Manikganj

About Manikganj

Manikganj is the western neighbour of Dhaka district, bounded by the Jamuna and the Padma, which meet at its south-western corner near Aricha and Paturia. Its seven upazilas are Manikganj Sadar, Saturia, Singair, Ghior, Daulatpur, Shivalaya and Harirampur. About 1.56 million people were counted in the 2022 census, and the district is still overwhelmingly rural.

The Kaliganga, Dhaleshwari and Ichamati wind across the interior, and the big rivers on the edge leave wide chars and sandbanks that shift every year. The Dhaka-Aricha highway runs through the middle of the district, which makes Manikganj the route by which a large share of western and south-western Bangladesh reaches the capital by road, through the Paturia-Daulatdia ferry over the Padma.

Away from the highway, Manikganj is quiet farming country of mustard fields in winter, jute and paddy in summer, and old villages with decaying zamindar houses.

History

Manikganj became a subdivision in 1845 under Faridpur and was transferred to Dhaka district in 1853. The name is often traced to a Sufi figure called Manik Shah or to local rulers named Manik, though the origin is uncertain. In the 19th century wealthy zamindar families built grand houses here: the Baliati estate in Saturia, founded by salt traders, and the Teota estate in Shivalaya, the ancestral home of Pramila Devi, wife of the poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. The economist Amartya Sen's family home was at Mattah in Manikganj.

During the 1971 war freedom fighters won a notable battle at Golaidanga in Singair. On 26 April 1989, the Daulatpur-Saturia tornado struck the district, killing around 1,300 people; it is considered the deadliest tornado on record. Manikganj became a district in 1984.

Economy and livelihoods

Agriculture dominates: rice, jute, wheat, mustard, onion, garlic, chilli and vegetables, plus milk from many small dairy farms. Harirampur and the chars along the Padma are known for date palms, and Jhitka is the home of hajari gur, a premium date-palm molasses made with a traditional method that sells at a high price in Dhaka. Small industries include rice mills, brickfields, a growing number of garment and food factories along the highway, and the river ports at Aricha and Paturia, which employ boatmen, porters and traders.

Food, culture and festivals

Manikganj has a rich folk tradition, with baul and bichar gan, jari, sari and kabigan, and the Behula-Lakhindar songs of the bera bhasan festival. The district is known for its many fairs, with more than fifty held each year, including Poush and Baruni fairs and the gatherings at shrines and ashrams.

Food in winter means hajari gur and pitha; in the monsoon, Padma and Jamuna fish such as hilsa and boal, often bought fresh at the Aricha ghat.

Places to visit in Manikganj

1. Baliati Palace

   A complex of grand 19th-century mansions in Saturia built by the Baliati zamindar family, with columned facades, courtyards and a large pond. It is maintained by the Department of Archaeology and is the most visited heritage site in the district.

2. Teota Zamindar Bari

   A crumbling zamindar estate in Shivalaya with an ornate nava-ratna temple and long arcaded buildings. Nazrul Islam's wife Pramila Devi grew up here, and the site has links to the poet's visits.

3. Aricha and Paturia ghats

   The famous ferry crossings on the Jamuna and Padma, where the two rivers meet. Watching ferries, launches and fishing boats here at sunset is a classic river experience.

4. Padma char at Harirampur

   Wide sandbanks and fields along the Padma in Harirampur upazila, a popular spot for a day out by the river, especially in winter.

What Manikganj is famous for

• Manikganj hajari gur
• Mustard oil
• Ghee
• Nakshi kantha

How to get to Manikganj

Manikganj town is about 60 km west of Dhaka on the Dhaka-Aricha highway. Buses from Gabtoli reach the town in roughly one and a half to two hours, depending on traffic at Savar and Hemayetpur, and continue to Paturia and Aricha. There is no railway in the district, so road is the only practical option.

Markets and haats

Jhitka Bazar

A market in Harirampur upazila known for its winter gur haat, where hajari and other date-palm gur from nearby villages is sold.

Ghior Bazar

A long-established weekly haat in Ghior upazila, one of the largest in the district, trading in cattle, grain and household goods.

Manikganj town bazar

The central market of the district town, with fish, vegetables, dairy and local sweets.

Manikganj at a glance

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Questions about Manikganj

More districts in Dhaka Division

• Dhaka The capital on the Buriganga: Mughal forts, muslin memories and a city that never pauses
• Faridpur Jute country on the Padma, and home of the poet of rural Bengal
• 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
• 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