Bishwanath Upazila


Bishwanath is an Upazila of Sylhet District in the Division of Sylhet, Bangladesh.

History

After the Conquest of Gour in 1303, three disciples of Shah Jalal; Shah Kalu, Shah Kabir and Shah Chand, migrated to modern-day Bishwanath. The British Raj granted zamindari to Baburam Jivan Ray and his son, Bishwanath Ray Choudhury. They established the Bishwanath Bazaar, named after the latter, which gradually expanded. Bishwanath was established as a thana in 1922. It became an upazila in 1983.

Demographics

At the 1991 Bangladesh census, Bishwanath had a population of 169,730, of whom 83,794 were aged 18 or older. Males constituted 50.99% of the population, and females 49.01%. Bishwanath had an average literacy rate of 30.6%, against the national average of 32.4%.

Administration

There are 8 Union Parishads in Bishwanath: