Badalgachhi Upazila, Naogaon

Badalgachhi Upazila (Bangla: বদলগাছী উপজেলা) also known as Badalgachi or Bodolgachi is located 21 km north from the zero point of Naogaon district town according to Google Maps. This is an upazila under the Naogaon district that is bordered by the boundaries of Dhamoirhat and Joypurhat Sadar Upazilas to the north, Naogaon Sadar Upazila to the south, Akkelpur (Joypurhat) to the east, Mohadevpur and Patnitala upazilas to the west. The Upazila is located at approximately 24.58° North latitude and 88.54° East longitude, and the main river is the Little Jamuna while the upazila spans an area of 213.97 km².

Naming History of Badalgachhi

Before money existed, people traded goods at a site known as Badalgachhi, which means “place of exchange” (in Bangla: বদল). This trading spot eventually took on the name Badalgachhi.¹

Administration

Badalgachhi thana was founded in 1807 and was changed into an upazila in 1983. Here’s a breakdown of its administrative divisions:

• Electoral Area: 48, Naogaon-3 (Badalgachhi and Mohadevpur Upazila)
• Villages: 238
• Mouza: 247
• Union Councils: 8
• Upazila Parishad: 1
• Municipality (Pourosova): None
• Police Station (thana): 1

Union Parishads in Badalgachhi Upazila

A list of Badalgachhi upazila’s eight Union Parishads, with their correct name spellings in both English and Bengali, is here.

• Badalgachhi (বদলগাছী)
• Mathurapur (মথুরাপুর)
• Paharpur (পাহাড়পুর)
• Mithapur (মিঠাপুর)
• Kola (কোলা)
• Bilashbari (বিলাশবাড়ী)
• Adhaipur (আধাইপুর)
• Balubhara (বালুভরা)

A detailed list of all Union Parishads in Naogaon district is here.

Archaeological Heritage of Badalgachhi Upazila

• Somapura Mahavihara at Paharpur
• Tara Forehead
• Halud Vihara

Religion

Religious Worship Facilities in Badalgachhi Upazila

• Mosques (মসজিদ): 478
• Temples (মন্দির): 79
• Churches (গীর্জা): 4
• Eidgah (Open-air space for Eid prayers) (ঈদগাহ): 113

Population

Here is the population scenario of Badalgachhi Sadar Upazila, based on the 2011 National Census:

Total population: 201,342 people
Male: 1,00,566
Female: 1,00,776
Gender ratio: 100
Population density: 941 per sq. km.
Household: 54,001
Average Size of Household: 3.73 person

Widowed and Divorced/separated Population (2011 census)

Widowed

• Male: 0.8 %
• Female: 10.1 %

Divorced/separated

• Male: 0.2 %
• Female: 1.2 %

Percentage of Population by Type of Disability

As of the 2011 census, this data will show disabled population in Naogaon’s Badalgachhi Upazila. In addition to this, it will show the percentage of people with each type of disability.²

• Speech: 0.2%
• Vision: 0.4%
• Hearing: 0.2%
• Physical: 0.9%
• Mental: 0.2%
• Autistic: 0.1%
• Total percentage of disability: 2.0%

Population by Religion in Badalgachhi Upazila

From the total population count of Badalgachhi Upazila here is the distribution of religious population as of the 2011 census.³

• Muslim: 1,74,150
• Hindu: 19,954
• Buddhist: 2
• Christian: 290
• Others: 6,946

Education

Historical Literacy Rates From 1981 to 2011

The bar chart provides a visual representation of the changes in literacy rates within Badalgachhi Upazila across four census years. Starting from a literacy rate of 24.1% in 1981, there is a noticeable increase to 28.4% in 1991. The trend then continues with a significant jump to 45.2% in 2001, ultimately at a rate of 49.5% by the 2011 census. This graphical illustration highlights the incremental improvement in literacy over 30 years.

Educational Institutions in Badalgachhi of Naogaon

The numbers of educational institutions, both general and religious, are listed below.

Government Primary Schools: 76
Private Primary Schools: 41
Community Primary Schools: 14
Junior High Schools: 2
Co-educational High Schools: 28
Girls’ High Schools: 4
Dakhil Madrasas: 15
Alim Madrasas: 4
Fazil Madrasas: 1
Colleges (Co-educational): 8 (Technical: 4)
Girls’ Colleges: 1

Agriculture

Rice Crops Production in 2009-10 and 2010-11

Like its counterparts in Naogaon, Badalgachhi Upazila is also a significant contributor to rice crop production. In the fiscal year 2009-10, the upazila produced an impressive 7,04,145 metric tons of rice. The following year, 2010-11, with production of 80,381 metric tons. This table also presents a more granular view of the production figures, broken down by rice crop type for both of the two fiscal years.

Wheat, Jute and Sugarcane Production in 2009-10 and 2010-11

Weather Office in Badalgachhi, Naogaon

Naogaon district has only a weather observatory station that is situated in Badalgachhi upazila which is a 1st Class Weather Observatory Station.⁴ The station stands as a vital part of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) network. Below are its key details:

General Information

• Official Name: Badalgachhi Agricultural Meteorological Office (Bangla: বদলগাছী কৃষি আবহাওয়া অফিস)
• Location: Situated at Geo Coordinates 24.96729012681978, 88.89400822455558, along XV8V+VHW Highway on Badalgachhi-Mataji Road in Badalgachhi, Naogaon District, Bangladesh.
• Classification: 1st Class Observatory, the highest classification within the BMD network.
• Contact Number: 56188 (as per the BMD website).
• Services: This observatory/station plays a vital role in gathering and transmitting key meteorological data such as temperature, rainfall, humidity, wind speed, and direction. This data is instrumental in weather forecasting, aiding agricultural planning, and enhancing disaster preparedness and response strategies.

Public and Private Facilities in Badalgachhi Upazila

Both public and private service institutions and facilities in Badalgachhi Upazila are identified here. Please note, these figures may vary from current data, as they originate from the District Statistics 2011 – Naogaon.

References and Footnotes