Rangpur, Bangladesh

Rangpur রংপুর
Metropolis
Rangpur Town Hall Tajhat Palace Parjatan Motel University Campus Zilla Parishad Terminal Mosque
Nickname(s):  Green City, Education City, City of Colours
Rangpur Location in Rangpur Division, Bangladesh Show map of Rangpur division Rangpur Location in Bangladesh Show map of Bangladesh Rangpur Rangpur (Asia) Show map of Asia Rangpur Rangpur (Earth) Show map of Earth
Coordinates: 25°44′56″N 89°14′49″E / 25.749°N 89.247°E / 25.749; 89.247
Country	Bangladesh
Division	Rangpur Division
District	Rangpur District
Establishment	1575 (449 years ago) (1575)(During the Mughal Empire) [1]
Municipality	1 May 1869
City Corporation	28 June 2012
Metropolitan City	16 September 2018
Government
• Type	Mayor–Council
• Body	Rangpur City Corporation
• Deputy Commissioner	Mohammad Robiul Foysal
• Police Commissioner	Md Saifuzzam Faruqi
Area
• Urban	205 km2 (79 sq mi)
• Metro	239.72 km2 (92.56 sq mi)
• Rank	2nd largest City Corporation in Bangladesh
Elevation	34 m (111.549 ft)
Population  (2022)
• Rank	5th in Bangladesh
• Urban	1,031,388
• Urban density	3,871/km2 (10,030/sq mi)
• Metro	1,450,128
• Metro density	4,167/km2 (10,790/sq mi)
Demonyms	Rangpurian (রংপুরিয়ান) Rangpuria/Rongpuria (রংপুরিয়া)
Languages
• Official	Bengali • English
• Native	Rangpuri
Time zone	UTC+06:00 (BST)
Postal code	5400[2]
National calling code	+088
Calling code	521
Police	Rangpur Metropolitan Police
Airport	Saidpur Airport
Railway Station	Rangpur Railway Station
National Highway	N5 Asian Highway 2
Cricket Team	Rangpur Riders Rangpur Division Cricket Team
UN/LOCODE	BD RAU
Website	rpcc.gov.bd

Rangpur (/rʌŋˈpʊər/; Bengali: রংপুর, romanized: Rongpur; pronounced [rɔŋpuɾ] ^ⓘ), is a metropolitan city and a major city in northern Bangladesh. This city serves as the administrative center of the Rangpur Division. It is strategically located on the banks of the Ghaghot River and near the Teesta River. It is the second largest City Corporation in Bangladesh.^[3] The city has developed rapidly in recent years, with improvements in infrastructure and services enhancing its role as a key regional hub. Rangpur has become a key destination for students from other districts and cities seeking quality education. Rangpur City features notable educational institutions. Rangpur has also a vibrant local culture, including traditional festivals and community events.^[4][5]

It is said that back in 1575, a trusted general of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, took over Rangpur. But it was not until 1686 that Rangpur was fully integrated into the Mughal Empire. Back on 16 December, 1769, Rangpur was announced as a District Seat (Zila Sadar) and in 1869, it was announced as a municipality, thus making it one of the oldest municipalities in the country. However, Ghoraghat in Rangpur served as the one of the Mughal administrative headquarters till 18th century.^[6] The municipal office building was erected in 1892 .

Previously serving as the headquarters of the Greater Rangpur district, The Greater Rangpur district was divided in five districts in 1984. Rangpur underwent administrative restructuring, resulting in the formation of the Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, and Rangpur districts.

It is said that the present name Rangpur came from the former 'Rongpur'. History has it, that English colonial rulers in this region started cultivating Indigo. Due to the fertile soil in this region, Indigo cultivation was very much profitable. The locals knew that Indigo by the name of "Rongo". So thus, this Region was named "Rongopur".And from that, the name of today's Rangpur has originated. It is known from another conventional notion that the name Rangpur comes from the naming of Rangmahal (Palace of Entertainment) of Bhagadatta, son of Narakasura, king of Pragjyotisha Kingdom.^[7]

