Mymensingh (Bengali: ময়মনসিংহ, romanized: Maẏamanasinha, pronounced [mɔjmɔnʃiŋɦɔ] ⓘ) is a metropolitan city and capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of the Brahmaputra River, about 120 km (75 mi) north of the national capital Dhaka, it is a major financial center and educational hub of north-central Bangladesh. The population density of Mymensingh city is 44,458/km² (115,150/mi²), which makes it one of the most densely populated cities in Bangladesh. It is the administrative center of Mymensingh District and Mymensingh Division.
The city was constituted by the British East India Company on 1 May 1787. According to Ministry of Public Administration, Mymensingh is ranked 4th in district status. Mymensingh attracts 25 percent of all the health tourists visiting Bangladesh due to quality healthcare. Mymensingh elevation is over 19 m above sea level, the highest of Bangladesh's major cities. Mymensingh is located near Tura, a city in Meghalaya, accessible through the Gobrakura Land Port.
The city is associated with the Old Brahmaputra river, the traditional embroidered quilt called Nakshikantha (Bengali: নকশীকাঁথা), and the rural ballad collection Maimansingha Gitika. The cadet college established in Tangail in 1963 was called Momenshahi Cadet College. The city is well-known for educational institutions.
History
Mymensingh is one of the sixteen old districts of Bangladesh which was constituted by the British East India Company on 1 May 1787. Being more than 220 years old, Mymensingh has a rich cultural and political history. In the beginning, Begunbari was chosen as the headquarters of the district. However, the district headquarters was relocated to Mymensingh when Begunbari devastated by a flash flood. Earlier Mymensingh was called Nasirabad, after Nasiruddin Nasrat Shah. During the British Raj, this district was ruled by Talukdar Zamindars and most of the inhabitants of the town were Hindus, forming 78% of the population in the last census before Partition. However, many Hindu families, including the Talukdar Zamindars left Bangladesh during Partition in 1947. A second spell of exodus took place following the Indo-Pak war of 1965. Many people born and raised Mymensingh have left for West Bengal since the 1960s. The exodus continues albeit at a slower pace.
Muslims began migrating into the town beginning from the early 20th century. The Vidyamoyee Uccha Balika Bidyalaya and Muminunnesa Women's College have played a great role in educating Bengali Muslim women. A majority of first-generation successful Bangladeshi women have attended these schools and colleges, including the first woman justice of the High Court of Bangladesh, Justice Nazmun Ara Sultana. On 1 December 1969, Tangail subdivision was separated from Mymensingh, and District of Tangail was officially formed. Similarly, in 1977, the new district of Jamalpur (including Sherpur) were formed.
The nine-month liberation war of Bangladesh began on March 27, 1971. Mymensingh remained free from the occupation army until April 23, 1971. The Pakistani occupation forces deserted Mymensingh on December 10, and the Mukti Bahini resistance group took over on December 11, just five days ahead of the victory of Dhaka on December 16.
Geography and climate
The city has no officially defined geographical limits. Since the 1980s the city has expanded with fast urbanisation. Mymensingh city is clearly marked by the Old Brahmaputra River flowing along its north. Shambhuganj is situated on the other side of the Brahmaputra, connected by the Shambhuganj Bridge District. Other ends of the city are marked respectively by the beginning of the Bangladesh Agricultural University campus, the Mymensingh Medical College, Army cantonment and, finally, Sultanabad, a township built for the followers of Aga Khan. A railway line connecting Dhaka with northern districts, built between 1885 and 1899, passes through the city and divides it into two sides.
The climate of Mymensingh is slightly colder than Dhaka, as it is closer to the Himalayas, and sufficient to be a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa) instead of a tropical savanna or tropical monsoon climate as found further south in Bangladesh. The monsoon starts in May or June and continues until August. It rains heavily and sometimes for days and weeks. During the monsoon, the temperature varies between 25 and 31 °C (77.0 and 87.8 °F). The temperature falls below 15 °C (59 °F) in winter which is spread over December and January and may well include November and February. The highest temperature is felt during April–May period, where it may reach as high as 40 °C (104 °F). High humidity causes heavy sweating during this period. For western travellers, the best time to visit is between November and February.
Administration
Mymensingh is the headquarters of one of the eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh. Divisional Commissioner, who is the administrative chief of Mymensingh Division, DIG for Mymensingh division and other divisional civil servants have their offices in the city, which functions as part of the government administrative setup. Deputy Commissioner (DC), who is the administrative chief of Mymensingh District, Civil Surgeon and other district level civil servants also have their offices in the city.
One mayor and ward commissioners are elected for five-year terms by direct votes. Mymensingh City Corporation is responsible for all the administrative work related to city governance.
Demographics
As of the 2022 census, Mymensingh City Corporation had 135,495 households and a population of 577,000. 16.65% of the population was under 10 years of age. Mymensingh had a literacy rate of 84.41% for those 7 years and older and a sex ratio of 103.61 males per 100 females.
Economy
Historically, Mymensingh district was known for jute production which was termed 'golden fibre' due to the revenue it generated as a cash crop. Due to the high demand for polythene bags and other economic reasons, the jute industry has significantly declined. As Mymensingh is the capital of Mymensingh Division, government employees make up a large percentage of the city's workforce. Mymensingh also has a large unskilled and semi-skilled labour population, who primarily earn their livelihood as hawkers, Rickshaw pullers, taxi drivers, mechanics and other such professions. Agriculture is the most important sector contributing to GDP, followed by the growing service sector in the city. The increasing demand for fish in the local and global markets has generated a new opportunity for local fishermen as well as businessmen to exploit fishing in Mymensingh, and today it is very important to the economy. Much of the population have modified their paddy fields to become ponds and are cultivating fish. Prawns, sometimes reaching a very large size in the winter, are sold in Mymensingh in great numbers.
