Natore at a Glance

Natore District

Area            : 1896.05 square kilometers.
Bounded by : Naogaon and Bogra districts on the north, Pabna and Kushtia districts on the south, Pabna   
                     and Sirajganj districts on the east, Rajshahi district on the west.
Profile          : Natore subdivision was established in 1845 under Rajshahi district and it was turned into a
                     district in 1984. It consists of 6 upazilas, 4 municipalities, 36 wards, 93 mahallas, 52 unions,

                     1272 mouzas and 1377 villages.

Upazilla/ Thana: Bagatipara Upazila, Baraigram Upazila, Gurudaspur Upazila, Lalpur Upazila, Natore Sadar
                         Upazila, Singra Upazila

History          : Indigo resistance movements were held in this district during 1859 to 1860. During the War
                       of Liberation in 1971 a direct battle was fought between the Pak army and the freedom .
                      fighters on 29 March in which about 40 members of the Pak army including Major Aslam and
                      Capt Ishaq were killed.

Places to see: Natore Rajbari and Dighapatia Rajbari (Uttara Ganabhaban), Dayarampur Rajbari
                      (Bagatipara) and Budpara Kali Mandir (Lalpur).

Newspapers: Dainik Uttar Bangabarta, Dainik Uttarpath, weekly Natore Barta.

Kacha Golla

This one kind of sweet. It is famous all over the country for its taste. Kacha Golla is made from milk. You can get it in any sweet shop. But now a days best quality Kacha Golla is available only at Darik Vandar. Which is situated near Joi Kali Bari mondir.Mouchak Mistanna Vandar which is situated at Alaipur of Natore town is another shop which produces good quality kachaGolla . If you come Natore don't miss to go for that.

Natore

Natore is a district of Rajshahi Division located in northern Bangladesh. It borders the metropolitan city of Rajshahi, and used to be part of Rajshahi district.

Geography
Most part of Natore district is plain land. Chalan Beel, the largest beel in Bangladesh is in part of Natore district.

Natore District (Rajshahi division) with an area of 1896.05 km², is bounded by Naogaon and Bogra districts on the north, Pabna and Kushtia districts on the south, Pabna and Sirajganj districts on the east, Rajshahi district on the west. Average annual temperature: maximum 37.8°C, minimum 11.2°C; annual rainfall 1862 mm. Rivers: 10 most noted of which are Atrai, Baral, Narod, Nandakunja; Chalan Beel is notable.The road distance from Natore to Dhaka is 220 Kilometres. Lalpur is the lowest Average annual rainfall area of Bangladesh.


Demography & Education
Population: 1521359; male 50.86%, female 49.14%; Muslim 90.47%, Hindu 8.47%, Christian 0.61% and others 0.45%; ethnic national: Santal.

Religious institutions: Mosque 2589, temple 216, church 12.

Literacy Rate: Average literacy 59%; male 65% and female 53%. Educational institutions: government college 5, non-government college 89, government high school 3, non-government high school 241, government primary school 407, non-government primary school 281, madrasa 133, teacher's training college 1, nursing institution 1. Nawab Siraj-Ud Dowla(N.S)Govt. College(1956)is the largest and oldest college of Natore.


Other information

Communication facilities: Roads: pucca 236.04 km, semi pucca 35 km and mud road 1703.85; railways 64 km.
Cultural organisations Club 285, public library 10, cinema hall 18.
Newspapers: Locally published newspapers and periodicals Dainik Uttar Bangabarta, Dainik Uttarpath,Dainik Janadesh weekly Natore Barta.
Traditional transport: Palanquin, horse carriage, bullock cart, buffalo cart. These means of transport are either extinct or nearly extinct.
NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are BRAC, CARE, Grameen bank, ITCL, Thengamara Mahila Sabuj Sangha (TMSS) etc.
Health centres- District hospital 1, upazila health complex 5, TB hospital 1, diabetic hospital 1, mission hospital 1, maternity and child care centre 12, family planning centre 27.
Administrative Structure

Upa-Zillas
Natore was the District HQ of Rajshahi since 1769-1825. At the eve of that replacement,Natore was decleared as a Subdivision; thats why Natore is the first Subdivision of Bangladesh. Natore has been established as a district in 1984. At present,It consists of 6 Upa-Zillas : 1. Natore Sadar, 2. Bagatipara, 3. Lalpur, 4. Baraigram, 5. Singra and 6. Gurudaspur
Bagatipara is one of the most important Upa-Zillas of Natore. It is a model thana (Police Station) of Natore.Quadirabad Cantonment of Bangladesh Army(Engineering Core)is situated at Dayarampur of Bagatipara Upazilla.
Natore town
Natore (Town) consists of 9 wards and 33 mahallas. Natore municipality was established in 1869 but it was transformed into Town Committee in 1959; municipality was again established in 1993. The area of the town is 15.05 km². The town has a population of 72615; male 51.57%, female 48.43%; density of population is 4825.Alaipur,kanaikhali,Nichabazar,Lalbazar are the most populated areas of Natore Town.