According to Hindu theology, the eastern kingdom of Kamarupa or Pragjyotisha existed in India, which included the present Rangpur region. During the reign of King Bhagadatta (15th century BC) Rangpur belonged to Pragjyotisha Kingdom. During the reign of King Samudragupta (340 AD) Rangpur was considered a "Tax state" of Kamarupa.^[8]

According to Ain-i-Akbari, the Mughal period Rangpur consisted of three types of administrative areas. Rangpur was conquered by the army of Raja Man Singh, a commander of the Mughal emperor Akbar, in 1575, but it was not until 1686, it was fully integrated into the Mughal Empire. The Mughal Empire was established in the whole of Rangpur in 1611 AD. Place names Mughalbasa ("a locality of the Mughals"), and Mughalhat ("local market") organized by the Mughals bear testimony to the Mughal association and past of Rangpur and its hinterland. Later, Rangpur passed into the control of Sarker of Ghoraghat.^[9]

After the East India Company gained "Deoani" in 1765, Rangpur came under British rule. The Fakir-Sannyasi rebellion took place in the Rangpur region, in which leaders like Fakir Majnu Shah played a key Role. The notable anti-colonialist rebel Devi Chaudhurani and Bhabani Pathak were from this region.^[10] In the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, the rebellious sepoys spread terror among the British rulers in the region. Later, in 1930, the first Civil disobedience movement was started in different parts of Rangpur on the call of Congress. A meeting of the peasant leaders of North Bengal was held here in October 1946, and the Tebhaga movement began in November.^[8]

Rangpur was a District of East Pakistan Province during the Pakistani Period. People of Rangpur actively take part in different movements like Bengali language movement, Six point movement and 1969 Mass uprising. The first martyr from Rangpur in the liberation war was Sangku Samajhder, who was martyred on the date of 3 March 1971. Rangpur people started the Liberation War decisively on 28 March 1971, only three days after the Pakistani crackdown by attacking the Rangpur Cantonment. During the Bangladesh Liberation War, Rangpur was under Sector 6 of the Bangladesh Forces and it was strategically important due to its close proximity to border of India.^[11][12]

The Greater Rangpur district was divided in five districts in 1984. On 28 June 2012, Rangpur Municipality was upgraded to Rangpur City Corporation and on 16 September 2018, Rangpur was granted as 8th Metropolitan city of Bangladesh.^[13][14]

Rangpur City is the divisional headquarters of Rangpur Division. The soil composition is mainly alluvial soil (80 percent) of the Teesta River basin, and the remaining is barind soil. The elevation of Rangpur is 34 meters.^[15] The temperature ranges from 32 degrees Celsius to 11 degrees Celsius, and the annual rainfall averages 2931 mm. Rangpur town, covering an area of around 42 square kilometers, lies on the bank of the Ghaghat river and was turned into a municipality back in 1869.

Rangpur has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa), also in Trewartha climate classification (subtropical summer wet Cw). The 4 seasons of Rangpur generally characterize as a Summer or pre-monsoon season with high Temperature and frequent intense thunderstorms named Nor'westers (March–May), an intense and very wet Monsoon season with substantial flooding in low lying areas (June–September), short and cooler Autumn season (October–November) and lastly, the more pleasant, mild and drier Winter season from (December–February) with warm afternoons and cool mornings, with some cold nights. The average annual temperature in Rangpur is 24.9 °C (76.8 °F). In Winters, it can be very foggy and nighttime temperature can fall below 5 °C (41.0 °F) whereas, day time temperature remains around 20 °C (68.0 °F). About 2,192 mm (86.30 in) of precipitation falls annually, almost all of them falls in the monsoon season (June to September), Although, there is very little rain from November to March, but small amount of Precipitation can be seen due to Western Disturbance coming from the Mediterranean Sea. Snow and frost have been recorded in Rangpur, though very rarely.

The Rangpur City Corporation (RCC) is responsible for governing municipal areas in the Rangpur Metropolitan Area. It was established in 28 June 2012. Rangpur City Corporation's total area is 205.70 square kilometers with approximately has the population of 7,96,556 people in the city corporation area.^[18] It is headed by the mayor of Rangpur. The mayor and ward councillors are elected every five years. The mayor's office has jurisdiction over all 33 wards of Rangpur City. Its principal sources of revenue are municipal taxes and conservancy charges.

