Greater Sylhet: Difference between revisions
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#REDIRECT [[Sylhet Division]] |
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{{Infobox settlement |
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| name = Sylhet |
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| native_name = সিলেট<br />{{font|ꠍꠤꠟꠐ|font=Surma|size=18px}} |
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সিলেট| native_name_lang = Sylheti |
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| settlement_type = [[Region]] |
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| image_skyline = File:বিছানাকান্দি (28864203963).jpg |
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| image_alt = |
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| image_caption = [[Bichnakandi]], [[Gowainghat]] |
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| image_flag = |
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| flag_alt = |
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| image_seal = |
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| seal_alt = |
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| image_shield = |
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| etymology = |
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| nickname = |
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| motto = |
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| image_map = |
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| map_alt = |
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| map_caption = Sylhet region |
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| pushpin_map = |
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| pushpin_label_position = |
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| pushpin_map_alt = |
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| pushpin_map_caption = |
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| coordinates = |
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| coor_pinpoint = |
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| coordinates_footnotes = |
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| subdivision_type = [[List of countries|Countries]] |
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| subdivision_name = {{Flag|Bangladesh}}<br/>{{Flag|India}} |
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| subdivision_type1 = Areas |
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| subdivision_name1 = [[Sylhet Division|Sylhet Division, Bangladesh]]<br>[[Karimganj district|Karimganj]], [[Assam]] |
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| established_title = |
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| established_date = |
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| founder = |
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| seat_type = |
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| seat = |
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| government_footnotes = |
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| leader_party = |
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| leader_title = |
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| leader_name = |
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| blank_name_sec1 = Language(s) |
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| blank_info_sec1 = [[Sylheti language|Sylheti]], [[Bengali language|Bengali]] |
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| blank_name_sec2 = Additional languages |
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| blank_info_sec2 = [[Khasi language|Khasi]], [[Dimasa language|Dimasa]], [[Meitei language|Meitei]], [[Bishnupriya Manipuri language|Bishnupriya Manipuri]], [[Garo language|Garo]], [[Tripuri language|Tripuri]], [[Kurmi|Kurmi creole]], [[Bhumij language|Bhumij]], [[Hindi]] |
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| unit_pref = Metric |
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| area_footnotes = |
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| area_urban_footnotes = <!-- <ref> </ref> --> |
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| area_rural_footnotes = <!-- <ref> </ref> --> |
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| area_metro_footnotes = <!-- <ref> </ref> --> |
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| area_magnitude = <!-- <ref> </ref> --> |
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| area_total_km2 = 18,738.4 |
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| length_km = |
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| width_km = |
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| dimensions_footnotes = |
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| elevation_footnotes = <ref>https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/kala-pahar-the-highest-peak-of-greater-sylhet-and-northern-bangladesh-11491114</ref> |
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| elevation_m = 334.67 |
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| elevation_ft = 1,098 |
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| population_as_of = 2011 |
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| population_footnotes = |
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| population_total = 13,522,872 |
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| population_density_km2 = auto |
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| population_note = (Pop. of [[Sylhet Division]] and [[Barak Valley]]) |
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| population_demonym = [[Sylhetis]] |
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| timezone1 = [[Bangladesh Standard Time|BST]] |
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| utc_offset1 = +6 |
