Subdivisions:
The district has 3 municipalities, namely, Rangpur Main (Sadar), Badarganj, and Haragach, and eight Upazilas, namely:
Badarganj
Gangachara
Kaunia
Rangpur Sadar
Mithapukur
Pirgachha
Pirganj
Taraganj
Rangpur town, covering an area of around 43 square kilometers, lies on the bank of the Little Ghaghat River, and was turned into a municipality back in 1869. The population of the Rangpur municipality as of 2006 is 251,699, with 52% male and 48% female, and the literacy rate is 54.6%.
Rangpur (Town) stands on the bank of the river Ghagat. It consists of 15 wards and 109 mahallas. The town was turned into a municipality in 1869. It has an area of 42.57 sq km. The population of the municipality is 251699; male 52.31%, female 47.69%. The density of population is 5913 per sq km. Literacy rate among the town people is 54.6%.
Administration The district consists of three municipalities, eight upazilas, 33 wards, 84 union parishads, 2151 mouzas and 1519 villages 203 mahallas. The upazilas are badarganj, gangachara, kaunia, rangpur sadar, mithapukur, pirgachha, pirganj and taraganj; the municipalities are Rangpur Sadar, Badarganj and Kaunia.
Archaeological heritage and relics Tajhat Rajbari, Keramatia Mosque, Dimlaraj Kali Mandir, Sree Sree Karunamaye Kali Mandir, Rangpur Museum, Rangpur Town Hall, Rangpur Public Library, Pareshnath Mandir at Mahiganj, tomb of the noted Islamic thinker Maulana Keramat Ali Jainpuri, tomb of Shah Jalal Bokheri at Mahiganj, tomb of Ismail Ghazi at Kataduar, carmichael college Building, home stead of roquiah sakhawat hossain at Pairabandh, Zila Parishad Building, Takka Mosque at Latifpur (Mughal period, Mithapukur upazila), three domed Jami Mosque at Mithapukur (Mughal period), four domed Taraganj Mosque, nine domed Radhanagar (Badarganj upazila) Mosque (Mughal period), tomb of Kutub Shah at Kutubpur, Vhim Garh at Manshinghpur (Badarganj upazila), Zamindar Bari at Roypur (Pirganj upazila), remnants of the palace of Raja Nilambar at Patgram (Pirganj upazila), Hari Mandir at Chandan Hat (Gangachara upazila) and Mitha Pukur (excavated during the Mughal period).
Historical events Mansingh, commander of Emperor Akbar, conquered part of Rangpur in 1575. Rangpur came completely under the Mughal empire in 1686. Mughalbasa and Mughalhat of Kurigram district still bear marks of the Mughal rule in the region. During the Mughal rule Rangpur was under the sarker of Ghoraghat. Rangapur Ghoraghat has been mentioned in the Riyaz-us-Salatin. During the early period of the company rule fakir-sannyasi resistance and peasant rebellion were held in Rangpur.
Marks of the War of Liberation Mass killing site: Dahiganj Crematory, eastern side of the river Ghagat, Balar Dighi (near cantonment), Lahirir Hat (adjacent to Badarganj Road), place adjacent to Damdama Bridge (Mithapukur), Sahebganj, Nandiganj, Jharuar Beel (Badarganj), Damdama Bazar, back yard of the Jhenuk Cinema Hall (Badarganj); mass grave: Damdama Bridge, Damdama Bazar (Mithapukur), Angrar Bridge, Madarganj Bazar (Pirganj), Nandiganj (Rangpur Sadar).
Population 2534365; male 50.92%, female 49.08%; Muslim 89.60%, Hindu 9.59% and others 0.56%; ethnic nationals: Santal and Orao.
Religious institutions Mosque 2911, temple 377, church 17, Buddhist vihara 1, tomb 28 and sacred place 8, most noted of which are Mithapukur Jami Mosque, Phulchawki Mosque, Takka Mosque, Khalaspir Hat Jami Mosque, Hatibandha Mosque, Sena Nagar Jami Mosque (Taraganj upazila), Kazipara Jami Mosque, Taraganj Mosque, Mandir at village Aladipur (Mithapukur upazila), Baldi Pukur Church (Mithapukur upazila), Benu Ban Buddhist Vihara (Mithapukur upazila), tombs of Maulana Keramat Ali Jainpuri, Pagla Pir, Panch Pir (Rangpur Sadar), Shah Ismail Ghazi (Pirganj upazila).
Literacy and educational institutions Average literacy 26.7%; male 33.5% and female 19.4%. Educational institutions: university college 1, college 64, medical college 1, technical college 1, teacher's training college 3, cadet college 1, polytechnic institute 1, vocational institute 1, law college 1, homeopath college 1, music school 1, high school 282, junior high school 38, madrasa 370, government primary school 722, non-government primary school 444, kindergarten 20, satellite school 44 and NGO operated school 193 and community school 20.
