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30-520: Barlekha Upazila is named after Barlekha (formerly 'Barlikha') which means Great Likha . Likha was an area historically under the Panchakhanda pargana , and an ancient shloka by Mukundaram Siddhanta refers to the area by this name. Likha was later divided into Barlikha (Great Likha) and Chhotalikha (Little Likha); the latter of which still exists as a village within the upazila. The Malegarh hillock at Lathu (came to be known later as Shahbajpur),

60-462: A shiqdar (police chief), an amin or munsif (an arbitrator who assessed and collected revenue) and a karkun (record keeper). In the 16th century the Mughal emperor Akbar organised the empire into subahs (roughly equivalent of state or province), which were further subdivided into sarkars (roughly the equivalent of districts), which were themselves organised into parganas (roughly

90-450: A desire to unite with the goddess Ganga and requested immersion in the spring. Following the monk's request, he merged with Ganga, and a divine voice uttered "Madhav Madhav Madhav" three times, giving rise to the name Madhabkunda. Another legend suggests the name originates from "Madhav," one of Shiva's names, as it is believed Shiva appeared at this location. A tourist site called Madhabkunda Eco Park has been established in proximity to

120-418: A powerful current. This robust flow cascades downward, forming a substantial pool below. The pool's depth increases continuously as water continues to fall into it. Two popular legends surround the origin of the name Madhabkunda. According to one, Raja Govardhan of Gour , the last Hindu king of Sylhet, encountered a meditating monk named Madhaveshwar while on a hunting expedition in 1335 AD. The monk expressed

150-453: A unique type of ecosystem as well as a new set of management issues. Most of the local inhabitants are in some way dependent on the wetland for their livelihood. Hakaluki Haor supports one of the largest inland fisheries in Bangladesh. It is one of the so-called ‘mother fishery areas’, i.e. areas where brood, young and juvenile fish aggregate and take refuge during the dry season when the rest of

180-555: A wide variety of waterfowl as well as wintering migratory birds. Every winter, tens of thousands of guest birds of about 150 species from Siberia and other cold regions flock to the haors. They include Bright and Rose King-duck, Pati-duck, Bali Hash, Lenja, Chity, Sorali, Boikal, Nilshir Piyan, Pantamukhi, Pankouri, Buti-duck, China, Rangamuri, Black-duck, Peributhi, Chokachoki, Giria, Khonjona, Patari, Dolpipi, Water-hen, North-Giria, Dahuk, Patibatan, Common-chill, Cotton-Chill, Gergini, Cottontail, Pintail, Toughed Duck. Hakaluki Haor presents

210-756: Is a popular tourist attraction to the naturalist. Everyday a lot of local and international tourists visit Masterer Pakir Bari . In Hakaluki Haor threatened species such as Pallas’ Fish Eagle also occurs at the wetland, which is furthermore an important area for reptiles such as freshwater turtles, and for amphibians. Barlekha Upazila is divided into Barlekha Municipality and ten union parishads : Baralekha, Borni, Dakshin Dakshinbhag, Dakshin Shahbazpur , Dasherbazar, Nizbahadurpur, Sujanagar, Talimpur, Uttar Dakshinbhag, and Uttar Shahbazpur. The union parishads are subdivided into 139 mauzas and 269 villages. Barlekha Municipality

240-432: Is a popular tourist spot in Bangladesh. The forest, streams, and ecological park in the vicinity attract numerous tourists for picnics and day trips. The area holds significance for Hindus, with a nearby temple where Hindu rituals are performed annually, accompanied by a fair. Adjacent to the pool on the right side lies a cave, revered as a pilgrimage site. The Gangamara stream cascades 162 feet (49 m) feet down from

270-419: Is a seasonal water body formed during the monsoon, the beels are low-lying depressions of the haor system retaining water even during the dry months of the season. Thus, the haor system is a complex of both lacustrine wetlands (with open water) and palustrine wetlands (marshy – with vegetation), depending on the hydraulic behaviour in different seasons. In rainy season it takes the shape of a sea. Hakaluki Haor has

300-605: Is about 15 km from Barlekha railway station, and 350 km from the city of Dhaka. Geologically, this waterfall is in the Patharia Structure and is composed of the rocks of the Bhuban Formation. Local Hindus believe the circular pool where the water falls is a magical place, and many worshippers go there every year. Although the water in the pool is not very deep, several tourists have lost their lives in Madhabkunda by

