Kathal Khair

About Balaganj

Balaganj (Bengali: বালাগঞ্জ) is the third largest upazila of Sylhet District in Sylhet Division, Bangladesh.

History

The area presently known as Balaganj was formerly designated Kushiyarakul, a name derived from the abundance of sugarcane historically cultivated in the region. It is situated along the banks of the Kushiyara River, which shares the same etymological origin. A Hindu religious establishment, the Madan Mohan Jiu Ashram, was later founded by the Zamindar of Barachar in the central market area in honour of Madanamohana, an incarnation of Krishna. This led to the locale being referred to as Madanganj, meaning “marketplace of Madan”. Female devotees of the temple were noted for wearing numerous bangles (bala) on both arms, a custom that gained such cultural prominence that the area eventually became known as Balaganj—literally, “bangle town”. In the 18th century, Balaganj was under the hold of Lala Anandaram, a zamindar of Sylhet. His wife is recorded as having attempted to bestow the Balaganj marketplace to Dharmadas, the grand-disciple of the renowned Hindu saint Shantaram. Balaganj thana was established in 1882 and included parts of present-day Osmani Nagar, Fenchuganj and Rajnagar. It separated from Fenchuganj and Rajnagar by 10 January 1922.

Balaganj was the scene of the battles at Sherpur and Sadipur during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. On 18 May 1971, residents of Galimpur village in Balaganj were coerced into paying bribes in an attempt to avert a military incursion. Despite these efforts, on 20 May, units of the Pakistan Army entered the village and commenced a campaign of indiscriminate violence. Six individuals were executed immediately upon the army's arrival. As villagers attempted to flee, an additional 26 people, several of them adolescents, were fatally shot. Military personnel engaged in widespread looting, the burning of more than one hundred homes, and the abduction of women from the area. A second major incident occurred in the early morning hours of 14 June 1971, when the Pakistan Army entered Adityapur village, also within Balaganj. Utilising loudspeakers, soldiers disseminated false information regarding the formation of a so-called "Peace Committee" and instructed villagers to assemble. Trusting the announcement, a large number of residents gathered in front of the Adityapur Government Primary School. There, 65 male villagers were restrained and lined up; 63 were subsequently executed by gunfire. Two individuals survived by feigning death. Following the executions, the village was looted and further abductions of women were reported. These mass graves in Balaganj remain to day as a site of remembrance in Adityapur and Bhatpara Salimpur.

It is the third largest upazila of Sylhet district by population. It was turned into an upazila on 7 November 1982. It consists of 14 union parishads, 241 mouzas and 467 villages.

Geography

Balaganj stands on the Kushiyara River and is on the southwest periphery of Sylhet district. To the north is Sylhet Sadar Upazila, to the south are Rajnagar Upazila and Moulvibazar Sadar Upazila in Moulvibazar District, Fenchuganj Upazila of this district is on the east and on the west is Bishwanath Upazila of this district and Jagannathpur Upazila of Sunamganj District. Geographically Balaganj Upazila is situated at about 24.36* and 24.47* longitude and 91.38* and 91.56* east latitude. The distance of the Upazila headquarter(HQ) from the district HQ is nearly 37 km. The land area is approximately 151.21 km2

Balaganj is located at 24.6667°N 91.8333°E / 24.6667; 91.8333. It has 19,960 household units and occupies an area of 389.51 km2. The upazila is bordered on the north by Sylhet Sadar and Bishwanath Upazilas, on the east by Fenchuganj Upazila, on the South by Maulvibazar Sadar and Rajnagar upazilas of Maulvibazar district, and on the west by Jagannathpur Upazila of Sunamganj district and Nabiganj Upazila of Habiga

Source: Wikipedia →

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