Rangpur is the headquarters of 66th Infantry Division of Bangladesh Army.

The city is the commercial hub. Its center has several government offices and private banks, insurance companies, residential hotels, and international restaurants, such as Chinese, Thai, Indian, Mexican, convenience food, and gift shops. It is one of the most important economic zones in Bangladesh because of its global positioning. Rangpur is one of the major tobacco producing region in Bangladesh.^[19] The northern suburbs of Rangpur homes to tobacco companies like British American Tobacco, Akij Group, Abul Khair Group.

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1950	34,000	—
1960	44,000	+29.4%
1970	68,000	+54.5%
1980	134,000	+97.1%
1991	191,398	+42.8%
2001	241,310	+26.1%
2011	300,659	+24.6%
2022	708,534	+135.7%
Source: popstat,pre-1991,citypopulation.de after 1991,2022 census

According to the 2022 Bangladesh census, Rangpur city had a population of 708,534 and a literacy rate of 80.94%.^{[21]: 388–394}

According to the 2011 Bangladesh census, Rangpur city had 64,885 households and a population of 300,659. 51,791 (17.23%) were under 10 years of age. Rangpur had a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 72.08%, compared to the national average of 51.8%, and a sex ratio of 926 females per 1000 males.^[20]

Major educational institutes in the city including:

• Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur

Rangpur City Corporation is divided into 33 wards and different neighbourhoods (Mahallah), which can be categorized as Urban and Suburban.

Rangpur is well connected by highways to Chittagong and Dhaka, as well as other parts of Rangpur. It takes about 6 to 7 hours by road to reach the capital Dhaka by National Highway 5. Bus services to other major districts are also available from Rangpur. Highway links to India have been established through the Asian Highway 2. Rangpur also has a BRTC Double Decker bus service,^[23] which connects the suburbs of the city to city center.

The Rangpur Railway Station is the main railway station providing trains on national routes operated by the state-run Bangladesh Railway. The Rangpur Express^[24] is a Bangladeshi Intercity train which runs between Rangpur and Dhaka. Other trains running between Rangpur and Dhaka are, Kurigram Express and Lalmoni Express.

The city of Rangpur is served by Saidpur Airport, located at the north of the city. Saidpur airport is a domestic airport. Saidpur Airport is connected through several private airlines such as Novoair, US-Bangla Airlines, Air Astra & Biman Bangladesh Airlines, a government airline with main hub in the capital city of Bangladesh, Dhaka. A massive renovation work is going on at Saidpur Airport ahead of its planning to become the new International Airport for Northern Bangladesh region.

Cricket is the most popular sport in Rangpur, Bangladesh, while field hockey, basketball, baseball, and tennis are also popular.^[25]

The most popular sport in Rangpur is cricket, although football is also popular. There is a 10,000-capacity Rangpur Stadium is used for football and other sports. Another local stadium is Cricket Garden,^[26] which is mainly used for cricket. There are also a few sports training academies in the city. In domestic Twenty20 cricket, Rangpur has a Bangladesh Premier League franchise known as Rangpur Riders. In December 2012, I Sports bought the Rangpur franchise for $1.01 m. Notable players from Rangpur who have played for the national team include Nasir Hossain,^[27] Suhrawadi Shuvo.^[28]

• Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem, 6th President of Bangladesh
• Hussain Muhammad Ershad, former President of Bangladesh, founder Jatiya Party

• Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem, 1st chief justice of Bangladesh
• Mustafa Kamal, Chief Justice of Bangladesh

• Shah Abdul Hamid, 1st speaker of the Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh also 1st Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad(Parliament of Bangladesh)

• Abu Hussain Sarkar, 4th Chief Minister of East Pakistan, one of the founders of United Front, founder of Bangla Academy and a Swadeshi movement revolutionary

• Hassan Mahmood Khandker, 26th Inspector General of Bangladesh Police, He was the longest serving Inspector General in Bangladesh Police's history.

