Rajarhat

 township, subdistrict, fourth-level administrative division, local government

Rajarhat Upazila (Kurigram district) with an area of 166.13 sq km, is bounded by Phulbari and Lalmonirhat sadar upazilas on the north, Ulipur and Pirgachha upazilas on the south, Kurigram sadar upazila on the east, Lalmonirhat Sadar and Kaunia upazilas on the west. Main rivers are Tista and Dharla; Chakarpasha Beel is notable.

Rajarhat is located at 25.8000°N 89.5500°E. It has 27357 units of house hold. Rajarhat (Town) consists of 2 mouzas. It has an area of 3.3 sq km. The town has a population of 5282; male 51.48% and female 48.52%; population density per sq km 1600. Literacy rate among the town people is 38.8%. The town has one dakbunglow.

Rajarhat thana, now an upazila, was established in 1981. The upazila consists of 7 union parishads, 110 mouzas and 180 villages.

Archaeological heritage and relics: two canons named Fate Khan and Kuti Khan collected from Panga Rajbari and preserved at the Kurigram BDR Gate.

As of the 1991 Bangladesh census, Population 158648; male 50.52%, female 49.48%; Muslim 77.82%, Hindu 20.57% and others 1.61%.

Average literacy 27.1%; male 53.3% and female 18.7%. Educational institutions: college 3, high school 18, maktab 105, madrasa 16, government primary school 49, non-government primary school 67. Noted educational institution: Panga Rani Lakshmipriya High School (1868).

Religious institutions: Mosque 320, temple 36.

Main occupations Agriculture 45.01%, agricultural labourer 33.60%, wage labourer 2.81%, commerce 6.05%, service 2.98% and others 9.55%.

Land use Total cultivable land 29158.24 hectares; fallow land 3278.83 hectares; single crop land 30%, double crop 55% and treble crop land 15%. Cultivable land under irrigation 87%.

Land control Among the peasants 20% are landless, 25% small, 40% intermediate and 15% rich; cultivable land per head 0.18 hectare.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries Dairy 32, poultry 59 and nursery (fish) 4.

Manufactories Rice and flour mill 4, bread and biscuit factory 1, saw mill 3, welding 12, ice factory 1.

Cottage industries Goldsmith 12, blacksmith 80, potteries 50, cobbler 20, bidi 1, wood work 22, tailoring 30. Once Rajarhat was famous for cane and kharam works (now extinct).

Communication facilities Roads: pucca 17 km, semi pucca 9 km and mud road 216 km; railways 11 km; waterways 32 nautical mile.

Health centres Upazila health complex 1, family planning centre 11 and clinic 9.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, rdrs, CARE, asa, Chhinnamukul, Solidarity.