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| timezone2 = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]] |
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| utc_offset2 = +05:30 |
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}} |
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'''Sylhet''' ([[Sylheti language|Sylheti]]: {{font|ꠍꠤꠟꠐ|font=Surma|size=18px}} ''Silôţ'', {{lang-bn|সিলেট|Sileţ}}) is a geographical, historical, and cultural region in the [[Indian subcontinent]] and comprises the [[Sylhet Division]] in [[Bangladesh]], which includes the [[Sylhet District|Surma Valley]], and [[Karimganj district]] of [[India]]'s [[Barak Valley]] in [[Assam]]. In 1947, when a [[1947 Sylhet referendum|plebiscite]] was held in Sylhet, the population decided to join the [[Dominion of Pakistan|Pakistani]] province of [[East Bengal]]. However, when the [[Radcliffe Line]] was drawn up, the [[Karimganj district|Karimganj]] was given to India by the Commission as the result of a plea from a delegation led by [[Abdul Matlib Mazumdar]]. Nihar Ranjan Roy, author of ''Bangalir Itihas'', says that "South Assam / Northeastern Bengal or Barak Valley is the extension of the Greater Surma/Meghna Valley of [[Bengal]] in every aspect from culture to geography".<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IciEHAAACAAJ|title=Bangalir itihas|last=Ray|first=Niharranjan|date=1 January 1980|publisher=Paschimbanga Samiti|language=bn}}</ref> |
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==Etymology and names== |
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[[File:1740_Seutter_Map_of_India,_Pakistan,_Tibet_and_Afghanistan_-_Geographicus_-_IndiaMogolis-seutter-1740.jpg|thumb|Sirote was a name used by Europeans in the 1700s]] |
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The name ''Sylhet'' is an [[anglicisation]] of ''Shilhot'' (শিলহট). Its origins seem to come from the [[Sanskrit]] words of শিলা śilā (meaning stone) and হট্ট haṭṭa (meaning marketplace). These words match the landscape and topography of the hilly region. The shila stones were abundant across Sylhet and King [[Gour Govinda]] is known to have used stones to guard his capital. The word changed to Shilhot due to the [[elision]] of letter-final {{lang|bn|অ}} ''ô'' in the [[Bengali language]].<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.banglajol.info/index.php/DUJL/article/view/3344|title=Politics and Literary Activities in the Bengali Language during the Independent Sultanate of Bengal|first=AKM Golam|last=Rabbani|date=7 November 2017|journal=Dhaka University Journal of Linguistics|volume=1|issue=1|pages=151–166 |access-date=7 November 2017 |via=banglajol.info}}</ref> Another theory is that it was named after Princess Sheela, the eldest daughter of Raja Guhak of the [[Jaintia Kingdom]]. It is said that Sheela was once bathing in a pond and was kidnapped. After being rescued by her father Raja Guhak, Sheela started to become more religious and live a secluded life. Sheela's died at a young age, the port-area which developed around the lake, which was the largest centre in northeastern Bengal for trade, was named Sheela [[haat]] (or Sheela's marketplace) in her honour. [[Xuanzang]] of [[China]] mentions that he visited a place called Sheelachatal in the 630s in his book, the ''[[Great Tang Records on the Western Regions]]''. The Hattanath Tales mention Sheelachatal was named after both daughters of Guhak; Sheela and Chatala. Chatala indulged herself in an unlawful relationship with one of the palace servants, leading to her being disowned and dumped in a distant island in the middle of 2000 square mile lake to the south of the kingdom.<ref name=fazlur>{{cite book|title=Sileṭer māṭi, Sileṭer mānush|last=Rahman|first=Fazlur|page=33|year=1991|publisher=MA Sattar}}</ref> |
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Mughal documents such as the [[Ain-i-Akbari]] referred to the region in [[Farsi|Persian]] as Silhet/Silhat (سلهت). Archaic European names included Sirote and Silhat. After the British arrived in the region in the 18th century, the spelling was changed to Sylhet so that it is distinct from the name of the nearby town of [[Silchar]]. In [[Bengali language|Modern Standard Bengali]], the official name is ''Śileṭ'' (সিলেট). Another less-common endonym is ''Siloṭ'' (ꠍꠤꠟꠐ/ছিলট).<ref name=Srihatta>{{cite web|url=http://www.srihatta.com.bd/index.html#srihatta|title=About the name Srihatta|website=Srihatta.com.bd|accessdate=7 April 2019}}</ref> |
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An alternative name which may or may not have originated from ''Shilahatta'' was ''Srihotto'' (শ্রীহট্ট). The word ''[[sri]]'' is a Sanskrit word for ''beauty''. This name was used in [[Kamarupa]] and the other [[petty kingdom]]s. In the [[Bengal Sultanate]]'s inscriptions, Srihat/Sirhat (سریحت/سرحت) can be found as an administrative "Arsah". The earliest Sultanate inscription using this name was found in [[Shah Jalal]]'s [[dargah]]. Dating 1303, the inscription mentions [[Sikandar Khan Ghazi]]'s [[Conquest of Sylhet|Conquest of Arsah Srihat]] with the help of Shah Jalal, during the reign of Sultan [[Shamsuddin Firoz Shah]].<ref name=dani>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.126929|title=Asiatic Society Of Pakistan Vol-ii|year=1957|author=[[Ahmad Hasan Dani]]|chapter=Analysis of the Inscriptions|page=[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.126929/page/n123 111]}}</ref> |
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Another theory is that the word is of [[Semitic languages|Semitic]] origin and compares it to the [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] word שלט shelet. According to [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] researchers, the word ''shelet'' is used when something is guaranteed or protected. The word shelet has been used in the [[Hebrew Bible]] to mean shield or ruler.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://banglamirrornews.com/2018/12/10/shelet-sylhet-found-in-the-bible|title='Shelet' (Sylhet) Found in the Bible|author=Shofi Ahmed|website=Bangla Mirror}}</ref> However, there is no clear evidence that the name is derived from this. |
