Patuakhali
Patuakhali
পটুয়াখালী | |
---|---|
UTC+6 (BST) | |
Area code | 8600 |
Website | www |
Patuakhali (Bengali: পটুয়াখালী Potuakhali) is a town and district headquarter of Patuakhali District located on the southern bank of Laukathi river in the division of Barisal in Bangladesh. It is the administrative headquarter of Patuakhali district and one of the oldest towns and municipalities in the country. Patuakhali municipality was established in 1892. The town covers an area of 27.03 km2 with a population of 65,000, according to the 2011 census.[1][2]
Title
There are different opinions about the origin of the name "Patuakhali". The general belief is that the name is derived from Bengali name "Patuar Khal" (Canal of Patua) which flows down the present Patuakhali municipality connecting the Bay of Bengal. It is said that at the beginning of the 17th century the Portuguese pirates used to make regular incursions to this area through this canal. The local people named it "Patuar Khal" which is now called "Patuakhali. Austric origin people are probably the first that settled in this region.
History
Historically, Patuakhali was part of Chandradwip kingdom in the fourteenth century. The present town was then full of jungle and along the river-side a small market used to meet once a week. During British rule in Bengal, the land of Patuakhali town was owned by a landlord family. A civil court with a Judge was set up in 1868 and Patuakhali was established a subdivision of then Barisal District in 1871 by the help of Brajamohan Dutta. On the northern bank of the river, in the village Laukathi, were the tahsil cutcheries of the principal landlords of the subdivision. With the influx of population from the districts of Dhaka, Faridpur and Barisal a good market, a middle English school and a charitable dispensary were gradually established and trading firms opened up business. The high school and the Begum Hospital were probably the most important public institution in the town that time. The high school was established in 1887 and a hostel attached to the school in 1904. The hospital was established in 1872, and was provided with a new building in 1904, the entire cost being borne by the late Nawab Sir Khwaja Ahsanullah Bahadur of Dacca. The hospital is called the Begum Hospital after the Nawab's wife. Rice, firewood, coarse cloth made by the local weavers and hogla mats were the chief items of trade. A hosiery factory was established in 1911–12.
Patuakhali was constituted a municipality on 1 April 1892. The Commissioners were at first nominated, but the elective system was introduced in 1900s. The Local Board was established in 1871. The area within the municipal limits was
Demographics
According to the
Sports
Cricket and football are the two most popular sports in Patuakhali while local games like
Education
Patuakhali town is a home to many educational institutions.
Transport and communications
The main transport systems used in the town are cycle rickshaws, auto rickshaws, buses, mini-buses, bikes and cars. Patuakhali can be reached by road and waterways. There is a bus station at Choumohoni a few kilometers away from the town and a launch terminal located at the other end which maintains communication with Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. There is no railway in this region.
Notable people
- AKM Fazlul Haque (surgeon), The Pioneer Colorectal Surgeon in Indo-Bangla Subcontinent (India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan)
- Comrade Hiralal Dasgupta, Revolutionary, Freedom Fighter and Author
- Satin Sen (1894–1955), Revolutionary
- BD Habibullah (1908–1998), Author and speaker
- Habibur Rahman, former member of parliament of Bangladesh
- Khan Shaheb Akram (1893–1978), Lawyer, Politician
- Kazi Aboul Kashem (1906–1984), MP, Lawyer, Politician, Life time President of Patuakhali Bar Association
- Sohag Gazi, Cricketer of the Bangladesh national cricket team.
- Shahjahan Mia MP, Member of parliament, Jatiya Sangsad (Patuakhali-1).
References
- ^ "Patuakhali at a glance". Bangladesh National Information Desk. Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
- ^ Patuakhali Community Report: Population & Household Census 2011 (PDF). Search Results Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. p. 155. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
- ^ a b "Community Tables: Patuakhali district" (PDF). bbs.gov.bd. 2011.
- ^ "Bangladesh Population and Housing Census 2011 Zila Report – Patuakhali" (PDF). bbs.gov.bd. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.
- ^ "Sohag Gazi - Bangladesh National Cricket Team". Cricinfo. Retrieved 2015-12-20.