The entire area between Durgabari Road, and Maharaja Road comprises the traditional shopping area. There are places like Ganginarpar, Boro Bazaar, Choto Bazaar, Mechua Bazaar within this area. There are spots like Jilapi Patty which is for making and selling jilapi. The main road from Notunbazar to the railway station & C.K. Ghosh Road to Charpara hosts a number of shops for manufactured products and clothing.
City centre
The city centre of Mymensingh is along the Ganginarpar Road, which is known as the vein or life line of Mymensingh city. Some more busy area of the city are Chorpara Moor, Town Hall Moor, Zero Point Moor & Bridge Moor.
Cuisine
The staple food is plain rice with a curry of fish or meat. Normally people start with fried or steamed vegetable and dal, a kind of lentil soup. Often people squeeze a citron slice or take additional salt while eating and add fresh shallots and green pepper as seasoning. Traditional snacks and savouries include seasonal pitha of various kinds, dal-puri, and shingara. Home made desserts include Khyr, Payesh and Shemai. Sweets soaked in syrup of sugar, such as Jilapi, are mostly bought from shops. Pan, a digestive made out of betel nuts, spices, tobacco, and certain other ingredients are eaten by many people, some of which consume it with aromatic Dzorda. For dinner or lunch, a simple formula is to prepare "khichuri", the broth of rice and lentils, seasoned with spices, and served with chutney or pickles. Ghee (butter) may be spread just before eating. The meal may end with sweet curd. Muri (puffed rice), chira (flattened rice) and khoi (popped rice) are substitutes for rice. They are eaten with gur (jaggery) which is a kind of unrefined sugar. They may be mixed with yogurt or milk before eaten. People use only the right hand for eating.
Landmarks
The Old Town Hall, built by Maharaja Surya Kanta Acharyya had hosted thousands of drama, meeting and cultural functions since 1878. It was demolished in 2006 and is being rebuilt by the Mymensingh Pourashava.
Shashi Lodge is one of the historical place inside the city. It was built in 1905.
Bangladesh Parishad, situated at Chhoto Bazar Road, the regional centre of Pakistan Council in Mymensingh, set up in 1969, came to be known as Bangladesh Parishad after establishment of Bangladesh in 1971. It was a government institution under the Ministry of Information and housed a public library with a collection of books and magazines. The library has 35,656 volumes on all subjects. It also had a hall to hold literary and cultural functions. Till the 1980s, Bangladesh Parishad was a hub of cultural activity of post-liberation Mymensingh. It was most active in the late 1970s when Ashraf Ali Khan was its chief executive.
Shishu Academy was set up under the initiative of president Ziaur Rahman in 1980. Its Mymensingh office was opened in the 1990s.
The first Shahid Minar was built in 1958 on crossing of the Amrita Babu Road, close to Mymensingh Pourashava. It was relocated to the Town Hall premises in the mid-1990s.
Amarabati Natya Mandir was the first theatre built in the heart of Mymensingh town in the 1930s. Later it was converted into a cinema named Chayabani. The Town Hall became the sole venue for staging a play or drama. Bahubrihi is one of the drama circles that has played a key role in sustaining the drama movement in Mymensingh since the 1970s. Singing was part of daily life for most people since the 19th century. Mithun Dey and Sunil Dhar were two local music teachers since the 1960s. Sunil Dhar established a music school at Atharo Bari Building in the 1980s. Folk Ballads: Maimansingha Gitika. There are three cinema halls in Mymensingh town. Most of these halls are very old but still in operation. Cable TV connectivity was launched in 1999 and together with DVD and VCR, most people now prefer home entertainment With Dish Cable Line. However, on special occasions such as Eid, new year, Puja, and other vacations, people still watch movies in the cinema halls. Aloka was the oldest cinema hall, which was demolished in 2006 to make a modern shopping and residential complex. Other cinema halls are Chayabani, Purabi and Shena-Auditorium (closed).
Muslim Institute library is a public library which was established in 1934. The Bangladesh Parishad library has died down since the 1980s. The local Bar also has a library of its own rich in legal books and journals.
The "Alexander Castle" or "Lohar Kutir" as it is locally known, is where Maharaja Surya Kanta Acharya invited Grand Duke Boris of Russia and General Sir George White, and built it for his stay and a same Russian styled also built by the Ponni of Tangail. Rabindranath Tagore also was in Alexandra castle for participating a citizen gathering. This earthquake-proof steel and timber building was built after his much vaunted "Crystal Palace" or "Rang Mahal" as it was locally known, was destroyed by the Great Bengal Earthquake of 12 June 1897. Subsequently, "Shashi Lodge" or "Mymensingh Palace" was built at the site of "Rang Mahal". However Maharaja Surya Kanta died before "Soshi Lodge" could be completed. It was completed by Maharaja Soshi Kanta Acharyya. Both the buildings had once contained innumerable works of art, artefacts, sculptures and antiques collected from all over the world. Both these buildings have been declared as National Heritage Monuments. But unplanned development already damaged the scenario of rare Russian architecture in this country.
Bipin Park is a small park near Boro Bazaar right on the Brahmaputra River.
Museums
The Mymensingh Museum was established in 1969. Though its collection comes from the palaces of zamindars of the greater Mymensingh region, it lacks proper preservation.
The Zainul Abedin Museum was established in a house on the Brahmaputra River in 1975. The art gallery includes the paintings of Zainul Abedin, a pioneer of the country's modern art movement, as well as an art school, art cottage, and open-air stage.
The Fish Museum & Biodiversity Center, also known as FMBC, is operated by Bangladesh Agricultural University.