• Sharif Imam, husband of Shahid janoni Jahanara Imam

• Asaduzzaman Noor, actor, politician and activist. Former Minister of Cultural Affairs and MP, popular for his role of Baker Bhai in Kothao Keu Nei
• Abbasuddin Ahmed, Independence Day Awardee, Bhawaiya and Ghazal singer
• Debi Prasad Roy Chowdhury, sculptor
• Dipankar Dipon, film director and screenwriter who predominantly works in Dhallywood
• Ferdausi Rahman, Independence Day Awardee and Ekushey Padak winner legendary folk and playback singer
• Mashiat Rahman, actress^[29]
• Mustafa Zaman Abbasi, Ekushey Padak winner Bangladeshi musicologist
• Rathindranath Roy, founder of Bhawaiya academy and singer
• Rezwana Choudhury Bannya, Rabindra Sangeet artist
• Tulsi Lahiri, actor and dramatist

• General Mustafizur Rahman, 9th Chief of Army Staff of the Bangladesh Army
• Lieutenant General Hussain Muhammad Ershad, 4th Chief of Army Staff of the Bangladesh Army

• Mashiur Rahman Jadu Mia (Politician, Founding member of Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Senior Minister with the rank of a Prime Minister in 1979)
• Tipu Munshi, Minister of Commerce of Bangladesh, former president BGMEA, Awami League politician
• Mashiur Rahaman Ranga Bangladeshi MP and Jatiya Party leader
• M. A. Sattar, Chairman Sattar Jute Mills Ltd, Minister of Jute and Textiles, Minister of Labor and Manpower, Member of Parliament and Chief Whip
• Sharfuddin Ahmed Jhantu First Mayor of Rangpur City Corporation, Jatiya Party leader
• H. N. Ashequr Rahman, Bangladeshi MP, Awami League,Rahman is the treasurer of the Central Committee of the Bangladesh Awami League.^[30] He is the chairman of Meghna Bank Limited^[31] and member of Board of Trustees, East West university.^[32]

• Anisul Hoque, author, novelist, dramatist, and journalist
• Rashid Askari, academic, writer, fictionist, columnist, translator, media personality and the 12th vice-chancellor of Islamic University, Bangladesh
• Buddhadeb Guha, author, novelist and Bengali fiction writer
• Monajatuddin, journalist
• Rebati Mohan Dutta Choudhury, Assamese litterateur, Sahitya Akademi Award winner and an academician

• Majnu Shah, leader of the Fakir-Sannyasi Rebellion. He used to operate in this region.
• Sri Aurobindo, British Indian philosopher, yogi, maharishi, poet, and nationalist. Spent his childhood here.
• Prafulla Chaki, British Indian revolutionary, famous for attempting to murder of a British official along with khudiram Bose. Studied at the Rangpur Zilla School.
• Devi Chaudhurani, revolutionary, one of the organizers of the Fakir-Sannyasi Rebellion

• Begum Rokeya Shakhawat Hossain, who was most famous for her efforts on behalf of gender equality and other social issues
• Karimunnesa Khanam Chaudhurani, Bengali poet, social worker, and patron of literature
• Abu Sayed, quota reform activist who participated in the 2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement. He was shot dead by the Bangladesh Police on 16 July, 2024.

• Annette Beveridge, British Indologist, known works being the translations of the Baburnama from the Turki (Turkish) language, and the Humayun-nama from Persian
• William Beveridge, British economist who wrote the Beveridge Report that influenced United Kingdom to implement welfare state policies after World War II
• M. A. Wazed Miah reputed Bangladeshi nuclear scientist who was former Chairman of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission. He is the husband of former Prime Minister, dictator Sheikh Hasina Wazed

• Nasir Hossain, all-round cricketer
• Akbar ali, cricketer, World Cup winning captain of Bangladesh under-19 team in under-19 world cup 2020
• Mishrat Jahan Moushumi, Women's footballer, Bangladesh Women's National Team
• Sirat Jahan Shopna, Women's footballer, Bangladesh Women's National Team

Rangpur's twin towns and sister cities are:

• Bregenz, Austria^[33]

• Bytom, Poland^[34]

• Dordrecht, Netherlands^[35]

• Rangpur City Corporation
• Rangpur oriented website
• Abdus Sattar (2012). "Rangpur District". In Sirajul Islam; Ahmed A. Jamal (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Retrieved 13 May 2016.