Overview

Nilphamari  is a district in Northern Bangladesh. It is a part of the Rangpur Division. It is 400 km from the capital Dhaka in north and west side. It has an area of 1,547 square kilometres (597 sq mi). Nilphamari is recently marked as education district as it has highest education level in Bangladesh. Nilphamari is bounded by Rangpur and Lalmonirhat in east, Rangpur & Dinajpur in south, Dinajpur and Panchagarh in west, Siliguri of India in north side.

History

The Nilphamari subdivision was established in 1875, Nilphamari was a subdivision of Rangpur District. It was turned into a new district in 1984. The district consists of 3 municipalities, 33 wards, 65 mahallas, 62 union parishads, 390 mouzas & 370 villages.

Historical specialty

The historical Tebhaga movement spread over Domar & Dimla of this district in the 1940s. Once indigo was cultivated extensively in this district. Syedpur (Saidpur) is best known for its railway workshop. In 1870, the Assam-Bengal railway set up its largest workshop in Syedpur & many Biharis or Urdu-speakers came to work there. During the British rule the telephone exchange for the whole Assam-Bengal District was also situated in Syedpur. Even it was the largest city of Bangladesh after Dhaka & Chittagong. Syedpur (Saidpur) had the first airport in north Bengal. There was a cantonment in British period.

Places of interest

• Nilsagar
• The palace of Raja Harish Chandra (ninth century)
• Garh (Fort) of Raja Dharmapal and his palace (eighteenth century)
• Three domed Jami Mosque at Bherberi (eighteenth century)
• Tomb of Hazrat Pir Mohiuddin (Kundupukur)
• Dimla Rajbari
• Saidpur Airport
• Railway Factory in Saidpur
• Uttara Export Processing Zone (EPZ)
• Teesta Barrage
• Saidpur Church (1893)
• Nat Settlement (prison, 1871)
• Leprosy Hospital
• Chini Mosque (Saidpur)