Bhaluka Upazila

Bhaluka (ভালুকা) is an upazila of the Mymensingh District located in Bangladesh. It is one of the oldest small business hubs in the area.

Etymology
Bhaluka Upazila is named after the Bhaluka village and Bhaluka Bazar located in the union. There are three main theories behind its etymology:
 * 1) During the British rule, indigo planters established indigo factories in various locations to serve their interests. After setting up an indigo factory in the area (known as Neelkuthi), the planters frequently went hunting. In the forest, they encountered tigers and bears. The Bengali word for bear is ভালুক (Bhaluk), so Bhaluka is considered a corruption of Bhaluk.
 * 2) The revenue office (kachari bari) of the eastern bazaar was under the name of Bhawal's zamindar. It was known as Bhawal-er Kachari. Some believe this was shortened to Bhaluka.
 * 3) As the area is inhabited by the Koch people, another theory suggests that Bhaluka was named after the tribal Koch chief Bhaluk Chand Mandal.

History
During the reigns of the Palas and Senas, Bhaluka was administered by a samanta. It came under Muslim rule during the reign of Sultan Alauddin Husain Shah in the early fourteenth century.

Khan Saheb Abedullah Chowdhury was a notable zamindar of Bhaluka. He, along with his wife, Halimunnesa Chowdhurani, made significant contributions to the development of Bhaluka. Under the leadership of Abedullah Chowdhury and with the assistance of Mansur Ali Khan, Zayed Ali, and Zayed Khan, the Bhaluka Bazar (marketplace) was established. However, the Bhaluka Bazar area was divided into two parts, each controlled by different zamindars (landowners). The western bazaar was under Maharaja Shashikanta of the Muktagacha Zamindari, while the entirety of Bhaluka, along with the eastern bazaar, was under the Bhawal Zamindari. In the forests of the former part, there was a mazar whose custodian was Innat Faqir, the father of Wahid Ali Faqir. There was a courthouse in the eastern bazaar, where rent was collected for the Zamindar of Bhawal. The village next to the marketplace also came to be known as Bhaluka. Separating from the Gafargaon Thana, Bhaluka became its own administrative thana of Mymensingh Subdivision in 1917. Maulvi AKM Nazir Hosain was appointed as the Sub-Registrar of Bhaluka.

Their son Aftabuddin Chowdhury served as a member of the National Assembly from 1965 to 1969 representing the Pakistan Muslim League and later as an MP in Bangladesh from the same party. The Dhaka-Mymensingh highway was constructed during the regime of Ayub Khan following a proposal by Chowdhury.

During the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, Afsar Uddin Ahmed, the Sub-sector Commander of Sector 11, gathered arms and ammunition and established the Afsar Bahini to challenge the Pakistan Army. Mohammad Abdul Mannan, a Civil Engineering student and the vice president of the student wing at Rajshahi Engineering College, was the first to collect three units of 303 rifles from the nearest thana and requested Afsar Uddin to train everyone. Shah Ali Akbar was also a freedom fighter from Bhaluka. Together with Mohammad Abdul Mannan and Afsar Uddin Ahmed, he organized the mukti bahini (freedom fighters) in Bhaluka. The Pakistan Army established military camps at Mallikbari, Ashka, Tamat, and Bhaluka Bazar. A memorial monument was erected at Bhaluka Bus Stand. Bhaluka Thana was upgraded to an upazila in August 1983.

In 2010, work began on the Kadigarh National Park located in Palgaon, Kachina Union.

Geography
Bhaluka covers a total area of 444.05 km2. It is bordered by Fulbaria and Trishal Upazilas to the north, Sreepur Upazila to the south, Gaffargaon Upazila to the east, and Sakhipur and Ghatail Upazilas to the west. The main rivers flowing through the upazila are Sutia, Khiru, Lalti, and Bajua.

Administration
Bhaluka, established as a Thana in 1917, was upgraded to an upazila in 1983.

Bhaluka Upazila comprises Bhaluka Municipality and 11 union parishads: Bhaluka, Birunia, Dakatia, Dhitpur, Habirbari, Kachina, Mallikbari, Meduari, Rajoi, Uthura, and Varadoba. These union parishads are further divided into 87 mauzas and 110 villages.

Bhaluka Municipality is divided into 9 wards and 18 mahallas.

Education
Bhaluka Pilot High School, founded in 1948 by Aftab Uddin Chowdhury, is considered the oldest and most renowned school in Bhaluka. Additionally, the Chowdhury family established numerous schools and madrasahs, placing particular emphasis on girls' education and establishing the Halimunnesa Chowdhurani Memorial Girls School. Batazor M.U. Founder of Dakhil Madrasah - Alhaj Moslem Uddin Sarkar.

[http://www.nubd.info/college/college.php?code=5219 Bhaluka Govt. College] was established on 13 June 1972 by Mr. Mostofa M A Matin(MP), with land donated by Dr. Md. Abdul Khaleque and M. Md.Amir Ali.

Demographics
According to the 2011 Bangladesh census, Bhaluka Upazila had 106,935 households and a population of 430,320, with 95,059 individuals (22.09%) under 10 years of age. Bhaluka boasts a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 49.10%, slightly below the national average of 51.8%, and a sex ratio of 982 females per 1000 males. Additionally, 61,588 residents (14.31%) lived in urban areas.

A minority of 3,983 individuals (0.93%) belong to indigenous tribes such as the Garo, Rajbongshi, and Koch Mandai tribes. The Koch community resides primarily in Uthura and Dakatiya Unions and commonly bear the surname Varman.

Bhaluka is predominantly Sunni Muslim, with a substantial Hindu minority comprising over 13,000 individuals. Other minority religions represented include Buddhism, Christianity, and various tribal religions.

As recorded in the 1991 Bangladesh census, Bhaluka had a population of 264,991 spread across 53,222 households. Males constituted 51.08% of the population, while females made up 48.92%. Additionally, the upazila's population aged 18 and above numbered 137,860.

Economy
Bhaluka boasts several tourist attractions, including the historical mosques of Neshaiganj and Bhaluka Bazar, the picturesque Tepantar Shooting Spot, Pamwel Garden, Dream Holiday Resort, and Paradise Point. The Nilkuthi indigo factory, dating back to the British colonial period, adds to its historical charm. Additionally, the mosques at Uthura and Mallikbari are noteworthy landmarks, while the Kadigarh National Park attracts many visitors.

Notable establishments in the area include a crocodile breeding center in Hatiber, Mutalib Miah's Arabian date cultivation farm in Paragaon, the Mallikbari orange farm, and a rabbit breeding center in Habirbari. By 2014, there was a potential to export 4,000 crocodiles annually, with the one at Hatiber playing a crucial role in this endeavor. This export could generate an income ranging from three to 40 million dollars. Several European countries have already expressed official interest in importing crocodiles from Bangladesh.

Notable people

 * Aftabuddin Chowdhury, politician
 * Arifin Shuvoo, film actor and TV personality
 * Kazim Uddin Ahmed, politician
 * Mohammed Amanullah, cardiologist