330-419: Is home to many points of interest. Madhabkunda waterfall is one of the most well-known tourist attractions in the country. It is Bangladesh's largest waterfall boasting a height of 200 ft (61m) and is set in a green Eco-park setting. Madhabkunda is surrounded by the hills full of tea plants. Every year thousands of tourists are drawn to Madhabkunda because of its natural environment, especially in winter. It

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360-661: Is produced in Barlekha every year. Cottage industries include weaving, sheetalpati, bamboo and cane work, iron work, and potteries are other works of Barlekha. At Kesrigul, there is an abandoned oil field of Burma Eastern Oil Company. It was a fully functional oil field but had to be sealed off in 1951 following a disastrous oil flood when crude oil burst out of the well and flooded the surrounding area. Deposit of radioactive uranium has been discovered in Haragachha Hill at Juri, and an expert team has authenticated its reserve. Barlekha

390-535: Is subdivided into 9 wards and 27 mahallas . Pargana Pargana or parganah , also spelt pergunnah during the time of the Delhi Sultanate , Mughal Empire and British Indian Empire , is a former administrative unit of the Indian subcontinent . Each parganas may or may not be subdivided into pirs . Those revenue units are used primarily, but not exclusively, by Muslim kingdoms. After Indian independence

420-653: The Permanent Settlement of 1793, which abolished the pargana system in favour of the zamindari system, in which zamindars were made the absolute owners of rural lands, and abolished the pargana dastur and pargana nirikh . British administration consisted of districts , which were divided into tehsils or taluks . Parganas remained important as a geographical term, persisting in land surveys, village identification and court decrees. The pargana system persisted in several princely states , including Tonk and Gwalior . Parganas disappeared almost completely after

450-669: The Sylhet region was split into four mahakumas (or subdivisions); Sylhet (including Moulvibazar ), Habiganj , Sunamganj and Karimganj . In 1882, the Sylhet Mahakuma was split into two; Sylhet and South Sylhet . On 18 May 1940, one of the five thanas of the Karimganj Mahakuma , Jolodhup, was planned to also be split into two - Beanibazar and Barlekha. Beanibazar went to Sylhet Mahakuma while Barlekha went to South Sylhet (Moulvibazar) Mahakuma. On 1 July 1983, Barlekha Thana

480-480: The company soldiers but also Kuki scouts. Ali Bakhsh of Chittagong, one of the rebels, was caught and charged of desertion, robbery and revolt. Gonjer Ali of Pratapgarh and Zamindar Gaus Ali Khan of nearby Prithimpasha were accused of helping the rebels. At the Delhi Durbar on 12 December 1911, King George V announced the reunification of a Bengal Province and the creation of an Assam Province . During this time,

510-595: The equivalent of district subdivisions such as tehsil). In the Mughal system, parganas served as the local administrative units of a sarkar . Individual parganas observed common customs regarding land rights and responsibilities, which were known as the pargana dastur , and each pargana had its own customs regarding rent, fees, wages, and weights and measures, known as the pargana nirikh . Pargana consisted of several tarafs , which in their turn consisted of several villages plus some uninhabited mountain and forest land. During

540-701: The force of the water. Other sites include the mausoleums of Shah Dariya Pir in Chandpur, Syed Yaqub in Horipur and Syed Abu Bakr in Chotolekha. A 16th century mosque located in Loghati, Dasher Bazar is an archaeological heritage site that continues to attract visitors. Over 40% of Hakaluki Haor , one of the largest marsh wetlands of Bangladesh as well as of Asia covering a total surface area of 181.15 km falls within Barlekha. A very large number of nature tourists come to visit

570-502: The gardens were brought in the 1800s from outside of Bengal under rather questionable working conditions. Sujanagar of this upazila is known for producing incense and attar (essence of flowers and Agar tree). For over a century, these have found markets in Middle Eastern and Far Eastern countries. There are about 350-400 agar attar factories in Barlekha. Agar attar is considered as liquid gold of Bangladesh. About 2000 litres of agar attar

600-499: The haor area becomes dry. While the area was once known as a "fishmine", its fish stocks are now increasingly threatened. Hakaluki Haor is on a global level a very important wetland for a wide variety of waterfowl, particularly Anatidae ducks. In the 1960s, the wintering population of ducks was estimated at between 40,000 and 60,000.Every year a lot of birds making their nest in the house of Late Haji Monuhor Ali Master's house. This house became very well known as Masterer Pakir Bari which

