Rangpur was declared a district headquarters on December 16, 1769, and established as a municipality in 1869, making it one of the oldest municipalities in Bangladesh. [3]The municipal office building was erected in 1892 under the precedence Raja Janaki Ballav. Rangpur City Corporation is the 2nd largest city corporation in Bangladesh by area at about 205 square km.
Previously serving as the headquarters of the Greater Rangpur district, Rangpur underwent administrative restructuring, resulting in the formation of the Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, and Rangpur districts.
History
The Coat of Arms of Maharaja Gopal Lal Roy as depicted on a ground floor French Door window panel of Tajhat Palace.
Etymology
It is said that the present name Rangpur came from the former 'Rongpur'. History has it that English colonial rulers in this region started cultivating Indigo. Due to the fertile soil in this region, Indigo cultivation was very much profitable. The locals knew that Indigo by the name of "Rongo". So thus, this Region was named "Rongopur".And from that, the name of today's Rangpur has originated. It is known from another conventional notion that the name Rangpur comes from the naming of Rangmahal (Palace of Entertainment) of Bhagadatta, son of Narakasura, king of Pragjyotisha Kingdom.[5]
Early history
According to Hindu theology, the eastern kingdom of Kamarupa or Pragjyotisha existed in India, which included the present Rangpur region. During the reign of King Bhagadatta (15th century BC) Rangpur belonged to Pragjyotisha Kingdom. During the reign of King Samudragupta (340 AD) Rangpur was considered a "Tax state" of Kamarupa.[6]
Mughal Period
According to Ain-i-Akbari, the Mughal period Rangpur consisted of three types of administrative areas. Rangpur was conquered by the army of Raja Man Singh, a commander of the Mughal emperor Akbar, in 1575, but it was not until 1686 it was fully integrated into the Mughal Empire. The Mughal Empire was established in the whole of Rangpur in 1611 AD. Place names Mughalbasa ("a locality of the Mughals"), and Mughalhat ("local market") organized by the Mughals bear testimony to the Mughal association and past of Rangpur and its hinterland. Later, Rangpur passed into the control of Sarker of Ghoraghat.[7]
British Period
After the East India Company gained "Deoani" in 1765, Rangpur came under British rule. The Fakir-Sannyasi rebellion took place in the Rangpur region, in which leaders like Fakir Majnu Shah played a key Role. The notable anti-colonialist rebel Devi Chaudhurani and Bhabani Pathak were from this region.[8] In the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, the rebellious sepoys spread terror among the British rulers in the region. Later, in 1930, the first Civil disobedience movement was started in different parts of Rangpur on the call of Congress. A meeting of the peasant leaders of North Bengal was held here in October 1946 and the Tebhaga movement began in November.[6]
Pakistani Period and Liberation War
Rangpur was a District of East Pakistan Province during the Pakistani Period. People of Rangpur actively take part in different movements like Bengali language movement, Six point movement and 1969 Mass uprising. The first martyr from Rangpur in the liberation war was Sangku Samajhder, who was martyred on the date of 3 March 1971. Rangpur people started the Liberation War decisively on 28 March 1971, only three days after the Pakistani crackdown by attacking the Rangpur Cantonment. During the liberation war Rangpur was under sector 6 and it was strategically important due to its close proximity to border of India.[9][10]
Post-Independence Period
The Greater Rangpur district was divided in five districts in 1984. On 28 June 2012 Rangpur Municipality was upgraded to Rangpur City Corporation and on 16 September 2018 Rangpur was granted as 8th Metropolitan city of Bangladesh.[11][12]
Geography
Rangpur City is the divisional headquarters of Rangpur Division. The soil composition is mainly alluvial soil (80 percent) of the Teesta River basin, and the remaining is barind soil. The elevation of Rangpur is 34 meters.[13] The temperature ranges from 32 degrees Celsius to 11 degrees Celsius, and the annual rainfall averages 2931 mm. Rangpur town, covering an area of around 42 square kilometers, lies on the bank of the Ghaghat river and was turned into a municipality back in 1869.
