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]
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
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
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]
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]
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
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
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]
Kamrul Ahsan : secretary to the government and now serving as Bangladesh Ambassador to Russia. Earlier served as High Commissioner to Canada and Singapore.
Buddhadeb Basu (1908–1974): Indian poet, novelist, essayist, translator and editor
Akbar Hossain BP: former minister of Bangladesh government
Abdul Gani: (1919 – 1957) was a Bengali military officer. He was the founder and the first in-charge of one of the pioneer companies of 1st East Bengal Regiment.
Akhtar Hameed Khan (1914–1999): social reformer and development activist. He is from U.P -undivided India, but spent an important part of his life as asst magistrate (ICS) and thereafter as principal Victoria College and creator of co-operative programme and BARD at Comilla
Abul Manzoor, sector commander during Bangladesh War of Independence and decorated with the award Bir Uttom, was born in Comilla
Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan, Bangladeshi student activist, who is currently serving as an adviser to the Bangladesh interim government.He is a key coordinator of the Anti-discrimination Students Movement, which led the Student–People's uprising. He is also the former president of Bangladesh Sadharon Chhatra Odhikar Songrokkhon Parishad at Dhaka University unit.
Asif Nazrul, Bangladeshi writer, novelist, columnist, political commentator, and a professor of law at the University of Dhaka. Nazrul wrote more than ten novels and nonfiction books. He was appointed an adviser to the interim government of Bangladesh in August 2024. He is responsible for the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment and Ministry of Cultural Affairs.
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