Serajdikhan Thana with an area of 180.19 sq km, is bounded by Keraniganj upazila on the north, Lauhajang and Sreenagar upazilas on the south, Tongibari and Narayanganj Sadar upazila on the east, Sreenagar and Nawabganj (Dhaka) upazilas on the west. Main rivers are the Ichamati and the Dhaleshwari. Arial Beel covering 4,330 hectares of land partly belongs to the upazila.

Serajdikhan (Town) consists of 2 mouzas. The area of the town is 0.95 sq km. It has a population of 2851; male 53.84%, female 46.16%. Literacy rate among the town people is 31.6%.

Administration Sirajdikhan thana was constituted in 1914 and was transformed into an upazila in 1983. It consists of 14 union parishads, 124 mouzas and 177 villages.

Archaeological heritage A single domed mosque at Kusumpur (Talukdar-bari Mosque, Mughal period), Tajpur Mosque, Patharghata Mosque, Qazishal Mosque, Pulghata Bridge, math at village Fegnasar, math at the house of Kankata De at village Tajpur and Panchasikhar Mahadeva Mandir (temple) at Taltala. A large shiva-linga (phallus of god Shiva) is placed inside this temple.

Historical events The anti-British terrorist movement was very strong in this upazila. The Congress activists used to make bombs at Ichapura and Madhyapara villages and distributed them to the workers of adjacent areas. While making bombs at village Madhyapara there occurred the incidental explosion of a bomb. At the intelligence of the explosion a military camp of the British Gorkha soldiers was set up at the junction of three roads on the western side of Ichapura-bazar, in order to suppress terrorist activities. The soldiers arrested a Congress activist named Abinash, persecuted and interrogated him with a view to detect information on the terrorist activities in the area, but in vain. During the war of liberation in 1971 one Abdul Aziz of village Shialdi was shot dead for uttering the slogan 'Jai Bangla' at the in front of the Pak-army. Abdul Aziz was the first martyr of the upazila in the war of liberation.

This area appears to have been named after one Sirajuddin Khan of village Rajdia on the south of the Ichamati. Sirajuddin Khan was fourth in decent from one Sujat Ali Khan who is said to have acquired a farman from the Mughal emperor Jahangir to check the raids of the Arakani pirates and settled at village Rajdia.

Marks of War of Liberation Martyr Abdul Aziz Memorial Monument at village Shialdi.

Population 229,085; Male 51%, Female 49%; Muslim 85%, Hindu 10%, Christian 4.991%, Buddhist 0.01%.

Religious institutions Notable institutions: Kusumpur Mosque, Tajpur Mosque, Patharghata Mosque, Visva Jami Masjid (Rajanagar union), Panch Pir Dargah (Sirajdikhan), Shekharnagar Kali Mandir, Shulpur Church, holy bathing place at Malighata.

Literacy and educational institutions Average literacy 33.7%; male 38.7%, female 28.8%. Educational institutions: college 4, high school 17, madrasa 10, primary school (government) 106. Old institution: Ichapura High School (1892).

Newspapers and periodicals Monthly Vikrampur (Kathaltali), extinct periodicals: Monthly Palli-bijnan (Jainsar), Hindu Intelligencer (Malkhanagar), Mukti (Malkhanagar).

Cultural orgainisations Rural club 140, public library 1, museum 1, theatre group 1, cinema hall 1, women's association 1.

Main occupations Agriculture 28.72%, fishing 1.89%, agricultural labourer 27.46%, wage labourer 2.05%, industry 1.55%, commerce 13.7%, service 8.86%, loom 1.51%, construction 2.53%, others 11.73%.

Land use Cultivable land 12191 hectare, fallow land 5938 hectare; single crop 13.27%, double crop 83.65% and triple crop land 3.08%. Cultivable land under irrigation 80%.

Land control Among the peasants, 60% are small, 30% intermediate, 10% rich; cultivable land per head 0.053 hectare.

Value of land The market value of the first grade arable land is Tk 13000 per 0.01 hectare.

Main crops Potato, paddy, jute, sesame.

Extinct and nearly extinct crops Sugarcane, leguminous seeds of pulse, lentil, khesari, pea, linseed.

Main fruits Mango, banana, jackfruit.

Fisheries poultries and dairies Fishery 60, poultry 52, dairy 48, hatchery 1.

Communication facilities Roads: pucca 31 km, mud road 166 km; waterway 19 nautical mile.

Traditional transport Palanquin (extinct), bullock cart (nearly extinct) and boat.

Manufactories Cold storage 9.

Cottage industries Handloom 571, welding workshop 42, bidi factory 3, goldsmith 120, potteries 150.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 20, fair 11; most noted of which are Taltala hat, Sirajdikhan hat, Rajanagar hat, Ichhapura hat, Shekharnagar Kalipuja mela, Shekharnagar Majhipara Chaitra-samkranti mela, Taltala dashami mela, Kauamara rathjatra mela, Kusumpur Baishakhi mela.

Main exports Potato, jute.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are caritas, asa, World Vision, Samaj Parivartan Kendra, proshika, brac, Country Mission, grameen bank, Vikrampur Ain Sahajya Sangstha.

Health centres Upazila health complex 1, sub health centre 6, family planning centre 11, veterinary hospital 1.

Page last updated 01-07-2005 @ 1520 GMT