Madaripur Subdivision, 1908
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Madaripur Subdivision
South-eastern subdivision of Faridpur District, Eastern Bengal and Assam, lying between 22° 51' and 23° 29' N. and 89° 45' and 90° 37' E., with an area of 993 square miles. The subdivision is a low-lying alluvial tract, and in the south the country is an immense swamp, intersected by strips of high land along the banks of the rivers which once flowed through this tract. The population in 1901 was 906,135, compared with 805,501 in 1891, and is contained in the flourishing mart of Madaripur (population, 17,463), the head-quarters station; and 1,806 villages. With 913 persons per square mile, the subdivision is more thickly populated than the rest of the District ; the density in the north rises as high as r,4o6, but drops to 649 in the swamps to the south.
With Munshi- ganj, the adjoining subdivision of Dacca District, Madaripur originally formed part of the pargana of Bikrampur. It was transferred from Backergunge District in 1874. The great features of the subdivision are the magnificent river system and the Inis or marshes studded with houses built on artificial mounds raised along the boat routes. Jute is grown in large quantities and forms the chief article of commerce. The Madhumati-Kumar Bil route, recently opened to connect with the Eastern Bengal State Railway at Khulna, has given a new impetus to trade. Besides the head-quarters town, other centres of trade are Dhumaria, Ghagar, Mustafapur, Palang, Bhojesvvar, Angaria, Gosairhat, Bhedarganj, and Sibchar.
