Beanibazar Upazila
Beanibazar () is an upazila (sub-district) of Sylhet District in northeastern Bangladesh, part of the Sylhet Division. The area is the successor of the territory of Panchakhanda, formerly ruled by the aristocratic Pal family. History. Like the rest of North Bengal and Mymensingh, Beanibazar was also a part of the Kamarupa Kingdom in ancient times. In the 7th century, King Bhaskaravarman granted land to over 200 Brahmins and the grant, known as the Nidhanpur copperplate inscription, was recorded in Sanskrit. After the Conquest of Sylhet in 1303, Khwaja Adina Sufi - a disciple of Shah Jalal - migrated to what  is now Adinabad in Charkhai (in Beanibazar) where he preached Islam to the local people. The name "Beanibazar" is derived from the existing "Bihani Bazaar" ("Morning Market") which was founded by the local landowner Krishna Kishore Pal Chowdhury. On 29 December 1912, a cultivator in Nidhanpur village discovered what he thought was a clue to the location of a hidden treasure, during the process of building his buffalo shed. He took the plates to a local landholder who brought them to the attention of authorities in Silchar, thus rediscovering the Nidhanpur copperplate inscriptions. On 18 May 1940, one of the  five thanas of the Karimganj Mahakuma, Jolodhup, was planned to also be split into two – Beanibazar and Barlekha. Beanibazar was given to the Sylhet Mahakuma while Barlekha went to South Sylhet Mahakuma. The upazila was the headquarters of the Nankar Rebellion. Beanibazar became an upazila in 1983. In 2009, the Beanibazar Sporting Club was founded. Geography. Beanibazar is located at . It has a total area of 253.22 km. Sheola Sutarkandi International Border Crossing. Sheola-Sutarkandi International Border Crossing on Bangladesh–India border on Karimganj-Beanibazar route is in Karimganj district of the Indian state of Assam. Famous for having an  International trade centre, Sutarkandi is an international border of India and Bangladesh. Through this space, export of fruits, silicon and coal is done. The place is situated in the district of Karimganj, Assam. It is located 14 km away from Karimganj and contains principal custom check post for the trade flow. Two national highway runs through Sutarkandi that is National Highway 151 (old) and National Highway 7 (new) which is 45 km from the border of Sylhet town of Bangladesh. Demographics. According to the 2011 Bangladesh census, Beanibazar Upazila had 42,119 households and a population of 253,616, 16.6% of whom  lived in urban areas. 11.3% of the population was under the age of 5. The literacy rate (age 7 and over) was 59.7%, compared to the national average of 51.8%. Administration. Beanibazar Upazila is divided into Beanibazar Municipality and ten union parishads: Alinagar, Charkhai, Dubag, Kurarbazar, Lauta, Mathiura (sola kak), Mullapur, Muria, Sheola, and Tilpara. The union parishads are subdivided into 132 mauzas and 174 villages. Beanibazar Municipality is subdivided into 9 wards and 37 mahallas.