Jessore District

Jessore
যশোর
Municipality

Central Jessore Town

Central Jessore Town
Nickname(s): "ঐতিহ্যবাহী শহর"(Historical Jessore)
Jessore

Location of Jessore in Bangladesh

Coordinates: BD 23°10′N 89°12′E / 23.17°N 89.20°E / 23.17; 89.20Coordinates: BD 23°10′N 89°12′E / 23.17°N 89.20°E / 23.17; 89.20
Country  Bangladesh
Region Southwest
Government
  Mayor Jahirul Islam Chaklader Rentu (Awami League (2016–present))
Area
  Total 2,606.94 km2 (1,006.55 sq mi)
Elevation 7 m (23 ft)
Population (2011 Census)
  Total 2,764,547
Demonym(s) Bangladeshi
Website jessore.gov.bd

Jessore is a district in the southwestern region of Bangladesh. It is bordered by India to the west, Khulna District and Satkhira District to the south, Magura and Narail to the east, and Jhenaidah District to the north. The district produces a variety of crops year-round. Date sugar, called patali, is made from the sap of locally grown date trees. It is cooked, thickened and crystallised using a traditional method. Patali is mainly produced in Khajura, but many date trees are cultivated in the Keshabpur Upazila and Manirampur Upazila areas. Jessore (town) is the capital of the district.

Jessore district was established in 1781. It consists of 4 municipalities, 36 wards, 8 upazilas, 92 unions, 1329 mouzas, 1434 villages and 120 mahallas. Upazilas are Abhaynagar Upazila, Bagherpara Upazila, Chaugachha Upazila, Jessore Sadar Upazila, Jhikargachha Upazila, Keshabpur Upazila, Manirampur Upazila, and Sharsha Upazila.

History

Jessore district once belonged to the ancient Janapada kingdom of Samatat Janapada. In the 15th century, Jessore was a part of the kingdom of Pratapaditya.

Jessore district was established in 1781. In 1947, Jessore was divided between India and (then) Pakistan. Except for the Bangaon and Gaighata thanas, the district became part of East Bengal.[1]

The Bengali soldiers stationed at Jessore cantonment mutinied against the Pakistan Army on 29 March 1971. They were led by Captain Hafiz Uddin and Lieutenant Anwar in an uprising where 300 soldiers were killed. The rebels killed 50 Pakistani soldiers with machine gun fire at Chanchara.

On 6 December 1971, Jessore became the first district of Bengal to be liberated from Pakistani forces. And Jessore is the first digital district in Bangladesh.

Geography

Jessore District encompasses 2606.98 km². It is bounded by Jhenaidaha and Magura districts at the north, Satkhira and Khulna districts at the south, Narail and Khulna districts at the east, and West Bengal of India at the west. Major rivers that flow through this region are the Bhairab, Chitra, Betna, Kopotakkho, and the Mukteshwari.[2]

Climate

Annual average temperature range from 9 to 41 °C (48 to 106 °F). The annual rainfall is 1,537 millimetres (60.5 in).

Climate data for Jessore
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 22.9
(73.2)
27.0
(80.6)
33.4
(92.1)
41.0
(105.8)
38.1
(100.6)
32.6
(90.7)
31.4
(88.5)
31.6
(88.9)
32.1
(89.8)
31.5
(88.7)
29.2
(84.6)
24.9
(76.8)
31.31
(88.36)
Daily mean °C (°F) 15.4
(59.7)
19.3
(66.7)
26.1
(79)
34.6
(94.3)
33.0
(91.4)
29.2
(84.6)
28.4
(83.1)
28.6
(83.5)
28.7
(83.7)
27.2
(81)
23.1
(73.6)
17.8
(64)
25.95
(78.72)
Average low °C (°F) 9.0
(48.2)
11.7
(53.1)
18.9
(66)
28.3
(82.9)
27.9
(82.2)
25.8
(78.4)
25.5
(77.9)
25.6
(78.1)
25.4
(77.7)
23.0
(73.4)
17.0
(62.6)
10.6
(51.1)
20.73
(69.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 11
(0.43)
19
(0.75)
40
(1.57)
77
(3.03)
168
(6.61)
314
(12.36)
304
(11.97)
293
(11.54)
245
(9.65)
133
(5.24)
28
(1.1)
8
(0.31)
1,640
(64.56)
Average relative humidity (%) 46 35 36 44 60 76 75 76 74 70 51 44 57.3
Source: National news papers

Demographics

Jessore District had a population of 2,764,547 at the 2011 Census. 85.5% of the population are Muslims, 14.21% are Hindus and the remaining 0.29% practise another religion.

The main occupations are agriculture 39.84%, agricultural labourer 24.13%, wage labourer 2.68%, commerce 11.99%, service 8.66%, industry 1.41%, transport 3.11% and others 8.18%.

Jessore District's administrative framework was established in 1781. It consists of the following eight Upazilas

(data from Banglapedia):

Upazila Area in
km2
2011 Census
population
Upazila Area in
km2
2011 Census
population
Abhaynagar Upazila 247.21 262,434 Keshabpur Upazila 258.44 253,291
Bagherpara Upazila 308.29 216,897 Jessore Sadar Upazila 435.22 742,898
Chaugachha Upazila 269.31 231,370 Manirampur Upazila 444.20 417,421
Jhikargachha Upazila 307.96 298,908 Sharsha Upazila 336.28 341,328

The upazilas are further divided into 9 municipalities, 36 wards, 92 unions, 1329 mouzas, 1434 villages and 120 mahallas.

Economy

Benapol Land Port

The main factor of economics of Jessore is Benapol Land Port which is situated in Sharsha upajela. Much of the import and export trading between Bangladesh and India is done through this port. On the other side of the border is Petropool. The port is important for making govt. import taxes.

Points of interest

The main gate of the house of Michael Madhusudan Dutta at Sagardari village in Jessore. This house is currently being used as a museum.

Transport

Jessore has communication links with nearby districts. It has highways for transportation to West and East Bengal.

Jessore is a junction on the broad gauge-based network of the Eastern Railway. The network has links extended into Indian territory. Service linking the capital Dhaka and the Indian city Kolkata was to start April 2008. Jessore is about midway along the route.

The Jessore Airport, near the city, is an airbase for the Bangladesh Air Force. Alongside military service, its runways cater to some commercial airlines, such as Regent Airlines, United Airways and Novo Airlines, for domestic flights.

Education

University

Polytechnic Institute

College

School

Media

Local newspapers and magazines

List of daily newspapers[7]
List of weekly magazines
List of Fortnightly
List of monthly magazines
List of literary magazines

Notable residents

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jessore District.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Jessore.
  1. Westland, James (1871). A Report on the District of Jessore: Its Antiquities, Its History, and Its Commerce. Oxford University Press.
  2. Mahibullah Siddiqui (2012). "Jessore District". In Arif Hossain and Ahmed A. Jamal. Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  3. Duke Khan (2013). "Tourism in Jessore.". Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  4. Duke Khan (2013). "Dam Dam Peerosthan in Manirampur Upazilla.". Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  5. Duke Khan (2013). "A short description of archaeological sights – Khulna Division". Retrieved 17 November 2013.
  6. Duke Khan, and Md. Shariful Islam. "Mound of Dam Dam Peer in Manirampur Upazilla.". Jessore Info. Archived from the original on 12 March 2007. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  7. "পত্র পত্রিকা". jessore.gov.bd.
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