Nilphamari

About Nilphamari

Nilphamari lies in the north-west of Rangpur Division, on the high plain between the Teesta and the Dinajpur uplands. India's Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar districts are to the north, Lalmonirhat to the east, Rangpur to the south and Dinajpur and Panchagarh to the west. Its six upazilas cover a little over 1,500 square kilometres. With about 2.09 million people in the 2022 census, it is one of the most densely settled districts in the north.

The land changes from north to south. Around Dimla and Domar the ground is higher and drier, and along the Teesta in the east it turns sandy. Towards the south-west it becomes rich farmland. The Teesta, the Buri Teesta, the Jamuneshwari and many smaller streams cross the district, and the Teesta Barrage canals irrigate much of it. What makes Nilphamari different from its rural neighbours is industry. Saidpur is a railway and factory town with its own airport, and the export processing zone near the district town employs thousands of workers.

History

In the early nineteenth century British indigo planters built factories (neelkuthi) across the area, at Durakuti, Dimla, Kishoreganj and on the edge of the present town, where the soil grew some of the best indigo in greater Rangpur. Local people called the planters' estates "neel khamar", the indigo farm. Over time the phrase became "Nilkhamari" and then Nilphamari. The town became a subdivision of Rangpur in 1875 and a district in 1984.

Saidpur grew separately. In 1870 the railway company built its main locomotive and carriage workshop there, and Urdu-speaking workers from Bihar and other parts of India came to staff it. The town still has a large Urdu-speaking community, an old Catholic church from the 1890s, and a feel quite unlike other towns in the north. The Chilahati–Haldibari rail link with India in Domar upazila reopened in 2020 after decades of closure.

Economy and livelihoods

Most families still live by farming. Maize is the leading cash crop in the Teesta basin of Dimla and Jaldhaka, chilli is grown around Domar and Dimla, and rice, potatoes, wheat, mustard, jute and tobacco cover much of the rest. Industry matters more here than in most northern districts. Uttara Export Processing Zone at Sangalshi houses garment, wig, toy and other export factories. Saidpur has the railway workshop, a BSCIC estate, and a cluster of small tailoring units that turn garment-factory offcuts into shirts and trousers for sale across the north. The Darwani textile mill and the Teesta irrigation project add to local jobs.

Food, culture and festivals

Nilphamari speaks Rangpuri Bangla in the villages and Urdu in parts of Saidpur, and the town's food reflects both. Saidpur is known for its parathas, kababs and other Bihari-style dishes. Domar's sandesh, a dry milk sweet, is the souvenir most visitors take home. Folk traditions include Satyapir songs and village games and fairs such as hash khela. The district also observes Eid and Durga Puja with large community events.

Places to visit in Nilphamari

1. Chini Mosque, Saidpur

   A mosque in Saidpur whose walls and minarets are covered in pieces of broken china and coloured glass set in plaster. It was first built in the 1860s and later enlarged, and it is the most photographed building in the district.

2. Nilsagar

   A large walled tank at Gorgram, about 14 km south-west of the district town, covering roughly 21 hectares. Local tradition links it with King Virat's cattle. There is a temple on one bank and a dervish's shrine on the other, and it is a favourite winter picnic spot with migratory birds.

3. Saidpur railway workshop

   Bangladesh Railway's largest repair works, founded in 1870 on a large campus of red-brick sheds. Entry needs permission, but the surrounding railway colony and old bungalows are worth a walk.

4. Dharmapal's Garh, Jaldhaka

   Earthwork ramparts and mounds in Jaldhaka associated with a local ruler named Dharmapal. They are among several old fort sites in the district, along with Maynamatir Garh in Domar.

5. Teesta Barrage canals, Dalia

   The Dimla side of the Teesta Barrage project, with its headworks area and main canals running through Nilphamari's farmland. It is pleasant for an evening outing in the dry season.

What Nilphamari is famous for

• Domar sandesh
• Saidpur-made shirts and trousers
• Sun-dried red chilli

How to get to Nilphamari

Saidpur airport makes Nilphamari one of the easiest northern districts to reach: daily flights from Dhaka take about an hour, and the district town is roughly 30 minutes away by road. By rail, the Nilsagar Express and Chilahati Express run from Dhaka through Saidpur and Nilphamari to Domar and Chilahati in about 9–10 hours. Buses from Gabtoli and Kallyanpur take about 8–9 hours via the Jamuna Bridge and Rangpur.

Markets and haats

Saidpur town market

The busy commercial core of Saidpur. Wholesale cloth and ready-made garments from the local tailoring units are sold here, along with railway-town eateries.

Nilphamari town bazar

The main market of the district town, beside the bazar mosque. It is the place for groceries, spices, cloth and farm supplies.

Domar bazar

The upazila market in Domar, known for its sweet shops selling Domar sandesh and for chilli and vegetables from the surrounding farms.

Nilphamari at a glance

Shops from Nilphamari on Midmart

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Questions about Nilphamari

More districts in Rangpur Division

• Dinajpur Terracotta temples, Kataribhog rice and the litchi capital of Bangladesh
• Gaibandha Char country on the Brahmaputra, home of rasmanjari and winter knitwear
• Kurigram Where the Brahmaputra enters Bangladesh, a land of rivers, chars and Bhawaiya
• Lalmonirhat Railway town, Teesta Barrage and the Tin Bigha Corridor on the northern border
• Panchagarh Bangladesh's northern tip, with flatland tea gardens and Kanchenjunga on the horizon
• Rangpur Capital of the north, home of shataranji rugs, Haribhanga mangoes and Begum Rokeya
• Thakurgaon The wheat basket of Bangladesh, home of Suryapuri mangoes and a giant old mango tree