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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Bandarban Hill District
Bandarban (Bengali: বান্দরবান) is a district in South-Eastern Bangladesh, and a part of the Chittagong Division. It is one of the three hill districts of Bangladesh and a part of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, the others being Rangamati District and Khagrachhari District. Bandarban district (4,479 km) is not only the most remote district of the country, but also the least populous (population 388,000). There is an army contingent at Bandarban Cantonment.

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1974 116,426—    
1981 171,478+5.69%
1991 230,569+3.01%
2001 298,120+2.60%
2011 388,335+2.68%
2022 481,106+1.97%
Sources:

According to the 2022 Census of Bangladesh, Bandarban District had 106,065 households and a population of 481,106 with an average 4.41 people per household. Among the population, 110,625 (22.99%) inhabitants were under 10 years of age. The population density was 107 people per km. The literacy rate (age 7 and over) was 63.74%, compared to the national average of 74.80%. The sex ratio of the district was at 105 males for 100 females. Approximately, 40.41% of the population lived in urban areas.

Tribal Mro people holding traditional pipes in their hands, Bandarban (1950)

As per the 2022 census, there were 283,123 (58.85%) Bengalis and 197,983 (41.15%) indigenous people in the district. There are more than fifteen ethnic minorities living in the district besides the Bengalis, including: Marma, who are Arakanese descendants or Rakhine and are also known as Magh, Mru (also known as Mro or Murong), Bawm, Khyang, Tripura (also known as Tipra or Tipperah), Lushei (also known as Lushai), Khumi, Chak, Kuki, Chakma and Tanchangya (also spelt as Tenchungya).

Tribal children

The Mru, also known as Murong, who are famous for their music and dance. The Mru in major numbers have converted to the youngest religion in Bangladesh – Khrama (or Crama) – a religion that prohibits much of their old ways. They are proposed as the original inhabitants of Bandarban.

Ethnicity in Bandarban District (2022)

  Bengali (58.85%)
  Marma (17.49%)
  Mro (10.69%)
  Tripura (4.69%)
  Tanchangya (3.09%)
  Bom (2.46%)
  Chakma (0.77%)
  Khumi (0.68%)
  Chak (0.55%)
  Khyang (0.52%)
  Others (0.21%)

Bengali in Bandarban

According to 2022 census, Bengalis are the largest ethnic group in Bandarban District(58.85%).

They are largest ethnic group in Naikhongchhari Upazila (83.48%), Lama Upazila (76.22%), Alikadam Upazila (60.64%) and Bandarban Sadar Upazila (56.97%).

Upazila District Percentage of population Bengali
Naikhongchhari Upazila Bandarban District 83.48%
Lama Upazila Bandarban District 76.22%
Alikadam Upazila Bandarban District 60.64%
Bandarban Sadar Upazila Bandarban District 56.97%
Ruma Upazila Bandarban District 13.02%
Thanchi Upazila Bandarban District 12.38%
Rowangchhari Upazila Bandarban District 10.51%

Marma in Bandarban

According to 2022 census, Marmas are Second largest ethnic group in Bandarban District(17.49%).

They are the largest ethnic group in Rowangchhari Upazila (49.48%),Thanchi Upazila (31.37%) and Ruma Upazila (31.04%).

Upazila District Percentage of Marma
Rowangchhari Upazila Bandarban District 49.48%
Thanchi Upazila Bandarban District 31.37%
Ruma Upazila Bandarban District 31.04%
Bandarban Sadar Upazila Bandarban District 23.97%
Lama Upazila Bandarban District 11.32%
Naikhongchhari Upazila Bandarban District 6.15%
Alikadam Upazila Bandarban District 6.04%

Mru in Bandarban

According to 2022 census, Mru (Murong) are mainly found in Bandarban District(10.69%).

They are the second largest ethnic group in Alikadam Upazila (23.77%), Thanchi Upazila (23.57%) and Ruma Upazila (22%).

Upazila District Percentage of Mru
Alikadam Upazila Bandarban District 23.77%
Thanchi Upazila Bandarban District 23.57%
Ruma Upazila Bandarban District 22.00%
Lama Upazila Bandarban District 7.72%
Bandarban Sadar Upazila Bandarban District 6.55%
Rowangchhari Upazila Bandarban District 6.08%
Naikhongchhari Upazila Bandarban District 3.08%

Tripura in Bandarban

According to 2022 census, Tripuras are fourth largest ethnic group in Bandarban District(4.69%).

