Bogra

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Bogra বগুড়া Bogura
City
clockwise: Central Bogra, Bogra bypass, Mahasthangarh, Bogura railway station, Azizul Haque College
Bogra Location in Rajshahi Division Bogra Location in Bangladesh Show map of Bangladesh Rajshahi divisionShow map of BangladeshShow all
Coordinates: 24°51′N 89°22′E / 24.850°N 89.367°E / 24.850; 89.367
Country	Bangladesh
Division	Rajshahi Division
District	Bogra District
Pundravardhana	1280 BC
Government
• Type	Mayor–Council
• Body
• Mayor	Rezaul Karim Badsha
Area
• Total	69.56 km2 (26.86 sq mi)
Elevation	20 m (70 ft)
Population  (2017)
• Total	540,000
Time zone	UTC+6 (BST)
Postal code	5800
Calling code	051
Website	www.bogra.gov.bd

Bogra, officially known as Bogura,^[1] is a major city located in the Bogra District, Rajshahi Division, Bangladesh. It is a major commercial hub in Northern Bangladesh. The Bogra bridge connects the Rajshahi Division and Rangpur Division.^[2] It is the second largest city in Rajshahi Division in city proper wise.

Bogra is named after Nasiruddin Bughra Khan, the Governor of Bengal from 1279 to 1282^[3] and the son of Delhi Sultan Ghiyasuddin Balban.

The city is approximately 69.56 km² (26.86 sq mi) and is divided into 21 wards. Bogra has a population of around 540,000 people. Since it is one of the oldest cities in Bengal, Bogra is famous for its many ancient Buddhist stupas, Hindu temples, and ancient palaces of Buddhist kings and Muslim sultans.

The city has produced notable personalities including Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Bogra of Pakistan, President Ziaur Rahman of Bangladesh, both of whom were born or have lived in the city.

History[]

Bogra is considered the oldest city of Bengal, dating to the reign of the Great Emperor Ashoka, who ruled India from 268 to 232 BCE. When Ashoka conquered the Bengal (Bongo) region, he founded Bogra and called it Pundra Bardhan. This is supported by the discovery in October 2008 of an ancient engraved stone believed to be produced in the Gupta era near at Ghoraghat Upazila in Dinajpur.

During the Bangladesh War of Independence, the area witnessed the Battle of Bogra, a fierce conflict between the guerrilla units of the Bangladesh Forces under Sector 7 and the Pakistan Army.

Geography[]

Ramparts of the Mahasthangarh citadel, a few miles from Bogra

First formed in 1821, the administrative district of Bogra contains an area of 1,359 sq mi (3,520 km²).

The principal rivers in the district are formed by the different channels of the Brahmaputra. The rivers have local names such as the Konai, the , and the Jamuna. The latter forms a portion of the eastern boundary of the district. The Brahmaputra and its channels, together with three minor streams, the Bangali, Karatoya and Atrai, drive the thriving commercial activities in the area.

In 1911 the Karatoya (which flows from north to south), divided the district into two portions, the eastern tract with rich alluvial soil, subject to fertilizing inundations, yielded heavy crops of coarse rice, oil seeds, and jute, while the soil of the higher western portion of the district allowed for growing rice.^[4]

Climate[]

The city enjoys a tropical climate, with two main seasons: winter and summer. Bogra experiences more rainfall during the summer.

Economy[]

Since the 2009 adoption of new urban planning, there has been a significant development in the infrastructure of Bogra. This includes the restructuring and widening of roads, improvement of telecommunications infrastructure, and the installation of underground gas connections.

Additionally, red chili production in Bogra is a major industry, with companies such as Square, Acme, and collecting red chili from twelve centers within Bogra.^[5]

Often called the "Town of Banks", Bogra is the location of numerous online banking facilities, credit card, debit card, and remittance companies. Banking in Bogra has significantly expanded with the presence of government banks such as the Bangladesh Bank (Central Bank), Sonali Bank, Rupali Bank, Janata Bank, Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank, Bangladesh Development Bank Ltd., , and Agrani Bank, as well as a number of private and specialized banks, including Pubali Bank, National Bank, , , and others.