Climate
Rangpur has a humid subtropical climate (KöppenCwa), also in Trewartha climate classification (subtropical summer wet Cw).[citation needed] The 4 Seasons of Rangpur generally characterize as a Summer or pre-monsoon season with high Temperature and frequent intense thunderstorms named Nor'westers (March–May), an intense and very wet Monsoon season with substantial flooding in low lying areas (June–September), short and cooler Autumn season (October–November) and lastly, the more pleasant, mild and drier Winter season from (December–February) with warm afternoons and cool mornings, with some cold nights. The average annual temperature in Rangpur is 24.9 °C (76.8 °F). In Winters, it can be very foggy and nighttime temperature can fall below 5 °C (41.0 °F) whereas, day time temperature remains around 20 °C (68.0 °F). About 2,192 mm (86.30 in) of precipitation falls annually, almost all of them falls in the monsoon season (June to September), although there is very little rain from November to March, but small amount of Precipitation can be seen due to Western Disturbance coming from the Mediterranean Sea. Snow and frost have never been recorded in Rangpur.
The city is the commercial hub. Its center has several government offices and private banks, insurance companies, residential hotels, and international restaurants, such as Chinese, Thai, Indian, Mexican, convenience food, and gift shops. It is one of the most important economic zones in Bangladesh because of its global positioning. Rangpur is one of the major Tobacco producing region in Bangladesh.[17] The northern suburbs of Rangpur homes to tobacco companies like British American Tobacco, Akij Group, Abul Khair Group.
According to the 2022 Bangladesh census, Rangpur city had a population of 708,534 and a literacy rate of 80.94%.[19]: 388–394
According to the 2011 Bangladesh census, Rangpur city had 64,885 households and a population of 300,659. 51,791 (17.23%) were under 10 years of age. Rangpur had a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 72.08%, compared to the national average of 51.8%, and a sex ratio of 926 females per 1000 males.[18]
Education
Campus Rear Of Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur
Major educational institutes in the city including:
A BRTC double-decker bus of the City bus service in Rangpur.
Rangpur is well connected by highways to Chittagong and Dhaka, as well as other parts of Rangpur. It takes about 6 to 7 hours by road to reach the capital Dhaka by National Highway 5. Bus services to other major districts are also available from Rangpur. Highway links to India have been established through the Asian Highway 2. Rangpur also has a BRTC Double Decker bus service,[21] which connects the suburbs of the city to city center.
Railway
The Rangpur Railway Station is the main railway station providing trains on national routes operated by the state-run Bangladesh Railway. The Rangpur Express[22] is a Bangladeshi Intercity train which runs between Rangpur and Dhaka. Other trains running between Rangpur and Dhaka are, Kurigram Express and Lalmoni Express.
Air
The city of Rangpur is served by Saidpur Airport, located at the north of the city. Saidpur airport is a domestic airport. Saidpur Airport is connected through several private airlines such as Novoair, US-Bangla Airlines, Regent Airways & Biman Bangladesh Airlines a government airline with Capital city of Bangladesh Dhaka. A massive renovation work is going on at Saidpur Airport ahead of its planning to become the new International Airport for Northern Bangladesh region.
Cricket is the most popular sport in Rangpur, Bangladesh, while field hockey, basketball, baseball, and tennis are also popular.[23]
The most popular sport in Rangpur is cricket, although football is also popular. There is a 10,000-capacity Rangpur Stadium is used for football and other sports. Another local stadium is Cricket Garden,[24] which is mainly used for cricket. There are also a few sports training academies in the city. In domestic Twenty20 cricket, Rangpur has a Bangladesh Premier League franchise known as Rangpur Riders. In December 2012, I Sports bought the Rangpur franchise for $1.01 m. Notable players from Rangpur who have played for the national team include Nasir Hossain,[25]Suhrawadi Shuvo.[26]
^"Climate of Bangladesh"(PDF). Bangladesh Meteorological Department. pp. 19–23. Archived from the original(PDF) on 24 December 2018. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
Abdus Sattar (2012). "Rangpur District". In Sirajul Islam; Ahmed A. Jamal (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
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