Chandpur

About Chandpur

Chandpur lies on the eastern bank of the Meghna, a short way downstream of where the Padma pours into it, and its district town grew up on the mouth of the small Dakatia river. Munshiganj and Cumilla border it to the north, Cumilla to the east, Noakhali and Lakshmipur to the south, and Shariatpur and Barishal lie across the wide water to the west. Eight upazilas make up the district: Chandpur Sadar, Faridganj, Haimchar, Hajiganj, Kachua, Matlab Dakshin, Matlab Uttar and Shahrasti. The 2022 census counted about 2.6 million people.

The land is low, flat delta built from Meghna silt, crossed by canals and planted mostly with rice, jute and vegetables. Life on the western side is shaped by the river: erosion has swallowed whole villages and older town sites over the centuries, and large embankment projects now protect the town. Above all, Chandpur is known for hilsa (ilish). The district brands itself "Ilisher Bari", the home of hilsa, and a hilsa statue stands at the riverside Molhead, where the three rivers meet in a wide swirl of brown water.

History

Two stories compete to explain the name. One links it to Chand Ray, a zamindar of Bikrampur during the time of the Baro-Bhuiyans; another to Chand Fakir, a holy man remembered in the Purindapur area of the town. James Rennell's 1779 survey map already shows a small place called Chandpur, at a time when the main courts sat at Narsinghpur, a site the Meghna later washed away. The British created Chandpur subdivision under Tippera district in 1878, the town became a municipality in 1896, and Chandpur became a district in its own right in 1984.

Chandpur grew as a river and rail port: steamers linked it with Narayanganj, Goalundo and Barishal, and a branch railway connected it to Laksam and Chattogram, which made Puran Bazar a busy jute-trading centre. During the Liberation War, Banglapedia records, a large rural area stretching from Shahrasti to Faridganj stayed outside Pakistani army control for most of 1971. The "Angikar" monument in the town remembers those who died. Matlab in the north of the district became internationally known after the 1960s as the field site where icddr,b has tracked births, deaths and health in thousands of households for decades.

Economy and livelihoods

Fishing and fish trading are the most visible part of the economy. Boats unload hilsa from the Meghna at the Boro Station area of Chandpur town, where wholesale traders pack it in ice for Dhaka and other cities; seasonal fishing bans protect young fish (jatka) in spring and spawning hilsa in October. Rice is the main crop inland, along with potatoes, vegetables and jute, and Hajiganj and Kachua are busy commercial towns. Remittances from workers abroad, especially in the Middle East, are important to many families.

Food, culture and festivals

Food here centres on hilsa: fried with its oil poured over rice, steamed in mustard, wrapped in banana leaf as paturi, or cooked with the first green jackfruit of the season. Visitors often eat fresh-fried hilsa at small restaurants near the ghats. The folk tradition belongs to greater Cumilla, with kabigan, jatra and ballads, and country games such as ha-du-du were once common.

The Hajiganj Boro Masjid, founded by Ahmad Ali Patwari in the early twentieth century, is one of the best-known mosques in the region and draws large crowds on Fridays and during Ramadan. Hindu festivals are celebrated at old temples in the town, including the Jagannath temple mentioned by Banglapedia.

Places to visit in Chandpur

1. Molhead (Boro Station)

   The riverside point in Chandpur town where the Padma, Meghna and Dakatia meet. At sunset it is the town's favourite place to walk, watch launches and fishing boats, and see the hilsa monument.

2. Hajiganj Boro Masjid

   A large historic mosque complex in Hajiganj, founded by Ahmad Ali Patwari, with a tall minaret and decorated gate. Visitors are welcome outside prayer times.

3. Angikar monument

   A Liberation War memorial in Chandpur town whose name means "pledge", a gathering place on national days.

4. Rupsa Zamindar Bari

   An old zamindar house at Rupsa in Faridganj upazila, listed by Banglapedia among the district's heritage sites.

5. Matlab

   A riverside upazila known for the long-running icddr,b health and population research site, and for quiet canals and paddy fields close to the Meghna.

What Chandpur is famous for

• Chandpur hilsa
• Salted hilsa (nona ilish)
• River dried fish

How to get to Chandpur

The classic way to reach Chandpur is by launch from Dhaka's Sadarghat: the trip down the Buriganga, Dhaleshwari and Meghna takes roughly three and a half to four hours and arrives at the Chandpur launch terminal near the town centre. Buses from Dhaka's Sayedabad terminal take about three to four hours via the Meghna and Gumti bridges. Chandpur station is the end of a branch railway from Laksam, with services towards Cumilla and Chattogram.

Markets and haats

Boro Station fish ghat

The main hilsa landing and wholesale point beside the Meghna in Chandpur town. Mornings in the hilsa season are the busiest, with boats unloading and traders auctioning and icing fish for other cities.

Puran Bazar, Chandpur

The old commercial quarter on the Dakatia, historically a jute and grain trading centre, still full of wholesale shops for rice, spices and household goods.

Hajiganj bazar

One of the busiest market towns in the district, serving the inland upazilas with produce, fish and clothing.

Chandpur at a glance

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