630-614: The haor each year. Hakaluki Haor represents a complex wetland system with more than 80 interconnecting beels in a shallow basin formed between the Patharia and Madhab Hills to the east and the Bhatera Hills to the west. The major sources of water are the Juri, Sonai Bardhal and Kushiyara rivers, which traverse the wetland and drain through a single outlet, the Kushiyara River. While the haor itself

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660-564: The independence of India and Pakistan in 1947, although the term lives on in place names, like the districts of North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas in India's West Bengal state. Madhabkunda waterfall Madhabkunda Waterfall ( Bengali : মাধবকুন্ড জলপ্রপাত ) is one of the highest waterfalls in Bangladesh . Situated in Barlekha Upazila of Moulvibazar District , the waterfall

690-533: The national average of 51.8%, and a sex ratio of 1071 females per 1000 males. 26,672 (10.35%) lived in urban areas. Ethnic population was 6,370 (2.47%), of which Khasi were 1,813 and Santal 867. At the 1991 Bangladesh census , Barlekha had a population of 200,674, of whom 50.09% were aged 18 or older (against the national average of 48.52%). Of the population, 49.86% were male (national average of 51.48%) and 50.14% female (national average of 48.52%). The average literacy rate (measured as having 7+ years of education)

720-981: The northern tip of Barlekha Upazila, was shaken up in November 1857 after Indian rebels revolted in Meerut. The soldiers of 34 Native Infantry in Chittagong revolted, looted the armoury and treasury and set army barracks on fire. These rebel soldiers, on their way to reach Manipur, pitched their tents at Malegarh. A force of 160 company soldiers under Major Byng, initially reached Protaphgarh (now in India) and then Malegarh on December 19, 1857. In that battle, Major Byng and four other company soldiers lost their lives. The mutineers retreated leaving behind twenty-six rebels including Major Sher Khan and Captain Shamsher Khan. For those who lived long enough to make it to Manipur, they were attacked not only by

750-434: The parganas became equivalent to Block / Tahsil and pirs became Grampanchayat . Parganas were introduced by the Delhi Sultanate . As a revenue unit, a pargana consists of several mouzas , which are the smallest revenue units, consisting of one or more villages and the surrounding countryside. Under the reign of Sher Shah Suri , administration of parganas was strengthened by the addition of other officers, including

780-653: The reign of the Bahmani Sultanate in the Deccan , tarafs represented the provinces of the sultanate and its main territorial division. Tarafs were ruled by a tarafdar , the provincial governor, who held a significant amount of autonomy. As the British expanded into former Mughal provinces, starting with Bengal , they at first retained the pargana administration, but, under the Governorship of Charles Cornwallis , enacted

810-606: The rocky Patharia Hill, forming the Madhabkunda Waterfall, which then transitions into the Madhabchhara stream below. The waters of Madhabchhara flow westward and eventually converge into the Hakaluki Haor . The main stream typically maintains a steady flow throughout the year. During the monsoon season, a smaller stream forms adjacent to the main one, and as the monsoon intensifies, the two streams converge, combining into

840-455: The waterfall with an area of about 500 acres (2.0 km ), attracting numerous tourists each year. Surrounding the waterfall is a vast forest area inhabited by the indigenous Khasi tribe. Another nearby attraction is the Parikunda waterfall. The waterfall is located at 24°38′18.5″N 92°13′28.4″E  /  24.638472°N 92.224556°E  / 24.638472; 92.224556 . It

870-531: Was 34.6%, against the national average of 32.4%. 70.59% of the population were Muslim , 28.31% Hindu , 0.92% Christian , 0.04% Buddhist , and 0.14% other beliefs. Ethnic nationals include Khasi and Santal, who have their own languages. There are 18 tea gardens in Barlekha spread over an area of 64.39 km, most of which were established by the English tea planters during the time of British Raj. Each garden has its own tea-processing factory. Tea laborers who work in

900-438: Was upgraded into an upazila . Barlekha is located at 24°42′30″N 92°12′00″E  /  24.7083°N 92.2000°E  / 24.7083; 92.2000 . The area of the upazila is 448.86 km. According to the 2011 Census of Bangladesh , Barlekha Upazila had 44,192 households and a population of 257,620. 69,612 (27.02%) were under 10 years of age. Barlekha had a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 52.42%, compared to

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