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District History

The historical significance of the Barishal district which is known as 'Barishal-Land of Paddy, Rivers and Canals', is immense. This independent kingdom called 'Chandradwip' was established by King Danujmardan during the Muslim rule in South-East Bengal. Until the fourteenth century, the region became known as Chandradwip. Before the establishment of this state, this region was known as 'Bakla'. ‘Bakla’ means grain trader which comes from the Arabic word. A man named Dr. Kanungo built the port of Bakla. Arab and Persian merchants used to come to this seaport for trading. The name 'Bakla-Chandradwip'  can be seen in large letters on a very ancient foreign map. Until 1796, the district was known as Bakla-Chandradwip. Bakerganj district was established in 1797 with the southern part of Dhaka district. In 1801, the district headquarters Bakerganj district was shifted to Barisal (Girde port). In 1812 there were 15 police stations in this district.

There are many dogma about the naming of Barishal. Due to large willow trees (Boro + Shawl) = Barishal; Barishal for the love story of Portuguese Berry and Shelley; Barishal for big salt balls. At Girde Port (Great Port) there was large salt outpost of the Nawabs of Dhaka. The English and Portuguese merchants used to call this region 'Barisalt' for its large salt stocks and large grains of salt. Many people think that Barisalt has changed to Barishal. Realizing the historical significance of Barisal, the then British government in its Bengal District Administration Report of 1913-14 recommended the establishment of Barishal division including Faridpur and Khulna districts. Later implementation was not possible due to various political reasons. Finally, excluding Faridpur and Khulna districts, the Barishal division was established on 1 January 1993 with the ancient Chandradwip state and the greater Bakerganj district.

According to the latest census (2001), the current population of Barishal Division is 81,12,435 and the population density is 632 per kilometer. The region was inhabited by Hindus till 1800. Subsequent arrival of Muslims from different areas, mass conversion of some Muslims and mass exodus of Hindus resulted in majority of Muslims. About 5,000 members of the lower caste Hindu who were converted to Christian community are living in the area. The inhabitants of this region are the descendants of a traditional human society. Henry Beveridge, Collector and District Magistrate of Barishal mentioned in his book 'The District of Bakerganj - It's History and Statistics' in 1876 that "The people of Bakerganj are authentic examples of Bengali character". Besides, in the book 'Barishaler Itihas', Sirajuddin Ahmed has said that 'Chandradwip was the original abode of the Bengali nation'. The aristocracy here was known as 'Bakla Samaj'. After the establishment of feudal system here in the 7th century, talukdar zamindars were considered as the first class in the society. Like Santal, Garo, Hajong, Mug and Chakmas of other parts of the country, a nation called 'Chandrabhadra' lives in Barisal region.

Barishal, the granary of Bengal, was once known as 'Agricultural Manchester'. The economy of Bengal was connected with the economy of Barihsal. 'Sujla-Sufla-Shasya-Shyamla' This region has been endowed with infinite wealth and boundless abundance since ancient times. From ancient times the fertile region of silt was excellent for agriculture and habitation. Agriculture was the main source of economy of this country. In 1580, the tourist Ralph Fiss described Bakla as very rich and mentioned a lot of rice, corpus, silk cloth and large houses here. That is why this region has been attracting people from other parts of the world since ancient times. Arab merchants used to come by sea to Bakla which was a land of abundance. Like the present Middle East, once it was one of the most enticing regions in the world. The people of Barishal region are truly fond of ease and food. Family wise they are very close and sincere. They are not satisfied without a dessert after a variety of oily and delicious food. There are more than hundred types cake made by date juice, molasses, coconut, dairy etc. Poet Ishwargupta visited Barishal and wrote, ‘Food happiness cannot be described here. I feel that there is no other place in Bengal where rice is as good as here. ' Most beautiful places of Barishal Division are Kuakata beach in Patuakhali, Kamalarani Dighi in Baufal, Durgasagar Dighi of Madhabpasha in Barishal, Sher-e-Bangla A.K. Fazlul Haque Memorial Museum of Chakhar in Barishal, Guthia Baitul Aman Mosque in Wazirpur, Sonar Char in Barguna, Sonakata etc. During the Pakistan period there were a total of 06 subdivisions in Barisal district. In 1969 a district was formed in Patuakhali comprising Patuakhali and Barguna subdivisions. Subsequent administrative restructuring resulted in the establishment of Barguna as a new district in 1984. Besides, Jhalokati, Pirojpur and Bhola subdivisions of the then Barishal district were also upgraded to districts. At present the total number of districts in this division is 06. The districts are: Barishal, Patuakhali, Bhola, Pirojpur, Barguna and Jhalokati.

Barishal is an important district in Southern part of Bangladesh and the headquarters of the Barishal Division. In short, it is bounded on the north by Shariatpur, Madaripur and Gopalganj, on the west by Gopalganj, Pirojpur and Jhalokati, on the south by Barguna and Patuakhali and on the east by Bhola and Laxmipur. Chandradwip is the old name of this town situated on the banks of Kirtankhola river. Barishal is one of the main sources of food grains and fish production in the country. It is called the Venice of Bengal. Barishal is an important river port of the country.

Barishal occupies an extraordinary place in the social, cultural and political arena of Bangladesh. The name of Barishal is associated with many feats and achievements of Bengalis. The great leader Sher-e-Bangla AK Fazlul Haque, poet Sufia Kamal, poet Jibanananda Das, charan poet Mukunda Das and many other celebrities were born in Barisal. Barisal has played a significant role in various political movements including anti-British movement and independence movement. The administration of the district has rendered continuous service to the people of the district and is making sincere efforts to showcase the potential of tourism and agro-based industries in the district to the whole world.