# Kushtia District (1947–1984)

Undivided Kushtia District (Bengali: অবিভক্ত কুষ্টিয়া জেলা) or Greater Kushtia District (Bengali: বৃহত্তর কুষ্টিয়া জেলা) was a district consisting of Kushtia Sub-Division, Meherpur Sub-Division and Chuadanga Sub-Division of Greater Nadia District separated from Nadia District during the creation of East Pakistan in 1947.

## History

In 1725, the region of Kushtia was under the Zamindars of Natore. Later the British East India Company included Kushtia in Jessore District in 1776. But in 1828, it was included in Pabna District. In 1861, Kushtia Sub-Division was established due to Indigo revolt and in 1871, Kushtia Sub-Division with Kumarkhali Upazila and Khoksa Upazila was included in Nadia District. Pre-independence Nadia had five subdivisions: Krishnagar sadar, Ranaghat, Kushtia, Meherpur and Chuadanga. Due to some cartographic error in 1947, large part of Nadia except Nabadwip initially were included into East Bengal, Pakistan (now Bangladesh) due to it being a Muslim majority district in the 1941 census of British India. Due to protests rectification was made and on the night of 17 August 1947, Ranaghat, Krishnanagar, Shikarpur in Karimpur and Plassey were placed in West Bengal, India as Nabadwip district and the district in East Bengal was formed as Nadia district. It was then consisted of 3 subdivisions. These are Kushtia, Chuadanga and Meherpur. In October 1947, Nadia District Magistrate Syed Murtaza Ali changed the name of the district to Kushtia District to avoid confusion. Then in 1984, after 13 years of the independence of Bangladesh, Chuadanga and Meherpur districts were separated as separate districts and the present Kushtia district was formed with 6 police stations.

## Administrative division

Undivided Kushtia district had 03 subdivisions and 13 upazilas.
| Subdivision | no. | Upazila | Current district |
| Kushtia | 01 | Kushtia Sadar Upazila | Kushtia District |
| Kushtia | 02 | Kumarkhali Upazila | Kushtia District |
| Kushtia | 03 | Khoksa Upazila | Kushtia District |
| Kushtia | 04 | Mirpur Upazila | Kushtia District |
| Kushtia | 05 | Bheramara Upazila | Kushtia District |
| Kushtia | 06 | Daulatpur Upazila | Kushtia District |
| Meherpur | 07 | Meherpur Sadar Upazila | Meherpur District |
| Meherpur | 08 | Gangni Upazila | Meherpur District |
| Meherpur | 09 | Mujibnagar Upazila | Meherpur District |
| Chuadanga | 10 | Chuadanga Sadar Upazila | Chuadanga District |
| Chuadanga | 11 | Alamdanga Upazila | Chuadanga District |
| Chuadanga | 12 | Damurhuda Upazila | Chuadanga District |
| Chuadanga | 13 | Jibannagar Upazila | Chuadanga District |

## Demographics

Religion in Kushtia District (1951) :
| Islam | Islam | 91.55% | 91.55% |
| Hinduism | Hinduism | 8.01% | 8.01% |
| Other or not stated | Other or not stated | 0.44% | 0.44% |

## In the present time

Mujibnagar in Undivided Kushtia District was the first temporary capital of independent Bangladesh which is now an upazila in Meherpur District. The Bengali spoken by the original inhabitants of this region i.e. the undivided Nadia district bears a close resemblance to modern Standard Bengali. The larger society of the inhabitants of these three districts is called the Brihottoro Kushtiabasi.