Comilla (), officially spelled Cumilla,
History
Ancient era
The Comilla region was once under the reign of
Gangaridai and
Samatata in ancient period.
This district came under the reign of the kings of the
Harikela in the ninth century AD. Lalmai Mainamati was ruled by the
Deva dynasty (eighth century AD) and
Chandra dynasty (during the 10th and mid-11th century AD). In 1732, it became the centre of the Bengal-backed domain of
Jagat Manikya.
The Peasants' Movement against the king of Tripura in 1764, which originally formed under the leadership of Shamsher Gazi is a notable historical event in Comilla.
British era
Communal tension spread over Comilla when a Muslim was shot in the town during the partition of
Bengal in 1905. On 21 November 1921, Kazi Nazrul Islam composed patriotic songs and tried to awaken the townspeople by protesting the Prince of Wales's visit to India.
During this time,
Avay Ashram, as a revolutionary institution, played a significant role. Poet Rabindranath Tagore and
Mahatma Gandhi visited Comilla at that time. In 1931, approximately 4000 peasants in Mohini village in Chauddagram Upazila revolted against a land revenue tax. The British Gurkha soldiers fired indiscriminately on the crowd, killing four people.
In a major peasant gathering, the police fired at Hasnabad of
Laksam Upazila in 1932. Two people were killed and many were wounded. Comilla Victoria Government College in the city was named in memory of
World War II
Comilla Cantonment is an important
military base and the oldest in
East Bengal. It was widely used by the British Indian Army during World War II. It was the headquarter of the British 14th Army. There is a war cemetery, Maynamati War Cemetery,
in Comilla that was established after World War II to remember the Allied soldiers who died during World War I and II, mostly from Commonwealth states and the United States. There are a number of Japanese soldiers buried there as well, from the Second World War.
War of liberation of Bangladesh
During the war for the liberation of Bangladesh, when
Pakistan Army created the 39th
ad hoc Division in mid-November, from the 14th Division units deployed in those areas, to hold on to the Comilla and
Noakhali districts, and the 14th Division was tasked to defend the Sylhet and Brahmanbaria areas only.
[Salik, Siddiq, Witness to Surrender, pp126] Pakistan Army's 93,000 troops unconditionally surrendered to the Joint Coalition forces on 16 December 1971.
This day and event is commemorated as the Bijoy Dibos () in Bangladesh.
Geography
Comilla is bounded by Burichang Upazila and
Tripura on the north,
Laksam and Chauddagram on the south, and
Barura Upazila on the west. The major rivers that pass through Comilla include Gomoti River
and Little Feni.
Climate
Points of interest
Comilla has a number of tourist attractions. Various archaeological relics discovered in the district, especially from the seventh–eighth centuries, are now preserved in the Mainamati Museum.
There is a World War II war cemetery in Comilla, which is protected and maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Sports
Comilla Victorians is a professional cricket team based in Comilla and is the most successful franchise in the Bangladesh Premier League.
Administration
Comilla is controlled by the Comilla City Corporation. It has 27 wards.
Demographics
As of 2022 census results, Comilla City Corporation had 101,245 households and a population of 440,233. 17.63% of the population was under 10 years of age. Comilla had a literacy rate of 87.28% for those 7 years and older and a sex ratio of 100.68 males per 100 females.
Transportation
Highway
One of the oldest highways of the Indian subcontinent, 'The Grand Trunk Road', passes through the city. The Dhaka–Chittagong Highway bypasses the city from the cantonment to Shuagaji through Poduar Bazar.
Airport
Comilla Airport is a public-use airport that is not in use for commercial travel.
Media
Daily newspapers published in Comilla include
Comillar Kagoj,
Daily Amader Comilla,
Shiranam, and
Rupasi Bangla, established in 1972.
Amod, founded in 1955, is the city's oldest weekly newspaper.
Notable residents
-
Kazi Zafar Ahmed, Prime Minister
-
Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan, General (Retired), 15th Chief of Army Staff of the Bangladesh Army
-
Kamrul Ahsan: Secretary to the Government and now serving as Bangladesh Ambassador to Russia. Earlier served as High Commissioner to Canada and Singapore.
-
Buddhadeb Bosu, Bengali poet, novelist, translator, editor, and essayist
-
S. D. Burman, Indian singer, composer and music director, was born in Comilla in 1906.
-
Sabitri Chatterjee Indian Actress,was born in Comilla in 1937
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Shib Narayan Das, member of BLF. One of the designers of the first flag of Bangladesh.
-
Shaheed Dhirendranath Datta was ex-Minister of Law, Language movement activist and Bangladesh War.
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Major Abdul Gani, organizer of the First East Bengal Regiment
-
Kazi Nazrul Islam, resided at Comilla
-
Abdul Quadir, poet, researcher and editor
-
Mustafa Kamal served as president of the International Cricket Council. He is a member of the Jatiya Sangsad representing the Comilla-10 constituency and is a former Minister for Planning and former Minister of Finance.
-
Shaukat Mahmood, senior journalist and editor of Weekly Economic Times. Elected president of National Press Club.
-
Abdul Matin Patwari, former vice-chancellor, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and former director general, IUT
-
Reba Rakshit, bodybuilder and circus performer, was born in Comilla in the early 1930s.
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Bidya Sinha Saha Mim, National Film Award winner actress
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Ayman Sadiq, Founder of 10 Minute School
-
Biplob Bhattacharjee, former Bangladesh national team footballer
-
Asif Nazrul, an adviser to the interim government of Bangladesh
See also
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List of educational institutions in Comilla District
-
Upazilas of Bangladesh
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Districts of Bangladesh
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Divisions of Bangladesh
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Upazila
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Thana
External links