Upazila District Percentage of Tripura
Thanchi Upazila Bandarban District 21.27%
Ruma Upazila Bandarban District 8.95%
Rowangchhari Upazila Bandarban District 7.73%
Alikadam Upazila Bandarban District 5.41%
Lama Upazila Bandarban District 4.12%
Bandarban Sadar Upazila Bandarban District 1.59%
Naikhongchhari Upazila Bandarban District 0.26%

Tanchangya in Bandarban

According to 2022 census, Tanchangyas are the fifthth largest ethnic group in Bandarban District(3.09%).

They are the second largest ethnic group in Rowangchhari Upazila (14.39%).

Upazila District Percentage of Tanchangya ="2022census" />
Rowangchhari Upazila Bandarban District 14.39%
Bandarban Sadar Upazila Bandarban District 5.05%
Naikhongchhari Upazila Bandarban District 3.77%
Alikadam Upazila Bandarban District 3.10%
Others <1%

Bom in Bandarban

According to 2022 census, there are 12,311 Bom in CHT. Among them, 11854(96.29%) Boms live in Bandarban District, constituting 2.46% of district's population.

They are third largest ethnic groups in Ruma Upazila(19.89%).

Upazila District Percentage of Bom Ruma Upazila Bandarban District 19.89%
Rowangchhari Upazila Bandarban District 6.79%
Bandarban Sadar Upazila Bandarban District 2.47%
Thanchi Upazila Bandarban District 2.30%
Others <1%

Chakma in Bandarban

According to 2022 census, there are 3,713 Chakma in Bandarban district.

They form 1.67% in Thanchi Upazila, 1.49% in Bandarban Sadar Upazila and <1% in neighboring Upazila's.

Khumi in Bandarban

According to 2022 census, there are 3,287 khumis in Bandarban district.

They form 6.14% in Thanchi Upazila, 2.74% in Ruma Upazila, 1.57% in Rowangchhari Upazila and <1% in neighboring Upazila's.

Chak in Bandarban

According to 2022 census, There are 2,662 in Bandarban district.

They are mainly concentrated in Naikhongchhari Upazila, constituting 3.05%(2,329) of Upazila's population.

Khyang in Bandarban

According to 2022 census, there are 1,670 khyang in Bandarban district .

They form 2.35% in Rowangchhari Upazila, 1.21% in Thanchi Upazila, 1.18% in Bandarban Sadar Upazila and <1% in neighboring Upazila's.

Religion

Religion in the Bandarban District (2022)

  Islam (52.74%)
  Buddhism (29.53%)
  Christianity (9.78%)
  Hinduism (3.43%)
  Other (4.52%)
Religion in present-day Bandarban District
Religion Population (1941) Percentage (1941) Population (2022) Percentage (2022)
Tribal 57,793 94.50% N/A N/A
Islam 2,595 4.24% 253,756 52.74%
Buddhism --- --- 142,057 29.53%
Hinduism 369 0.60% 16,501 3.43%
Christianity 0 0.00% 47,054 9.78%
Others 399 0.65% 21,738 4.52%
Total Population 61,156 100% 481,106 100%

The religious composition of the population in 2022 was 52.74% Muslim, 29.53% Buddhist, 9.78% Christian, 3.43% Hindu and 4.52% others. Religious institutions is Mosque 2,070, Buddhist 1500 (256 temples, 644 pagodas), Hindu temple 194 and Church 2.

Islam

According to 2022 census, Islam is the largest religion in Bandarban District(52.74%).

Upazila District Percentage of Islam
Naikhongchhari Upazila Bandarban District 79.38%
Lama Upazila Bandarban District 71.65%
Alikadam Upazila Bandarban District 54.71%
Bandarban Sadar Upazila Bandarban District 45.77%
Thanchi Upazila Bandarban District 8.80%
Rowangchhari Upazila Bandarban District 7.87%
Ruma Upazila Bandarban District 7.38%

Buddhism

According to 2022 census, Buddhism is the second largest in Bandarban District(29.53%).

Upazila District Percentage of Buddhism
Rowangchhari Upazila Bandarban District 67.58%
Thanchi Upazila Bandarban District 42.34%
Ruma Upazila Bandarban District 36.80%
Bandarban Sadar Upazila Bandarban District 36.49%
Alikadam Upazila Bandarban District 30.54%
Naikhongchhari Upazila Bandarban District 19.41%
Lama Upazila Bandarban District 17.09%

Christianity

According to 2022 census, Christianity is third largest religion in Bandarban district(9.78%).

Upazila District Percentage of Christianity
Ruma Upazila Bandarban District 37.32%
Thanchi Upazila Bandarban District 34.43%
Rowangchhari Upazila Bandarban District 17.83%
Alikadam Upazila Bandarban District 6.51%
Lama Upazila Bandarban District 6.24%
Bandarban Sadar Upazila Bandarban District 5.83%
Naikhongchhari Upazila Bandarban District 0.49%

Hinduism

According to 2022 census, Hinduism is third largest religion in Khagrachhari district(16.76%), Rangamati district(5.11%) and fourth largest in Bandarban district(3.43%). Hinduism is the second largest religion in all other districts of Bangladesh except CHT.