Locally published newspapers and periodicals Dabanal (1980, Juger Alo (1992), Dainik Paribesh (1994), Dainik Rangpur (1997), Weekly Atal (1991), Rangpur Barta (1996), Weekly Bajrakantha (Pirganj); extinct- Rangapur Bartabaha (1847), Rangapur Dik Prakash (1861), Rangapur Darpan (1907), Uttar Bangla (1960), Pravati (1955).
Cultural organisations Club 277, public library 12, cinema hall 17, theatre group 14, theatre stage 3, museum 1 and literary society 10.
Main occupations Agriculture 40.26%, agricultural labourer 28.01%, wage labourer 4.88%, commerce 10.12%, service 5.56%, transport 2.11% and others 9.06%.
Land use Total cultivable land 170113.36 hectares; single crop 16.89%, double crop 63.15% and treble crop land 19.96%; land under irrigation 76.80%.
Land control Among the peasants, 45% are landless, 30% small, 20% intermediate and 5% rich; cultivable land per head 0.06 hectare.
Value of land The market value of the land of the first grade is Tk. 6500 per 0.01 hectare.
Main crops Paddy, jute, wheat, potato, onion, garlic, ginger, chilli and tobacco.
Extinct or nearly extinct crops Linseed, sesame, indigo, kaun, aus paddy and arahar.
Main fruits Mango, jackfruit, black berry, papaya and banana.
Fisheries, dairies, poultries Poultry 263, fishery 134, dairy 78, nursery 7 and hatchery 30.
Communication facilities Roads: pucca 570 km, semi pucca 109 km and mud road 4101 km; railways 71 km; waterways 30 nautical mile; airport 1.
Traditional transport Palanquin (extinct), horse carriage and bullock cart (nearly extinct), boat.
Manufactories Sugar mill, distilleries, rice, flour mill, saw mill, ice factory, oil mill, match factory, bidi factory, iron works, cold storage, printing press, lathe machine and welding.
Cottage industries Weaving, bamboo work, goldsmith, blacksmith, potteries, wood work, tailoring and bidi.
Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 155, noted fairs are Rath Mela at Mahiganj, Baruni Mela (Badarganj), Gopinathpur Mela (Badarganj).
Main exports Paddy, jute, wheat, sugarcane, ginger, tobacco, mango and vegetables.
NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, asa, grameen bank, CARE, RDRS, RDSS, proshika, Grameen Krishi Foundation, thengamara mahila sabuj sangha, Gram Bikash.
Health centres Medical college hospital 1, zila sadar hospital 1, TB hospital 1, TB clinic 1, eye hospital 1, family planning centre 80, union health centre 30, charitable dispensary 12, municipal medical centre 1, maternity and child welfare centre 1, satellite clinic 40.
Tajhat is a historical place of Bangladesh, located near Lalbagh, Rangpur. It has a nice Jamidarbari (Palace) which in 2005 was turned into a museum. This museum is about 10 mins drive from Rangpur town, near Lalbagh. The Museum was inaugurated on March 20, 2005, by the Government of Bangladesh Minister for Cultural Affairs, Begum Selima Rahman and Secretary Mr. Mahmudul Masud. Dr. Alain Labrique of the Johns Hopkins University also made some invited remarks.
The palace in Tajhat, commonly known as Tajhat Rajbari was built by Maharaja Kumar Gopal Lal Roy in the beginning of the 20th century. He was a descendent of a Hindu khatari who emigrated from Punjab. He was a jeweler by profession. It is believed that from the conspicuous appearance of his Taj or jeweled crown his estate derived the name of Tajhat. From the name of his estate, the area is known as Tajhat.
Just south of the city of Rangpur lies the Tajhat, a former "rajbari" or zamindar's palace. After the end of the British Raj, the building was abandoned and decayed rapidly, although it was used for a few years as a courthouse during the 1980s. In the year 2004, it was largely restored and turned into a museum with ancient inscriptions, art and coins from the area on display.
RDRS (Rangpur and Dinajpur Rural Service) Bangladesh [4], an NGO in northwest Bangladesh, has a large office and guesthouse/convention center in the town of Rangpur.
Rokeya memorial in pairabondhA museum and women's training centre was established in Pairabondh, the birth place of famous Begum Rokeya. It is half an hour drive away from Rangpur city. Apart from the Tajbari museum there is another museum at the heart of the town. The town is known as Green town for its beautiful garden and green park throughout the town. It has a District magistrate office where the great Social Reformer Rammohan Roy served for long time. Nowadays there are lots of market places all through the city. Carmichael College, built during the Raj era, is located in Rangpur. The literacy rate has increased after the independence of the country from the Pakistan. There are many schools, mosques, and temples in the city.
There is a big Zoo in the heart of the city. There is an ancient auditorium in the city where different programs are held. The economy of the people is weak since there is no major natural resource like minerals. The coal is found near this district. There is a large military containment in the town.
