Munshiganj

About Munshiganj

Munshiganj sits just south of Dhaka and Narayanganj, in the angle formed by the Padma to the south-west, the Meghna to the east and the Dhaleshwari to the north. Its six upazilas are Munshiganj Sadar, Sreenagar, Sirajdikhan, Lohajang, Tongibari and Gazaria. With about 1.63 million people in the 2022 census on under 1,000 square kilometres, it is one of the more densely settled rural districts in the country.

Much of the district is the old region of Bikrampur, fertile low land threaded with canals and dotted with ancient ponds. Mawa in Lohajang is the northern end of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge, and the Dhaka-Mawa expressway and the new railway now run straight through Sreenagar and Lohajang. Gazaria, across the Meghna, is a growing industrial area on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway.

In winter the fields turn green with potato plants, and Munshiganj is often called the potato capital of Bangladesh, with dozens of cold storages along its roads.

History

Bikrampur was one of the great centres of early Bengal. It served as a capital of the Chandra, Varman and Sena kings from roughly the 10th to the 13th century, and the Buddhist scholar Atish Dipankar Srijnan, who later taught in Tibet, was born at Vajrayogini in the 10th century. Excavations at Raghurampur and Nateshwar have uncovered Buddhist monasteries from that era. Ballal Sena's and Harish Chandra's dighis at Rampal recall the Sena period, and Baba Adam's mosque there was built in 1483.

In 1660 the Mughal governor Mir Jumla built Idrakpur Fort to guard the rivers against Magh and Portuguese pirates. Under the British, Munshiganj was a subdivision of Dhaka; it became a district in 1984. Bikrampur gave Bengal many scholars and leaders, among them the scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose, whose ancestral home is at Rarikhal, the writer Buddhadeva Bose and the swimmer Brojen Das.

Economy and livelihoods

Potatoes dominate the farm economy, supported by a large network of cold storages; the district also grows rice, mustard, vegetables and bananas. Mirkadim on the Dhaleshwari is known for its rice mills and for the white cattle raised for Eid-ul-Adha. Fishing on the Padma and Meghna, especially for hilsa, is a major livelihood, and the fish restaurants at Mawa became famous with travellers. Gazaria hosts cement, steel and shipbuilding works on the Meghna, and remittances from workers abroad are important to many families.

Food, culture and festivals

Bikrampur's sweets are well known: patkhir, a thick set milk sweet from Sirajdikhan and Tongibari, and the sweets of Bhagyakul in Sreenagar. Hilsa fried with its roe and served with eggplant fry at the Mawa ghats is a classic stop. Boat races on the Dhaleshwari between Mirkadim and Munshiganj draw thousands of people, and fairs such as the Shyamsiddhi mela and Rath Yatra keep old traditions alive.

The district also has a strong literary and musical heritage, with jatra, pala gan, kabigan and kirtan performed at festivals.

Places to visit in Munshiganj

1. Idrakpur Fort

   A Mughal river fort built around 1660 in Munshiganj town, with a high round gun platform and crenellated walls. It is one of the best-preserved Mughal water forts in Bangladesh.

2. Baba Adam's Mosque

   A six-domed brick mosque at Rampal built in 1483 during the Sultanate period, beside the tomb of the saint Baba Adam. Its terracotta details and solid proportions are a highlight of the area.

3. Atish Dipankar's birthplace, Vajrayogini

   The traditional birthplace of the Buddhist teacher Atish Dipankar, marked by a memorial. Nearby excavations at Raghurampur and Nateshwar have revealed Buddhist monastic remains.

4. Jagadish Chandra Bose Memorial, Rarikhal

   The scientist's ancestral home in Sreenagar, now a memorial complex with a museum, gardens and ponds.

5. Mawa and the Padma Bridge

   The riverside at Mawa offers views of the Padma Bridge and the famous hilsa-fry restaurants beside the old ferry ghat.

What Munshiganj is famous for

• Munshiganj potato
• Bikrampur patkhir
• Bhagyakul sweets
• Padma hilsa

How to get to Munshiganj

Mawa and Sreenagar are under an hour from central Dhaka in good traffic on the Dhaka-Mawa expressway, and trains on the Padma Bridge line stop at Mawa. Munshiganj town is reached via the Muktarpur bridge over the Dhaleshwari from Narayanganj, roughly one and a half hours by bus from Gulistan, or by launch from Sadarghat. Gazaria is on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway beyond the Meghna bridge.

Markets and haats

Mirkadim Haat

A historic river-port market on the Dhaleshwari, known for rice trading and, before Eid-ul-Adha, its prized white cattle.

Mawa fish ghat

The fish landing and market at Mawa where hilsa and other Padma fish are auctioned and sold fresh.

Munshiganj town bazar

The central market of the district town, good for potatoes and vegetables in season, and Bikrampur sweets.

Munshiganj at a glance

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Questions about Munshiganj

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
• Manikganj Where the Jamuna meets the Padma: zamindar palaces and hajari gur
• 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