Upazila District Percentage of Hinduism
Bandarban Sadar Upazila Bandarban District 7.85%
Alikadam Upazila Bandarban District 3.03%
Lama Upazila Bandarban District 2.92%
Ruma Upazila Bandarban District 1.71%
Thanchi Upazila Bandarban District 1.55%
Rowangchhari Upazila Bandarban District 0.76%
Naikhongchhari Upazila Bandarban District 0.70%

Subdistricts

Tourism

The India - Myanmar Sabroom - Cox's Bazar railway link has been proposed to connect Sabroom - Khargachari - Rangamati - Bandarban - Satkania - Cox's Bazar and another rail link connecting Bandarban to Tuipang, India.

Bandarban lies, by bus, eight hours away from Dhaka, two hours from Chittagong and three hours from Cox's Bazar. It is also possible to get there by a six-hour bus ride from Rangamati. The Buddha Dhatu Jadi, the Buddhist temple in Bangladesh, located in Balaghata, 4 km from the town. This place attracts many tourists every year. This Theravada Buddhist temple is made completely in the style of South-East Asia and houses the second largest statue of the Buddha in Bangladesh. The waterfall named Shoilo Propat at Milanchari is another place tourists like to visit. The numerous Buddhist temples, known as kyang in local tongue, and bhihars in the town include the highly notable the Rajvihar (royal vihar) at Jadipara and the Ujanipara Bhihar. Bawm villages around Chimbuk, and Mru villages a little further off, are also lie within a day's journey from the town. Prantik Lake, Jibannagar and Kyachlong Lake are some more places of interest. Boat ride on the river Shangu is one of the main attractions here for tourists.

Starting on January 7, 2015 the Home Ministry has enforced the provision of "no free passes" for foreigners visiting the three Chittagong Hill Tracts districts – Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban. As a result, foreigners need to submit an application to the Home Ministry a month ahead for their scheduled visit.

Notable persons

Notes

  1. ^ Bandarban, Ruma, Lama and Nakhyngchari thanas of Chittagong Hill Tracts district
  2. ^ 'Tribal' was used as a blanket term for religious traditions of all tribes, and many of these tribes followed a more mainstream religion.
  3. ^ Including Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Ad-Dharmis, or not stated

References

  1. ^ "List of Deputy Commissioners". Archived from the original on 8 November 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Bandarban District Hill Council". Bangladesh National Portal. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  3. ^ Population and Housing Census 2022 - District Report: Bandarban (PDF). District Series. Dhaka: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. June 2024. ISBN 978-984-475-276-4.
  4. ^ Population and Housing Census 2022: Preliminary Report. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. August 2022. pp. viii, 29, 38, 45. ISBN 978-984-35-2977-0.
  5. ^ "Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  6. ^ Rahman, Atikur (2012). "Bandarban District". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  7. ^ Chowdhury, Sifatul Quader (2012). "Chittagong Hill Tracts". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  8. ^ "Bangladesh Population and Housing Census 2011 Zila Report – Bandarban" (PDF). bbs.gov.bd. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.
  9. ^ "Population Census 2022: A CHT demographic analysis – parbattanews : E…". 26 August 2024. Archived from the original on 26 August 2024.
  10. ^ https://bbs.portal.gov.bd/site/page/b432a7e5-8b4d-4dac-a76c-a9be4e85828c
  11. ^ https://en.parbattanews.com/population-census-2022-a-cht-demographic-analysis/
  12. ^ "Census of India, 1941 Volume VI Bengal Province" (PDF).
  13. ^ "Is this the Bangladesh we wanted? Analyzing the Hindu Population Gap (2001-2011)". 12 April 2014.
  14. ^ Tanzimuddin Khan, Mohammad (12 June 2015). "Securitisation of tourism in CHT". New Age. Retrieved 8 April 2016.

Further reading

  • Lonely Planet Bangladesh (Lonely Planet Bangladesh) by Richard Plunkett, et al.
  • "Lonely Planet".
  • Identity Politics in Central Asia and the Muslim World (Library of International Relations *Vol. 13) by Willem van Schendel (Editor), Erik J. Zurcher (Editor)
  • Deforestation, Environment, and Sustainable Development: A Comparative Analysis by Dhirendra K. Vajpeyi (Editor)
  • Minorities, Peoples And Self-determination: Essays in Honour of Patrick Thornberry by Nazila Ghanea (Editor)
  • Brauns, Claus-Dieter, "The Mrus: Peaceful Hillfolk of Bangladesh", National Geographic Magazine, February 1973, Vol 143, No 1
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