Faridpur

About Faridpur

Faridpur lies on the south-west bank of the Padma, a little over 100 km from Dhaka, and gave its name to the old Greater Faridpur region that also covered today's Rajbari, Madaripur, Shariatpur and Gopalganj. The district has nine upazilas: Faridpur Sadar, Alfadanga, Bhanga, Boalmari, Charbhadrasan, Madhukhali, Nagarkanda, Sadarpur and Saltha. About 2.16 million people were counted here in the 2022 census, most of them in villages.

The land is flat, young delta soil laid down by the Padma, the Arial Khan and the Kumar, with the Madhumati along the western edge. Every monsoon the rivers spread across low fields, then fall back and leave the silt that makes Faridpur one of the country's great jute and onion growing districts. Char lands in Charbhadrasan and Sadarpur shift from year to year with the Padma.

Since the Padma Bridge opened in 2022, Faridpur has moved much closer to the capital. Bhanga, in the south of the district, is now a major junction of the Dhaka expressway and the new railway, and the old district town on the Kumar river has become a convenient stop between Dhaka and the south-west.

History

Before it was Faridpur the town was Fatehabad, a mint town of the Bengal Sultanate from the early 15th century, listed by the Mughals as Haveli Mahal Fatehabad and marked on Portuguese maps as Fatiabas. It was later renamed after the Chishti Sufi saint Shah Fariduddin Masud. The British carved a separate district out of Dhaka in 1786, first called Dacca Jalalpur, and the Faridpur name and headquarters followed in the early 19th century. In that era Haji Shariatullah and his son Dudu Miyan, from what is now Madaripur, led the Faraizi reform movement among the peasants of this region.

Faridpur produced an unusual number of writers and leaders. The poet Jasimuddin, author of Nakshi Kanthar Math, grew up at Ambikapur near the town; the medieval poet Alaol, the film-maker Mrinal Sen and the writer Narendranath Mitra were born in the district, and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's birthplace at Tungipara was part of Greater Faridpur. The old subdivision was split into five districts in 1984, leaving today's Faridpur.

Economy and livelihoods

Farming drives the district. Faridpur is regularly among the top producers of tossa jute in Bangladesh, and in late summer the roadsides fill with retting bundles and drying golden fibre. It is also one of the biggest onion-growing districts, especially Saltha, Nagarkanda and Boalmari, and grows onion seed, lentils, sugarcane and date palms tapped for winter molasses. Jute mills, a sugar mill and rice mills make up most local industry, and the Padma and its tributaries support fishing and boat-building.

Food, culture and festivals

Faridpur is closely tied to Jasimuddin, the "Palli Kabi" whose ballads turned village life and nakshi kantha embroidery into literature. The Jasim Mela held each January near his home draws folk singers, craft stalls and crowds from across the region. The district also has a strong tradition of baul, murshidi, jari and kabigan music, boat races on the rivers after the monsoon, and Rath Yatra and Durga Puja celebrations among its Hindu community.

Food here follows the rivers and the seasons: Padma hilsa in the rains, khejur gur and pitha in the winter, and plenty of lentils and fresh onion in everyday cooking.

Places to visit in Faridpur

1. Mathurapur Deul

   A tall twelve-sided brick temple tower in Madhukhali upazila, generally dated to the 17th century. Its walls are covered in rows of fine terracotta ornament, and it stands alone in open village grounds.

2. Pathrail Mosque

   A Sultanate-era brick mosque at Pathrail in Bhanga upazila, generally dated to the early 16th century. Its long facade is decorated with carved terracotta panels and is one of the oldest surviving buildings in the district.

3. Palli Kabi Jasimuddin's House

   The poet's family home at Ambikapur, on the edge of Faridpur town beside the Kumar river, now kept as a memorial with a small museum. The grave of the poet lies nearby under a pomegranate tree he wrote about.

4. Satair Mosque

   A many-domed medieval mosque at Satair in Boalmari upazila, associated with the Hussain Shahi period. Satair village is also known for its traditional handwoven prayer mats.

5. Kanaipur Zamindar Bari

   The decaying mansion of a zamindar family at Kanaipur, a short ride from the town, with columns and pond-side ghats that recall the region's landed estates.

What Faridpur is famous for

• Faridpur jute and jute crafts
• Faridpur onion
• Date-palm molasses (khejur gur)
• Nakshi kantha
• Satair handwoven prayer mat

How to get to Faridpur

From Dhaka, buses and private cars cross the Padma Bridge and take the Dhaka-Bhanga expressway, reaching Faridpur town in roughly two and a half to three hours, depending on traffic at Jatrabari. Buses leave from Sayedabad and Gabtoli. Trains on the Padma Bridge rail link run to Bhanga, and Faridpur town also has a station on the line from Rajbari. The older route via the Paturia-Daulatdia ferry over the Padma is still used for the north of the district.

Markets and haats

Kanaipur Haat

One of the biggest jute haats in the district, in Faridpur Sadar. In the jute season, farmers bring cartloads of fibre on market days and traders buy it for mills across the country.

Talma Haat

A large market in Nagarkanda upazila known for jute and, in spring, for heaps of freshly harvested onion.

Maligram Bazar

A major jute market in Bhanga upazila, now also easy to reach from the expressway.

Faridpur at a glance

Shops from Faridpur on Midmart

No shop from Faridpur is selling on Midmart yet.

Questions about Faridpur

More districts in Dhaka Division

• Dhaka The capital on the Buriganga: Mughal forts, muslin memories and a city that never pauses
• Gazipur Sal forests, jackfruit orchards and the factory belt north of Dhaka
• Gopalganj Beel country on the Madhumati, with floating gardens and Tungipara
• Kishoreganj Gateway to the haors, home of Sholakia and the poet Chandrabati
• Madaripur Arial Khan river town of date-palm gur, Shah Madar and Shakuni Lake
• Manikganj Where the Jamuna meets the Padma: zamindar palaces and hajari gur
• Munshiganj Ancient Bikrampur: potatoes, patkhir and the north end of the Padma Bridge
• Narayanganj Old Sonargaon, jamdani looms and the knitwear port on the Shitalakshya
• Narsingdi Looms of Madhabdi, lotkon orchards and the ancient city of Wari-Bateshwar
• Rajbari Goalundo and Daulatdia: the Padma gateway of onions and jute
• Shariatpur Where the Padma meets the Meghna: Zajira, Kirtinasha and bibikhana pitha
• Tangail Tangail saree, Porabari chamcham and the sal forests of Madhupur