Munshigonj Sadar Thana with an area of 160.79 sq km, is bounded by Narayanganj sadar, Bandar (Narayanganj) and Sonargaon upazilas on the north, Bhedarganj upazila on the south, Gazaria and Matlab upazilas on the east, Tongibari and Naria upazilas on the west. Main rivers are Meghna, Padma and Ichamati.

Munshigonj (Town) consists of 9 wards and 42 mahallas. The area of the town is 14.17 sq km. The population of the town is 52071; male 51.62% and female 48.38%; density of population is 3674 per sq km. Literacy rate among the town people is 49.3%. The town has two dakbungalows.

Administration Munshigonj Sadar thana was turned into an upazila in 1984. It consists of 9 union parishads, 2 municipalities (Sadar and Mirkadim), 94 mouzas and 219 villages.

Archaeological heritage: Idrakpur Fort (1660) at Munshigonj town, Panditer Bhita (birth place of Atis Dipankar ) at Vajrayogini, Baba Adam's Mosque at Rampal, home stead of Raja Vallala Sena, Rampal Dighi, Raja Harish Chandra's Dighi, Kodal Dhoar Dighi, home stead of Raja Sreenath, marble statue of Ashutosh Ganguly at the library room of Haraganga College.

Historical events During the Mughal rule the present Munshigonj town including the outlying areas was known as Idrakpur which was named after the then Mughal faujdar Idrak. A village on the outskirts of Munshigonj town is still known as Idrakpur. During the British rule Idrakpur was renamed as Munshigonj after the name of Munshi Enayet Ali, the local zamindar and the inhabitant of the village Kazi Kasba in Rampal.

In 1971 when the Pak army began mass-killing and massacre in Dhaka city on the night of 25 March the students and youths of Munshiganj raided the treasury and captured arms and ammunitions to resist the Pak army. They successfully guarded the river-side area to check the onrush of the Pak army towards Munshigonj. The people of Narayanganj in alliance with the youths of Munshiganj resisted an attack of the Pak army on 31 March. The Pak army first penetrated into Munshigonj on 9 May and killed some youths at Kewar on 14 May. The house of Radhika Mohan Ghosh at village Nayagaon on the bank of the Dhaleshwari had been the secret shelter and outpost of the freedom fighters. Attack on the ferries of the Pak army on the river used to be launched from the roof of this pucca building.

Marks of War of Liberation Mass killing site and memorial monument 1 (old student hostel premises of Munshiganj High School).

Population 294823; Male 53%, Female 47%; Muslim 93.82%, Hindu 5.78%, Buddhist 0.04%, Christian 0.05%, others 0.31%.

Religious institutions Mosque 166, temple 22, mazar 2, dargah 1, akhra 1. Noted institutions: Kacharighat Jami Mosque, Thana Jami Mosque, Launch-ghat Jami Mosque, Jaikalimata Mandir, Jagaddhatri Mandir, tomb of Kadira Pagla, tomb of Chhala-pagli, dargah of Elahi Mastan, Lakshmi Narayan Jeu Akhra.

Literacy and educational institutions Average literacy 35.5%; male 40.9%, female 30%. Educational institutions: college 4, high school 22, junior high school 4, primary teacher's training institute 1, technical training centre 1, madrasa 9, government primary school 100, non-government primary school 9; noted old institutions: Government Haraganga College, Munshiganj High School.

Newspapers and periodicals Weekly Munshiganj, Weekly Munshiganj Sangbad; defunct periodicals: Kaler Vela, Sangsaptak, Sarab.

Cultural organisations Club 6, literary and cultural organisation 4, public library 2, musical academy 2, art school 1, theatre party 3, drama stage 1, cinema hall 6, auditorium 1, stadium 1.

Main occupations Agriculture 25.64%, agricultural labourer 21.12%, fishing 1.32%, industry 1.1%, construction 1.52%, commerce 19.31%, service 9.34%, transport 3.1%, wage labourer 4.97% and others 12.58%.

Land use Cultivable land 12140 hectares; single crop 6.5%, double crop 75.75%, and triple crop land 17.75%. Cultivable land under irrigation 36.2%.

Land control Among the peasants, 27.8% are landless, 21.25% are marginal peasant, 32.95% small peasant, 13.5% intermediate, 4.5% rich; cultivable land per head 0.041 hectare.

Value of land The market value of first grade arable land is Tk 70,000 per 0.01 hectare.

Main crops Paddy, potato, wheat, jute, mustard, vegetables, chilli.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Indigo, kaun, linseed, arahar (pulse). Main fruits Banana, mango, papaya, jackfruit, litchi. Communication facilities Roads: pucca 27.27 km and mud road 100 km.

Traditional transport Palanquin (extinct), bullock cart and horse carriage (nearly extinct), boat. Manufactories Large industry 2, medium industry 12, ice mill and cold storage 20. Cottage industries Various cottage industries and workshops 392.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 17, fairs 8, most noted of which are Munshir Hat, Chitalia Hat, Mirkadim, Makahati, Munshiganj Bazar, Katakhali Bazar, Kamalaghat Bazar, Rikabi Bazar, Barani Mela (Kamalaghat), Rampal Maghi-purnima Mela, Dasami Mela (Kamalaghat), Munshiganj Rathjatra Mela, Rampal Rathjatra Mela, Manasa Mela (Munshiganj).

Main exports Potato, patal, vegetables, jute.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are asa, brac, proshika, Juba Sangha, Mahila Angana.

Health centres Hospital 1, mother and childcare centre 1, upazila health complex 1, private clinic 4.

Page last updated 01072005 @ 1340 GM