The commercial capital of the country, Chittagong, has a thousand-year-old cultural heritage. Chittagong is known as the holy land of Bara Auliya, the queen of the East, Bir Prasbini, the spiritual capital, the port city, the international tourist city, the benevolent city.
Origin of the name Chittagong:
About 48 names have been found in Chittagong. Of these, Ramyabhumi, Chatigaon, Chatgaon, Rosang, Chittagong, Jatigram, Adarshadesh, Chattal, Chaityagram, Saptagram, Pentapolis etc. are notable.
Experts differ on the origin of the name Chittagong. According to Pandit Bernoulli, the Arabic word ‘shat’ (fragment) means delta, ganga means origin of the name Chittagong from the river Ganges.
According to another, Bar John Aulia came to the region in the thirteenth century to spread Islam. They lit a large lamp and placed it on a high place. In the regional language of Chittagong, 'chati' means lamp and village means village. From this the name is "Chatigaon".
According to Sir William Jones, the founder of the Asiatic Society, the name Chittagong derives from the name of a small bird in the area. Chittagong became part of the Mughal Empire in 1666 AD. Islamabad was named after the Mughals who defeated the Arakanese. In 1760 AD, Mir Qasim Ali Khan handed over Islamabad to the British East India Company. Later the company was named Chittagong.
Ancient history:
Chittagong district was established in 1666 AD. At that time three hill districts were included in this district. In 1860, the Chittagong Hill Tracts District was formed with the hill areas. Later this district was dissolved and Cox's Bazar district was formed.
The descriptions of the ancient Greek and Egyptian geographers contain some references to different places in the Chittagong region. The famous historian Sir Dr. According to Nalinikanta Bhattasali, it is identical with Sandwip. According to Lassen, Pentapolis is the classical name of Chittagong.
The port mentioned by Arab geographers as 'Samandar' is Chittagong. The seaport was under the Pala dynasty's conquering king Dharmapala. From this it seems that the expansion of Dharmapala's kingdom took place as far as Chittagong.
Scholars believe that the northern part of Chittagong district belonged to the ancient Harikela kingdom as some inscriptions of the ancient Harikela kingdom were discovered in the northern part of Chittagong district.
In determining any important history, history is written based on the archeological resources of that region. In that case the first mention of the antiquities of Chittagong is found in the account of the Mughal historian Shihab ud-Din Talish who mentions the fort of Chittagong and the abode of Pir Badr in the courtyard of the fort.
According to Talish sources, Sultan Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah of Sonargaon conquered Chittagong in 1340 AD and built a dam from Chandpur to Chittagong. There are also mentions in the talisman about mosques and mausoleums built in Chittagong during the reign of this sultan. He finds some antiquities here.
Antiquities can be mentioned in the description of Chittagong, a city of medieval manuscripts. This account is contained in the poem Laily-Majnu by Daulat Wazir Bahram Khan, dated about 1600-1607 AD. From this it is known that at that time there were residences of many saints in the beautiful city of Chittagong. The poet did not ignore the presence of the tomb of 'Badar Alam' within the boundaries of the fort on the high mountains.
No other hadith of Chittagong antiquities is found in literature or written accounts for about two hundred years after Talish.
Ancient Muslim Patterns:
Captain Pugson of the British Army published During a Tour to Chatigaon in 1831. The antiquities visited by Pugson are-
1. Tomb of Pir Badar,
2. Nawab Amir-ul-Umra stone mosque,
3. Yasin Khan Mosque,
4. Dargah of Sultan Bayazid Bostami.
He also mentioned the names of three mosques without inscriptions. These are
1. Wali Beg Khan,
2. Mir Yahya and
3. Molla Sai Mosque.
Pugson examined the ruins of Sir William Jones' house at Zafarabad, four miles north of the then city of Chittagong, and made a topography and chart of the house. He also recorded the Europeans visiting the cemetery and Sitakunda in the city.
Size and Boundaries:
At present the total area of Chittagong district is 5,283 sq km. It is the second largest district in Bangladesh in terms of area. According to the 2011 census, the total population of Chittagong district is 79,13,365.
Chittagong district is situated in the south-east of Bangladesh from 21 ° 54 to 22 ° 59 north latitude and from 91´ 17 to 92 ° 13 east longitude. The distance of the district from the capital Dhaka is about 259 kilometers. Cox's Bazar district to the south of this district; East Bandarban district, Rangamati district and Khagrachhari district; It is bounded on the north by Feni district and the Indian state of Tripura, and on the west by Noakhali district and the Bay of Bengal. Besides, the archipelago Sandwip is part of Chittagong.
Chittagong district consists of 1 city corporation with 41 wards, 15 upazilas, 32 thanas (16 and 16 metropolitan metropolitan thanas in the upazila), 15 municipalities, 190 unions, 890 mouzas, 1267 villages and 16 parliamentary seats.
The journey of Chittagong Municipality started on 22nd June 1863. However, a council consisting of 18 commissioners was formed in 1864 to manage its administration and activities. At that time an area of four and a half square miles of Chittagong city was under the jurisdiction of the municipality. Although there were 4 wards at first, 5 wards were created in 1911. Chittagong Municipality was transformed into a city corporation on 16 September 1982. At present there are 41 wards. Chittagong city area is under Chittagong City Corporation.
Language and Tradition:
Although the national language of Chittagong district is 'Bangla' like other districts of Bangladesh, this district has its own regional language which is known as 'Chantagainya language'. This language has its own characteristics. Most of the people of Chittagong district speak this language.
Chittagong district is rich in various folk cultures. Hosted by the Muslim community, the district has a tradition.
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