Sherpur Road, Bogra

Bogra is also home to an increasing number of IT, software, technology, and computer services companies.^[6] One of the milestones of its tech sector occurred in 2008 when the French Grameen Group and Groupe Danone entered into a joint venture with a local company to establish an organization named Grameen Danone.^[7]

Bir Shreshtha Smruti Pillar

Statistically, Bogra's workforce is still dominated by jobs in the agriculture sector (29.95%) and agricultural manufacturing (12.53%). They are followed by general commerce (18.11%), customer service (15.62%), transportation (6.66%), wage labor (2.2%), and other industries (14.93%).^[8]

Transportation[]

Bogra has several railway stations and bus terminals.

Tourism[]

Bogra is home to Mahasthangarh, the earliest known urban archaeological site in Bangladesh, as well as the village of Mahasthan in Shibganj thana of Bogra District. This site contains the remains of Pundranagara (or Paundravardhanapura), an ancient city in the territory of Pundravardhana.^[9][10][11] This place is considered sacred to Buddhists, Muslims, and Hindus alike.^[12] Pilgrims and visitors tour the area all year round.

The is a popular tourist attraction in the city and is close to other popular spots and monuments such as the Mahasthangar, Nawab Palace (called Neelkuthi during the British period), (Sherpur Upazila), Bara Mosque, Mazar of Shah Sultan Balkhi, Mazar of Panchpir, Gokul Medh, Palace of Parshuram, Basu Bihara, Palli Unnayan Academy, Saudia City Park, Bhimer Jangle, Museum of Nawab Bari Palace, Wonderland Shishupark (a children's park), Shanewaz Shishubagan, Woodburn Park, Dreshtinandan Park, Bijayangan (the War of Liberation museum), and the Jaina Temple.

Mahasthangarh, Bogra

Notable residents[]

• Humayun Ahmed, writer and filmmaker, attended Bogra Zilla School.^[13]
• Khademul Bashar, Bir Uttam, chief of the Bangladesh Air Force in 1976, was born in Bogra.^[14]
• Apu Biswas, film actress
• Muhammad Ali Bogra, Prime Minister of Pakistan (1953–1955), lived in Bogra.^[15]
• Akhteruzzaman Elias, novelist and short story writer, attended Bogra Zilla School.^[13]
• Gaziul Haque, Bengali language movement activist, attended Bogra Zilla School.^[13]
• Muhammed Zafar Iqbal, physicist, attended Bogra Zilla School.^[13]
• Mp bogura sadar–9 (1979–1982) Founder secretary Bogura zela BNP,
• Shafiul Islam, cricketer on the Bangladesh cricket team
• Tarun Majumdar, Indian film director
• Mushfiqur Rahim, cricketer of the Bangladesh cricket team
• Ziaur Rahman, President of Bangladesh (1977-1981), attended Bogra Zilla School.^[13]

See also[]

• Bogra Sadar Upazila, a sub-district (upzalia) of Bogra District.

Notes[]

References[]

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bogra". Encyclopædia Britannica. 4 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 121.

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bogura.

• Official website of Bogra

Coordinates: 24°51′N 89°22′E / 24.850°N 89.367°E / 24.850; 89.367

v t Largest cities or towns in Bangladesh Population and Housing Census 2011[1]
	Rank	Name	Division	Pop.	Rank	Name	Division	Pop.
Dhaka Chittagong	1	Dhaka	Dhaka	8,906,039	11	Savar	Dhaka	296,851	Khulna Sylhet
	2	Chittagong	Chittagong	2,592,439	12	Comilla	Chittagong	296,010
	3	Khulna	Khulna	664,728	13	Narayanganj	Dhaka	286,330
	4	Sylhet	Sylhet	531,663	14	Siddhirganj	Dhaka	256,760
	5	Rajshahi	Rajshahi	451,425	15	Jessore	Khulna	237,478
	6	Tongi	Dhaka	406,420	16	Cox's Bazar	Chittagong	223,522
	7	Bogra	Rajshahi	400,983	17	Gazipur	Dhaka	213,061
	8	Mymensingh	Mymensingh	389,918	18	Brahmanbaria	Chittagong	193,814
	9	Barisal	Barisal	339,308	19	Dinajpur	Rangpur	191,329
	10	Rangpur	Rangpur	307,053	20	Narsingdi	Dhaka	185,128