Brahmanpara Upazila

.42%, female 46.58%; population density is 1553 per sq km. Literacy rate among the town people is 41%; male 43.40%, female 36.3%. Administration Once Brahmanpara was included in Kasba thana and it was included in Burichang thana in 1954. In 1968, Brahmanpara police out post was established and in 1976 it was separated from Burichang thana and became an independent thana. It was turned into an upazila in 1983. The upazila consists of 8 union parishads, 53 mouzas and 65 villages. Archaeological heritage and relics Tombs of Panch Pir (1815) west side of the Shashidal Rail Station, Shaitshala Jami Mosque (1719), Shiva Mandir (eighteenth century) at Chandla, Math and sacred place (1822) at Harimangal, Ramnagar elongated Math (1705) and Rammahan Mandir (1805) at Shaitshala. Historical events During the war of liberation a battle was fought between the Pakistan army and the freedom fighters (under the command of honourary Captain Md. Wahab) on the bank of the Ghungur River at Holaimuri (border of Kasba and Brahmanpara). In this battle, 15 members of the Pak army including a Captain were killed. The Pak army later established camps at nearby Chandala and Shaitshala Villages and killed more than one hundred villagers. Marks of War of Liberation Mass grave on the bank of a pond at Harimangal near the Railway; mass killing sites premises of Bhuiya Bari at north Chandala and premises of Probad Kumar Das at south Chandala. Population 161906; male 51%, female 49%; Muslim 96.14%, Hindu 3.36%, Christian 0.12%, Buddhist 0.10% and others 0.28%; ethnic nationals 8 families. Religious institutions Mosque 155, temple 12, tomb 4 and sacred place 5. Noted religious institutions: Baghai Shah Jami Mosque, Shaitshala Jami Mosque, tombs of Panch Pir at Shashidal, Chandala Shiva Mandir, Math and place of pilgrimage at Harimangal, Ramnagar joint Math and Rammahan Mandir at Shaitshala. Literacy and educational institutions Average literacy 32.6%; male 40.25%, female 24.9%. Educational institutions: college 4, high school 26, madrasa 18, government primary school 53, non-government primary school 38, low cost school 9, satellite school 13 and maktab 178. Noted educational institutions: Shashidal Union High School (1890), Chandana K B High School (1920), Brahmanpara Bhagaban High School (1940), Madhabpur Sheikhlal High School (1911) and Sahebabad Degree College (1970). Cultural organisations Voluntary organisation 44, club 44, public library 1, cinema hall 1, cooperative society 195, rural community centre 8. Main occupations Agriculture 53.74%, agricultural labourer 17.23%, wage labourer 1.94% commerce 9.84%, service 9.67%, and others 7.58%. Land use Total cultivable land 8970 hectares, fallow land 19.40 hectares, permanently uncultivable land 32 hectares; single crop 12.04%, double crop 44.89% and treble crop 43.07%; cultivable land under irrigation 92.74%. Land control Among the peasants 4.49% are landless, 7.8% marginal, 77.9% small, 9.46% intermediate and 0.35% rich. Value of land The market value of the land of the first grade is Tk 10000 per 0.01 hectare. Main crops Paddy, jute, mustard seed, wheat, potato, onion, garlic, betel leaf and vegetables. Extinct or nearly extinct crops Linseed, kaun, sugarcane, varieties of pulse, shalgam, arahar, carrot, local variety of paddy. Main fruits Mango, jackfruit, banana, papaya, kamranga, karamcha, sharif phal. Fisheries, dairies, poultries Fishery 3, poultry 15 and hatchery 3 (fish). Communication facilities Roads: pucca 25 km, semi pucca 2 km, mud road 278 km; railways 7 km, railway station 2; waterways 27 nautical mile. Traditional transport Palanquin, horse carriage, bullock cart, gaina nauka (boat), kosha nauka and dinghi nauka. These means of transport are either extinct or nearly extinct. Manufactories Rice mill 44, oil mill 10, flour mill 45, ice factory 9 and saw mill 20. Cottage industries Weaving 11, bamboo and cane work 61, blacksmith 95, potteries 110, wood work 71, goldsmith 20, jute and cotton work 23, oil grinding 6, bakery 25, tailoring 72 and others 112. Hats, bazars and fairs Total number of hats and bazars are 22, most noted hats and bazars are Sahebabad, Dulalpur, Chandala, Madhavpur and Malapara Hat. Fairs 16, noted fairs are Shiva Bali Mela at Chandala, Baishakhi Mela at Ramantar, Kalibari Mela at Sahebabad, Kalisiddha Mela at Shaitshala, Dayamay Mahautshab at Makimpur and Purnadham Mela at Austagram. Main exports Jute, betel leaf and potato. NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, asa, grameen bank, proshika and Pages. Health centres Upazila health complex 1, sub health centre 3, union clinic 5, satellite clinic 64.