28] The city later became a hub of theEastern Bengal State Railway.[28] The electricity supply began in 1901.[29]
Dhaka's fortunes changed in the early 20th century. British neglect of Dhaka's urban development was overturned with thefirst partition of Bengal in 1905, which restored Dhaka's status as a regional capital. The city became the seat of government forEastern Bengal and Assam, with a jurisdiction covering most of modern-day Bangladesh and all of what is nowNortheast India. The partition was the brainchild ofLord Curzon, who finally acted on British ideas for partitioning Bengal with a view to improving administration, education, and business. Dhaka became the seat of theEastern Bengal and Assam Legislative Council. Dhaka was the seat of government for 4 administrative divisions, including the Assam Valley Division, Chittagong Division, Dacca Division, Rajshahi Division, and the Surma Valley Division. There were a total of 30 districts in Eastern Bengal and Assam, including Dacca, Mymensingh, Faridpur andBackergunge in Dacca Division;Tippera, Noakhali, Chittagong and theHill Tracts in Chittagong Division; Rajshahi, Dinajpur,Jalpaiguri, Rangpur, Bogra, Pabna andMalda in Rajshahi Division; Sylhet,Cachar, theKhasi and Jaintia Hills, theNaga Hills and theLushai Hills in Surma Valley Division; andGoalpara,Kamrup, theGaro Hills,Darrang,Nowgong,Sibsagar andLakhimpur in Assam Valley Division.[30] The province was bordered byCooch Behar State,Hill Tipperah and theKingdom of Bhutan.
The development of the "real city" began after thepartition of India.[31] After partition, Dhaka became known as thesecond capital ofPakistan.[31][32] This was formalized in 1962 whenAyub Khan declared the city as the legislative capital under the1962 constitution. The economy began to industrialize. On the outskirts of the city, theworld's largest jute mill was built. The mill produced jute goods which were in high demand during theKorean War.[33] TheIntercontinental hotel, designed byWilliam B. Tabler, was opened in 1966. Estonian-American architectLouis I. Kahn was enlisted to design the Dhaka Assembly, which was originally intended to be the federal parliament of Pakistan and later became independent Bangladesh's parliament. TheEast Pakistan Helicopter Service connected the city to regional towns.
TheDhaka Stock Exchange was opened on 28 April 1954. The first local airlineOrient Airways began flights between Dhaka andKarachi on 6 June 1954. TheDhaka Improvement Trust was established in 1956 to coordinate the city's development. The first master plan for the city was drawn up in 1959.[34] TheSoutheast Asia Treaty Organization established a medical research centre (now calledICDDR,B) in the city in 1960.
After independence, Following theindependence of Bangladesh in 1971, the country had four divisions:Chittagong Division, Dacca Division,Khulna Division, andRajshahi Division. In 1982, the English spelling of the Dacca Division (along with the name of the capital city) was changed into Dhaka Division.[citation needed] In the 1990s and 2000s, Dhaka experienced improved economic growth and the emergence of affluent business districts and satellite towns.[35] Between 1990 and 2005, the city's population doubled from 6 million to 12 million.[36] There has been increasedforeign investment in the city, particularly in the financial and textile manufacturing sectors.
Dhaka Division consisted before 2015 of fourcity corporations, 13 districts, 123 upazilas and 1,248 union parishads. However, four of the most northerly of the 17 districts were removed in 2015 to create the newMymensingh Division, and another five districts (those situated to the south of theGanges/Padma River) are in the process of being removed to create a newFaridpur Division.
| Name | Capital | Area (km2) | Area (sq mi) | Population 1991 Census | Population 2001 Census | Population 2011 Census | Population 2022 census |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dhaka District | Dhaka | 1,463.60 | 565.10 | 5,839,642 | 8,511,228 | 12,043,977 | 14,734,024 |
| Gazipur District | Gazipur | 1,806.36 | 697.44 | 1,621,562 | 2,031,891 | 3,403,912 | 5,262,978 |
| Manikganj District | Manikganj | 1,383.66 | 534.23 | 1,175,909 | 1,285,080 | 1,392,867 | 1,557,927 |
| Munshiganj District | Munshiganj | 1,004.29 | 387.76 | 1,188,387 | 1,293,972 | 1,445,660 | 1,625,354 |
| Narayanganj District | Narayanganj | 684.37 | 264.24 | 1,754,804 | 2,173,948 | 2,948,217 | 3,908,898 |
| Narsingdi District | Narsingdi | 1,150.14 | 444.07 | 1,652,123 | 1,895,984 | 2,224,944 | 2,584,335 |
| Kishoreganj District | Kishoreganj | 2,688.53 | 1038.05 | 2,306,079 | 2,594,954 | 2,911,907 | 3,267,626 |
| Tangail District | Tangail | 3,414.35 | 1,318.29 | 3,002,428 | 3,290,696 | 3,750,781 | 4,037,316 |
| Faridpur District | Faridpur | 2,052.68 | 792.54 | 1,505,686 | 1,756,470 | 1,912,969 | 2,162,754 |
| Gopalganj District | Gopalganj | 1,468.74 | 567.08 | 1,060,791 | 1,165,273 | 1,172,415 | 1,295,005 |
| Madaripur District | Madaripur | 1,125.69 | 434.63 | 1,069,176 | 1,146,349 | 1,165,952 | 1,292,963 |
| Rajbari District | Rajbari | 1,092.28 | 421.73 | 835,173 | 951,906 | 1,049,778 | 1,189,743 |
| Shariatpur District | Shariatpur | 1,174.05 | 453.30 | 953,021 | 1,082,300 | 1,155,824 | 1,294,511 |
| Total Districts * | 13 | 20,508.80 | 7,918.49 | 23,964,789 | 29,180,051 | 36,433,505 | 44,213,278 |
Note: * revised area and its population after excluding the districts transferred to the newMymensingh Division.
Census figures for 1991, 2001, 2011 and 2022 are from Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, Population Census Wing. The 2022 Census figures are based on preliminary results.
| Religion | Percent | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muslims | 93.40% | |||
| Hindus | 6.26% | |||
| Christians | 0.28% | |||
| Others | 0.06% | |||
Muslims are the predominant religious group with 93.40%, while Hindus are main minority with 6.26% population. Christians and others are 0.28% and 0.06% respectively. Out of 44,213,278 population, 41,295,740 are Muslims, 2,766,723 are Hindus, 124,349 are Christians, 20,341 are Buddhist, with some other faiths small population.[2]
Dhaka's name is said to refer to the dhak tree, once common in the area, or to Dhakeshwari ("The Hidden Goddess"), whose shrine is located in the western part of the city.
In history, it is often believed that Raja Ballal Sen of the Sen Dynasty of Bengal founded the Dhakeshwari Temple in the 12th century to mark the place of his birth and to pay tribute to the patron goddess of this region. The name Dhaka is believed to have originated from Dhakeshwari in the same way Athens got its name from Athena, the patron goddess of the Greek city.
Places adjacent to Dhaka Division | |
|---|---|
| Barisal Division |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Chittagong Division | ||
| Dhaka Division | ||
| Khulna Division | ||
| Mymensingh Division | ||
| Rajshahi Division | ||
| Rangpur Division | ||
| Sylhet Division | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
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