Settlement Type: | Municipality |
Official Name: | Munshiganj |
Native Name: | মুন্সীগঞ্জ |
Native Name Lang: | bn |
Pushpin Map: | Bangladesh Dhaka division#Bangladesh |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Name: | Bangladesh |
Subdivision Type1: | Division |
Subdivision Name1: | Dhaka |
Subdivision Type2: | District |
Subdivision Name2: | Munshiganj |
Subdivision Type3: | Upazila |
Subdivision Name3: | Munshiganj Sadar |
Government Type: | Mayor–Council |
Governing Body: | Munshiganj Municipality |
Leader Title: | Mayor |
Unit Pref: | Metric |
Population Total: | 70674 |
Population Density Km2: | auto |
Population Blank1 Title: | Ethnicities |
Population Blank2 Title: | Religions |
Timezone1: | BST |
Utc Offset1: | +06:00 |
Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
Blank Name: | National Dialing Code |
Blank1 Name: | Local Dialing Code |
Munshiganj is a town in Dhaka division in central Bangladesh. It is the headquarters of Munshiganj District.
Munshiganj was originally known as Idrakpur. It is believed that during the Mughal era, a person named Munshi Haidar Hossain lived in Idrakpur, who was appointed as a Faujdar by the Mughal rulers. Due to his virtuous and philanthropic nature, Idrakpur was renamed Munshiganj in his honor. Some also suggest that the district was named after Zamindar Enayet Ali Munshi. Munshiganj was officially declared a district in 1984.[1]
Civic administration
The East India Company acquired the right to collect taxes from Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa on behalf of the Emperor Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II in 1765, marking the beginning of revenue administration in the region. At that time, Munshiganj was part of Dhaka district. In 1769, Nathaniel Middleton independently managed the revenue administration, leasing out estates to the highest bidders, who in turn sub-leased them, leading to significant disorder in the revenue system. The Provincial Council operated from 1776 to 1781 to address these issues. In 1947, Munshiganj was established as a sub-division under Dhaka district. Munshiganj was declared a district in 1984, prior to which administrative matters were managed from Dhaka. [2]
At the time of the 2011 census, Munshiganj Paurashava had 15,133 households and a population of 70,674. 14,539 (20.57%) were under 10 years of age. Munshiganj had a sex ratio of 970 females per 1000 males and a literacy rate of 65.21%.[3]