Bogra District

In the ancient period, Bogra District was a part of the territory of the Pundras or Paundras, known by the name of Pundravardhana. Pundravardhana was one of the kingdoms of Eastern India, and was separated by the stream of Karatoya from the more easterly kingdom of Prag-Jyotisha (or Kamrupa). The name Pundravardhana occurs frequently in the Mahabharata, Ramayana and the various Puranas. According to the Mahabharata and the Puranas, Vasudeva, a powerful prince of the Pundra family, is said to have ruled over Pundravardhana as far back as 1280 BC. The claims of the district to antiquity, however, rest chiefly on association with the old fortified town, now known as Mahasthangarh.[4]

This district has been under a number of rulers.

The district was under the rule of the Mauryas in the 4th and 3rd century BC. This is evident from the existence of pillars of Ashoka in many parts of Pundravardhana and the discovery of an old Brahmi inscription at Mahasthangarh in this district. Bhadra Bahu, a high monk of the Jain religion and the son of a Brahmin of Kotivarsha, was the Jain-Guru of Chandra Gupta Maurya. As Ashoka was a firm believer in Buddhism, he put to death many naked sectarians (presumably the Jains) in Pundravardhana.[4]

The Gupta authority (3rd century AD - 5th century AD) over this district is revealed from the discovery of a number of inscriptions of that period from Pundravardhana. Pundravardhana was a Bhukti under the rule of Guptas till the end of the 5th century.[4]

At the beginning of the 7th century, Sasanka came upon the throne of Gauda and exercised his authority over Pundravardhana (including this district).[5]

This region must have passed after the death of Sasanka under the rule of Harshavardhana (606–647). This is evident from the account of the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang, who may have visited Pundravardhana in 640 AD.[5]

By the middle of the 8th century, Gopal the First assumed control of the affairs over North Bengal, establishing a royal dynasty known as the Pala Dynasty. After Gopal was elected king, he took his seat in Pundravardhana. He ruled over the region up to c. 780 and was succeeded by his son Dharmapala (c. 781–821). The Pala Kings had peaceful possession of this district until the end of their rule over Bengal, which ended in the 12th century. Dharmapala was the son and the successor of Gopala, extended his power beyond Pundravardhana. Like his father, he was a Buddhist and founded the famous Buddhist Vihara at Somapuri in Varendra, the ruins of which have been discovered in the Naogaon District.[5]

The Senas originally came from the Deccan and settled in West Bengal. Vijayasena was the first great ruler of the dynasty. He defeated the last Pala king Madanapala, and established his authority over this district. He was succeeded by his son, Vallal Sena (1160–1178) who was in definite possession of the district. He built his capital at Bhabanipur (a shakti-peeth) in this district. Lakshmanasena (1178–1204), the son and successor of Vallal Sena, exercised authority over this district till he was driven out by Ikhtiyaruddin Muhammad-bin-Bakhtiyar Khalji in 1204. Even after this date, a dynasty of Sena Rajas ruled for nearly a century over the north-eastern tract of this district as feudatory chiefs under the suzerainty of the Muslim rulers of Bengal. Their capital was at Kamalpur, a few miles to the north of Bhabanipur (a site of pilgrimage for the Hindu devotees) and a little to the south of Sherpur. Achyuta Sena was the last Prince of the line.[6]

The present Bogra District was first formed in 1821 during British rule. In the 1901 census, the population of the district (on a reduced area) was around 854,533, an increase of 11% over the past decade, and it also revealed there was no town with a population above 10,000.[7] The famous Prafulla Chaki (1888–1908) was born in this district.

The area was enveloped in fighting during the Battle of Bogra, between the allied troops of Mukti Bahini and Indian Army (combined) and the Pakistan Army during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, with the former being victorious.

Karatoa River
Karatoa River near Mahasthangarh
Location
Country	Bangladesh
Region	Rajshahi Division
City	Bogra

The area consisting of Upazila Sariakandi, Gabtali, Sonatala and the majority of Dhunat, is called the eastern alluvial tract. Fertilized by the silt of floodwaters, the eastern alluvion is one of the most fertile and prosperous areas in Bogra; jute, aman paddy, sugarcane and pulses are grown locally. Sometimes, as many as three or more crops are grown on one field in a year, with little diminution of its productivity.[9]

The western portion of the district is a marked contrast to the eastern one. In most parts it is well-wooded. Dense shrub jungles are found in Upazilas of Sherpur and in parts of Sibganj, which has a comparatively large proportion of cultivable wasteland. This part of the district is slightly higher than the eastern parts and is mostly above flood level. The soil of this part is generally suited to the growth of paddy. Adamdighi is well known for the fine qualities of rice, which is also grown to some extent in the Shibganj Upazila. [9]

The tract to the east of the Karatoya is a part of the valley of the Brahmaputra, and is generally low-lying and intersected by numerous khals (canals, shallow swamps, and marshes). It is subject to yearly inundation from the overflow of the Brahmaputra and, therefore, gets a rich deposit of silt. There is very little jungle and almost the entire area is under cultivation.

There are many rivers in the Bogra District. The Karatoya is the central divider of the water channel in the district. The other rivers may be classified into the eastern and western systems.[10] Some of the major rivers in this district are:

1. The Bangali
2. The Karatoya
3. The Jamuna
4. The Nagar
5. The Tulshiganga
6. The Isamoti

The district has a humid subtropical climate.

Marefati, dehatatwa, dhua, meyeli gan and other types of folk songs and also Prabad, Prabachan, folk-tales etc. are in use among the people of the Bogra District.

Bogra has 12 Subdistricts (Upazilas):

1. Adamdighi
2. Bogra Sadar
3. Sherpur
4. Dhunat
5. Dhupchanchia
6. Gabtali
7. Kahaloo
8. Nandigram
9. Shajahanpur
10. Sariakandi
11. Shibganj
12. Sonatala