Economy
Population 1521359. Sectoral share of occupations are Agriculture 41.75%, agricultural labourer 28.84%, wage labourer 3.01%, commerce 10%, service 5.02%, fishing 1.32% and others 10.06%. Economy of Natore is based on agriculture. Land use: Total cultivable land 142880 hectares; fallow land 1772 hectares; single crop 72%, double crop 25% and treble crop land 3%. Cultivable land under irrigation 64%.
Land control: Among the peasants 29% are landless, 37% small, 25% intermediate and 9% rich.
Value of land The market value of the land of the first grade is approximately Tk. 6000 per 0.01 hectare.
Main crops Paddy, wheat, sugarcane, betel leaf. Extinct or nearly extinct crops Indigo, Aus and aman paddy. Main fruits Mango, jackfruit, banana, coconut and litchi.
Not too many industries. Manufactories Sugar mill, rice mill, oil mill, flour mill, printing, biscuit factory, ice factory, etc. Cottage industries Potteries, goldsmiths, blacksmiths, mat making, etc.There are two sugar mills in Natore.One is Natore Sugar Mills Limited,Natore Sadar,Natore(1985),Natore Sugar Mills Limited is 2.5 Km away from Natore Town.Another is North Bengal Sugar Mills Limited,Lalpur,Natore(1933),this two sugar mills are the enterprises of the Bangladesh Sugar & Food Industries Corporation(BSFIC).Pran Agro Ltd.,Ekdala,Natore Sadar(2005)is a private food manufacturing plant of Pran-RFL Group.Jamuna Distillery Limited(1995)is another private industry of Jamuna Group,the Distillery produces industrial alcohol ,the Distillery is situated near Natore Sugar Mills Limited. More industries will be set up if gas is supplied through pipeline in Natore.For a long time,the people of Natore are demanding gas supply through pipeline as soon as possible. Hats, bazars and fairs Total number of hats and bazars are 152, fair 13. Tebaria Hat,which is situated 3 km from Natore Town is a traditional hat which sits every sunday,Tebaria is the biggest Hat of Natore.
Exports: Main exports Sugar, paddy and vegetables.

History

Natore was the District Head Quarter of Rajshahi since 1769-1825. Administration Natore subdivision was established in 1825 under Rajshahi district, at the eve of the replacement of the HQ and it was turned into a district in 1984. It consists of 6 upazilas, 4 municipalities, 36 wards, 93 mahallas, 52 unions, 1272 mouzas and 1377 villages. The upazilas are natore sadar, bagatipara, baraigram, gurudaspur, lalpur and singra.
Archaeological heritage and relics Natore Rajbari and Dighapatia Rajbari (Uttara Ganabhaban), Dayarampur Rajbari (Bagatipara) and Budpara Kali Mandir (Lalpur).
Historical events Indigo resistance movements were held in this district during 1859 to 1860. During the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971 a direct battle was fought between the Pakistan army and the rebels on 29 March in which about 40 members of the Pakistan army including Major Aslam and Captain Ishaq were killed. On 5 May,1971,Pakistan Army killed 42 employees of North Bengal Sugar Mills(Lalpur) including the then General Manager of the mill Lieutenant Anwarul Azim,they were killed near a pond in the mill campus.The pond is known as "Shaheed Sagar" and there is a memorial in the pond side.
Marks of the War of Liberation Mass grave 5, memorial 1.

Visit Natore

Tourist attractions in Natore include Rani Bhabanir Rajbari, the palace of queen Bhabani. Rani Bhabani (Born in Bogra District, Bhabani was married off to Raja Ramkanta, the then zamindar of Rajshahi. After his death, Bhabani became the de jure zamindar, and started being referred to as Rani, meaning queen. A woman as a zamindar was extremely rare in those days, but Rani Bhabani managed the vast Rajshahi zamindari most efficiently and effectively for over four decades. Holwell, an English writer, speculated that the stipulated annual rent of the estate to the crown was 7 million rupees, the real revenues being about 15 million.However, what made Rani Bhabani a household name among the common people was her philanthropy and general generosity, combined with an austere personal life. The number of temples, guesthouses and roads she constructed across Bengal is believed to be in the hundreds. She also built numerous water tanks, alleviating the acute water problem of her subjects. She was also interested in the spread of education and donated generously to many educational institutes.During the era of Rani Bhabani, she might have made some great contributions for the development and renovation of Bhabanipur temple. The deity or Goddess of Ma Tara of the Bhabanipur Temple is probably named after Rani Bhabani. Bhabanipur is a shakti-peeth which is located at Sherpur Upazila of Bogra District.Rani Bhabani’s house in Natore remains a main tourist attraction in Bangladesh to date.) was a great social worker. She was the pioneer to spread education for the women of Bengal. It is a historical palace, situated in the Bongojol area in the Natore district town. There is a college, a school, and other institutions named for Rani Bhobani.

Dighapatiya Rajbari is the most popular sight with visitors. The kings of Natore lived here. Today, it is called Uttara Gano Bhaban (is a mansion in Natore, Bangladesh. It is used as the Prime Minister’s local residence and office in the northern region of Bangladesh.), and is one of the official residences of the president of Bangladesh. It is situated in large grounds, with decorative gates, a large garden, and hundreds of rooms. There is a pond and a sculpture here. It is 5 km from Natore district town.

Cholon Bil is a large natural wetland. During the monsoon, the area of the Bil increases and touches four upazilas (sub-districts) of the Natore district. The picnic parties come to Cholon Bil every season. They cook, sing, dance, and do everything they wish in their boats. It looks like a sea, especially during the monsoon.

Natore Rail Station

 Other places to visit include:

·     Natore Rajbari (jubo park)

·     Uttara Ganabhaban (Maharaja’s Palace)

·     Palace of Bagati Para

·     Modoner Pukur Par

·     Natore Adunik Stadium

·     Beautyful village of Moshinda

·     Natore Sugar Mills

·     North Bengal Sugar Mills and the “Shaheed Sagar”memorial on the mill campus.

·     Pran-Agro Limited

·     Jamuna Distillary

·     Chalan Beel

Chalan Beel (Cholon Lake)