Barhatta Upazila

Barhatta (বারহাট্টা) is an upazila of Netrokona District, located in Bangladesh's Mymensingh Division.

History
The area that is now known today as Barhatta was a part of the Mughal Empire in the seventeenth century. One example of a remnant from this historical period includes an old Mughal building in Saudpur which is currently in dilapidated condition. In 1763, many members of the anti-colonial Pagal Panthi movement, led by Tipu Shah, stationed themselves in different areas around modern-day Barhatta. They set up a central barracks near a village named Borohati/Boruhati/Bouhati. The British troops, in search of a safe haven, founded Brahatta, another village in imitation of Barohati's name, which facilitated river communication. Although Brahatta is now known as Barhatta, the nameplate of the Barhatta railway station bears the memory of the previous name, Brahatta. This village is currently adjacent to Barhatta bazaar. On 15 June 1906, the Eastern Bengal and Assam government issued gazette 6676J which notified the establishment of a thana in Barhatta; whose construction was funded by Radhanath Kar Gang. In 1914, the Barhatta CKP High School was opened. Maulvi Tahjibuddin Ahmad was made the Sub-Registrar of Bhaluka on 4 August 1927, replacing Maulvi Abdul Wahed Ahmad.

During the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, the Mukti Bahini launched a surprise attack on the police station in Mohanganj, causing the Pakistan Army to retreat towards Barhatta. The freedom fighters of Barhatta blew up the Thakurkona Railway Bridge in western Barhatta which disrupted the Pakistan Army from entering. Near the end of the war, a brawl took place in the Barhatta Police Station, leading to the death of civilians. Barhatta was liberated on 8 December 1971. The road from Barhatta to Chandrapur was renamed to Shahid Muqshid Mian Road in honour of Muqshid Mian, a Bengali Muslim freedom fighter who died in the war. In 1983, the thana was upgraded to an upazila (sub-district).

In 2009, BAPEX conducted two-dimensional seismic surveys, discovering a gas field now known as the Sunetra Gas Field.

Geography
Barhatta is located at 24.9°N, 90.875°W and located on the banks of the Kangsha River close to the haor areas. Barhatta Upazila has an area of 221.50 km2. It is bounded by Kalmakanda and Dharamapasha in the north, Atpara and Mohanganj to the south and Netrokona Sadar to its west.

Demographics
According to the 2011 Bangladesh census, Barhatta Upazila had 37,854 households and a population of 180,449. 50,689 (28.09%) were under 10 years of age. Barhatta has a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 37.55%, compared to the national average of 51.8%, and a sex ratio of 992 females per 1000 males. 7850 (4.35%) lived in urban areas.

As of the 1991 Bangladesh census, Barhatta had a population of 142,174. Males constituted 51.42% of the population, and females 48.58%. This Upazila's eighteen up population is 71,214. Barhatta had an average literacy rate of 23.8% (7+ years); the national average is 32.4% literacy.

Administration
Barhatta, formed as a Thana in 1905, was turned into an upazila in 1983.

Barhatta Upazila is divided into seven union parishads: Asma, Barhatta, Baushi, Roypur, Sahata, and Singdha. The union parishads are subdivided into 147 mauzas and 239 villages.

Tourism
In addition to the old Mughal buildings in Saudpur and Amghail Court Bari, there is also an ancient twin-pond in the village of Amghail-Pirijpur. There are also the mausoleums of Sohag Pir in Kailati and Nazar Ali Faqir in Premnagar.

Notable people

 * Md. Innas Ali, Physicist
 * Nirmalendu Goon, Poet