# Uttar Dinajpur district

Uttar Dinajpur (Bengali pronunciation:), also known as North Dinajpur, is a district of the Indian state of West Bengal. Created on 1 April 1992 by the division of the erstwhile West Dinajpur district, it comprises two subdivisions: Raiganj and Islampur.

## History

Undivided Dinajpur district was part of the Pundra and Gauda Kingdom of ancient Bengal. The whole of Pundra was part of the Mauryan empire, and Jainism was spread in the region in the fourth century BCE. Their capital was at Pundrabardhan (now in Bangladesh), and two other ancient towns were Gourpur and Kotibarsha, now called Bangarh. Later multiple inscriptions show how the Guptas also controlled Pundra. After the reign of Gauda Kingdom, the district was then ruled by Pala Empire from 750 CE. The Senas overthrew the Palas in 1143. In 1204, Bakhtiyar Khilji defeated the Senas and had Bangarh as its capital. After his murder, it was controlled by various governors sent by the Delhi Sultan from Gauda. In 1586, Mughal Emperor Akbar conquered Bengal and Dinajpur was controlled by the sarkars of Tajpur and Panjara. In 1765, it fell under the rule of the East India Company and was ruled from Murshidabad. In the later part of the 18th century, the district was home to the Sanyasi-Fakir rebellion until the early 19th century. The district remained relatively peaceful all through the rest of the 1800s. In 1905, the people of Dinajpur district protested against the Partition of Bengal. They participated in the Freedom struggle by refusing to pay tax, doing hartals, and launching agitations. In 1947, Dinajpur district was split between India and Pakistan with West Dinajpur remaining with India. In 1992, West Dinajpur district was bifurcated to form Uttar Dinajpur and Dakshin Dinajpur districts.

## Geography

Uttar Dinajpur district lies between latitude 25°11' N to 26°49' N and longitude 87°49' E to 90°00' E occupying an area of 3,142 km$^2$ (1,213 sq mi) enclosed by Panchagarh, Thakurgaon and Dinajpur districts of Bangladesh on the east, Kishanganj, Purnia and Katihar districts of Bihar on the west, Darjeeling district and Jalpaiguri district on the north and Malda district and Dakshin Dinajpur district on the south. Uttar Dinajpur is well connected with the rest of the state through National Highways, State Highways and Railways. NH-27 and NH-12 pass through the heart of the district.
The regional topography is generally flat with a gentle southerly slope towards which the main rivers like Kulik, Nagar, Mahananda. The District forms a part of the basin lying between Rajmahal hills on the east. The older alluvium is estimated to be Pleistocene age. Uttar Dinajpur is bestowed with a very fertile soil. The soil is very rich in nature due to the alluvial deposition which helps to grow Paddy, Jute, Mesta and Sugarcane etc. Raiganj on the banks of the River Kulik is the District Headquarters where the Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary, the second largest bird sanctuary in Asia, is situated. In Uttar Dinajpur district, there are two sub-divisions, Raiganj and Islampur, 110 km (68 mi) apart from each other. There are four municipalities, nine blocks and 99 Panchayats covering 1577 villages.

## Demographics

According to the 2011 census Uttar Dinajpur district has a population of 3,007,134, roughly equal to the nation of Albania or the US state of Mississippi. This gives it a ranking of 124th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 956 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,480/sq mi) . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 22.9%. Uttar Dinajpur has a sex ratio of 936 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 59.1%. 12.05% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 26.87% and 5.41% of the population respectively.

### Religion

Religion in Uttar Dinajpur district (2011) :
| | | Percent | Percent |
| Islam | Islam | 49.92% | 49.92% |
| Hinduism | Hinduism | 49.31% | 49.31% |
| Christianity | Christianity | 0.56% | 0.56% |
| Others | Others | 0.21% | 0.21% |
Religion in present-day Uttar Dinajpur district :
| Religion | Population (1941)$^{:88–91}$$^{:106}$ | Percentage (1941) | Population (2011) | Percentage (2011) |
| Islam | 266,415 | 53.61% | 1,501,170 | 49.92% |
| Hinduism | 200,051 | 40.25% | 1,482,943 | 49.31% |
| Tribal religion | 29,763 | 5.99% | 1,622 | 0.05% |
| Others | 740 | 0.15% | 21,399 | 0.72% |
| Total Population | 496,969 | 100% | 3,007,134 | 100% |

### Language

Languages of Uttar Dinajpur district (2011).
According to the 2011 census, 68.06% of the population spoke Bengali, 13.22% Surjapuri, 9.48% Urdu, 3.77% Santali, 3.76% Hindi and 1.03% Rajbongshi as their first language.

## Divisions
### Sub-divisions

Uttar Dinajpur District comprises two subdivisions:
* Raiganj Sub-Division and
* Islampur Sub-Division

### Assembly constituencies

As per order of the Delimitation Commission in respect of the delimitation of constituencies in the West Bengal, the district is divided into nine assembly constituencies:
| S No. | Name | Lok Sabha constituency | MLA | Party |
| 28 | Chopra | Darjeeling | Hamidul Rahman | All India Trinamool Congress |
| 29 | Islampur | Raiganj | Abdul Karim Chowdhury | All India Trinamool Congress |
| 30 | Goalpokhar | Raiganj | Md. Ghulam Rabbani | All India Trinamool Congress |
| 31 | Chakulia | Raiganj | Minhajul Arfin Azad | All India Trinamool Congress |
| 32 | Karandighi | Raiganj | Goutam Paul | All India Trinamool Congress |
| 33 | Hemtabad (SC) | Raiganj | Satyajit Barman | All India Trinamool Congress |
| 34 | Kaliaganj (SC) | Raiganj | Soumen Roy | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| 35 | Raiganj | Raiganj | Vac­ant | Vacant |
| 36 | Itahar | Balurghat | Mosaraf Hussen | All India Trinamool Congress |
Hemtabad and Kaliaganj constituencies are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) candidates. Along with six assembly constituencies from Darjeeling district, Chopra constituency forms the Darjeeling (Lok Sabha constituency). Islampur, Goalpokhar, Chakulia, Karandighi, Hemtabad, Kaliaganj and Raiganj constituencies forms the Raiganj (Lok Sabha constituency). Along with six assembly constituencies from South Dinajpur district, Itahar forms the Balurghat (Lok Sabha constituency).

### Villages

* Baroduary
* Maharaja Hat

## Economy

In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Uttar Dinajpur one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is one of the eleven districts in West Bengal currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF). but now Dalkhola the main commercial, business town with well-connected railway and roadways, increasing the economy of Dalkhola and Uttar Dinajpur District. Other important urban regions include Raiganj, Islampur and Kaliaganj.

## Tourism

In 1985, Uttar Dinajpur district became home to the Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary, which has an area of 1.3 km$^2$ (0.5 sq mi).
Other tourist places include:
* Swaminath Temple at Swaminath
* Rajbari at Rajbari Gate
* Shiv Mandir at Itahar
* Danhasori Pithasthal at Chandigram
* Shree Shree Ma Bhabani Devi Than at Bouaha
* Shidhi binayak Mandir at, Maharaja Hat

## Transport

Major railway stations are Raiganj(RGJ), Radhikapur (RDP), Kaliyagunj, Dalkolha and Aluabari Road Jn (Islampur). Dalkolha is most important stoppage of long-distance train. NH 27 and NH 12 are two National Highways in this District. Radhikapur-Kolkata (RDP-KOAA) Express train and Radhikapur-Howrah Kulik Express (RDP-HWH) are the two direct train for Raiganj to South Bengal Communication. Although RDP-SGUJ DEMU is the only direct train for Raiganj to North Bengal Communication. NBSTC, SBSTC are transport corporations serving the area. Siliguri More is that point zone which connect four district zone North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, North Bengal and South Bengal through High Ways.

## Education

As of 2012, there were 3282 schools in the Uttar Dinajpur district. 3100 of these are in rural areas, and 182 urban.
There is Raiganj University in Uttar Dinajpur situated at Raiganj.
Others general degree and diploma colleges are here also.
Some notable colleges such as:
* Chopra Kamala Paul Smriti Mahavidyalaya
* Dr. Meghnad Saha College
* Islampur College
* Islampur Government Polytechnic
* Kaliyaganj College
* Raiganj Government Medical College and Hospital
* Raiganj Polytechnic
* Raiganj Surendranath Mahavidyalaya
* Shree Agrasen Mahavidyalaya

## Notable people

* Abdul Karim Chowdhury - politician
* Mosaraf Hussen - politician
* Krishna Kalyani - politician, industrialist
* Md. Ghulam Rabbani - politician
* Hamidul Rahman - politician
* Soumen Roy - politician
* Tapan Deb Singha - politician