Rajapur

About Ishwardi

Ishwardi (Bengali: ঈশ্বরদী, Ish-shordi, officially Ishurdi) is an upazila of Pabna District in Rajshahi Division. It is the westernmost upazila of Pabna district. The River Padma and its tributaries run through it. Ruppur Nuclear Powerplant is also located in Ishwardi upazila.

Etymology

While many theories have been proposed about Ishwardi's etymology, no consensus has emerged.

According to Banglapedia, the name 'Ishwardi' means God's place.

Community Report on Pabna District (2013) says:

Nothing is definitely known about the origin of the upazila name. It is learnt that in the past, Isa khan, the Mughal general with his soldiers arrived at the place where the present upazila headquarters is located. At that time there was scarcity of drinking water and Isa khan dug a big lake (meaning dighi in Bengali) for his soldiers. This lake or dighi was popularly known as Isa dighi. In course of time the area in and around the dighi became known as Ishwardi due to phonetic corruption.

Geography

=== Geographic location ===

The upazila occupies an area of 250.89 km2. It is located between 24º03′ and 24º15′ north latitudes and between 89º00′ and 89º11′ east longitudes. The upazila is bounded on the north by Baraigram and Lalpur upazilas of Natore district, on the east by Atgharia and Pabna Sadar upazila, on the sosuth by Kumarkhali and Mirpur upazilas of Kushtia district and on the west by Bheramara upazila of Kushtia district. The river Padma flows beside Ishwardi and separates this upazila from Kushtia district.

=== Geomorphology ===

Ishwardi Upazila exhibits a diverse geomorphology. The region is characterized by a mix of plain, low-lying areas and elevated landforms. The major portion of Ishwardi Upazila lies in the vast Gangetic floodplain, featuring fertile alluvial soil deposited by the rivers. The landscape comprises riverbanks, floodplains, and locally elevated areas. The Ganges (locally known as Padma), one of the major rivers in Bangladesh, flows along the western and south-western boundary of Ishwardi, shaping the geomorphology of the region. The presence of rivers, along with their associated erosional and depositional processes, has played a significant role in shaping the landforms and sedimentary patterns of Ishwardi Upazila.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification, Ishwardi has a humid subtropical or tropical savanna climate.The weather is influenced by Indian monsoon. Much of the yearly rainfall is received from the south west monsoon. Generally, monsoon hits this region in the 2nd week of June and retreats at the end of October.

A weather observatory was established in Ishwardi in 1963. Since then, the observatory is recording weather data. Its International Station Number is 41907. Highest maximum temperature ever recorded in Ishwardi is 44 °C and lowest minimum temperature ever recorded is 3.5 °C; which were recorded on May 13, 1970, and January 27, 1964, respectively. Highest 24 hour rainfall of 351 mm was recorded on July 11, 1976, in Ishwardi.

Demographics

According to the 2022 Bangladeshi census, Ishwardi Upazila had 99,220 households and a population of 390,402. 8.87% of the population were under 5 years of age. Ishwardi had a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 78.14%: 78.08% for males and 78.19% for females, and a sex ratio of 102.72 males for every 100 females. 120,143 (30.77%) lived in urban areas.

According to the 2011 Census of Bangladesh, Ishwardi Upazila had 73,373 households and a population of 313,932. 62,542 (19.92%) were under 10 years of age. Ishwardi had a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 54.96%, compared to the national average of 51.8%, and a sex ratio of 988 females per 1000 males. 66,255 (21.10%) lived in urban areas.

Majority of Ishwardi's inhabitants are ethnic Bengali who speak Bangla. Along with them, some Urdu speaking Bihari people also live here.

Administration

Ishwardi upazila divided into Ishwardi M

Source: Wikipedia →