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After the Islamic [[Conquest of Sylhet]] in 1303, the city colloquially became nicknamed as Jalalabad (জালালাবাদ). It is made up two words ''Jalal'' (جلال), a name of [[Arabic language|Arabic]] origin meaning majesty but in this case referring to [[Shah Jalal]], and ''[[-abad|Abad]]'' (آباد), meaning settlement.<ref>{{cite book|author=Abu Musa Mohammad Arif Billah|chapter=Persian|chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Persian|title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh|editor=Sirajul Islam and Ahmed A. Jamal |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]|year=2012|edition=Second}}</ref><ref name=bangla2000>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.bangla2000.com/Bangladesh/Cities/sylhet.htm|title=Sylhet City|publisher=Bangla2000|accessdate=28 November 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Constructing Bangladesh: Religion, Ethnicity, and Language in an Islamic Nation|author=Sufia M. Uddin|page=148}}</ref> This colloquial name continued to be used in the [[Bengal Subah|Mughal period]]. Currently, in the [[Sylhet City Corporation]], there exists a [[Thanas of Bangladesh|metropolitan thana]] known as the Jalalabad Thana as well an area in its 7th ward.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hussain|first=M Sahul|year=2014|chapter=Jalalabad Thana|chapter-url= http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Jalalabad_Thana|title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh|edition=Second|publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref> |
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== History == |
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{{Main|History of Sylhet}} |
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=== Ancient and medieval === |
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Sylhet was an expanded commercial centre inhabited by [[Brahmans]] under the realms of the [[Harikela]] and [[Kamarupa]] kingdoms of ancient [[Bengal]] and [[Assam]]. [[Buddhism]] was prevalent in the [[first millennium]]. In the [[early medieval period]], the area was dominated by [[Hindu]] [[principalities]] under the nominal suzerainty of the [[Sena dynasty|Senas]] and [[Deva dynasty|Devas]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Dilip K. Chakrabarti |author-link=Dilip Kumar Chakrabarti |year=1992 |title=Ancient Bangladesh: A Study of the Archaeological Sources |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=166 |isbn=978-0-19-562879-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Syed Umar Hayat |date=July–December 1996 |title=Bengal Under the Palas and Senas (750-1204) |journal=Pakistan Journal of History and Culture |volume=17 |issue=2 |page=33}}</ref> This is documented by their copper-plate charters.<ref>{{cite book |author=Kamalakanta Gupta |year=1967 |title=Copper-Plates of Sylhet |location=Sylhet, East Pakistan |publisher=Lipika Enterprises |oclc=462451888}}</ref> The [[Mahabharata]] mentions the marriage of [[Duryodhana]] of the [[Kaurava]]s into a family in [[Habiganj District|Habiganj]] as well as [[Arjuna]] travelling to the [[Jaintia Kingdom|Jaintia]] to regain his horse held captive by a princess.<ref>{{cite news |last=Chowdhury|first=Iftekhar Ahmed|date=7 September 2018|title=Sylhetis, Assamese, 'Bongal Kheda', and the rolling thunder in the east|url=https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/perspective/news/sylhetis-assamese-bongal-kheda-and-the-rolling-thunder-the-east-1630144|work=The Daily Star|type=Opinion|access-date=2 January 2019}}</ref> The region was home to many [[petty kingdom]]s such as [[Jaintia Kingdom|Jaintia]], [[Laur Kingdom|Laur]], [[Gour Kingdom|Gour]], and later Taraf, Jagannathpur, Ita and Chandrapur. [[Rajnagar Upazila|Rajnagar]]i inscriptions suggest there was an ancient university in Panchgaon.<ref name="zila">{{cite news |url=http://www.moulvibazar.com/zila/z_moul_intro.html|title=Zila|website=Moulvibazar.com|date=January 2016|accessdate=4 September 2018}}</ref> |
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[[File:05122009 Hazrat Shahjalal Majar Exit photo2 Ranadipam Basu.jpg|thumb|Masjid of [[Shah Jalal]] containing his shrine]] |
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The 14th century marked the beginning of [[Islamic culture|Islamic influence]] in Sylhet. In 1303, [[Shamsuddin Firoz Shah]]'s army defeated [[Gour Govinda]] in the [[Conquest of Sylhet]].<ref name="Khan2013">{{cite book|author=Muhammad Mojlum Khan|title=The Muslim Heritage of Bengal: The Lives, Thoughts and Achievements of Great Muslim Scholars, Writers and Reformers of Bangladesh and West Bengal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-2s9BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA25|date=21 October 2013|publisher=Kube Publishing Limited|isbn=978-1-84774-062-5|pages=25–}}</ref><ref>EB, Suharwardy Yemani Sylheti, Shaikhul Mashaikh Hazrat Makhdum Ghazi Shaikh Jalaluddin Mujjarad, in Hanif, N. [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_Y7JInpQL0x8C "Biographical Encyclopaedia of Sufis: Central Asia and Middle East. Vol. 2"]. Sarup & Sons, 2002. p.459</ref> The army was aided by the missionary [[Shah Jalal]] and his companions.<ref name="Khan2013"/> Gour was then renamed as Jalalabad (settlement of [[Shah Jalal|Jalal]]).<ref name=bangla2000/> [[Sikandar Khan Ghazi]], one of the commanders of the battle, was then made the first [[Muslims|Muslim]] [[vizier|wazir]] of Sylhet.<ref name="purbangsho" >Sreehatter Itibritta – Purbangsho (A History of Sylhet), Part 2, Volume 1, Chapter 1, [[Achyut Charan Choudhury]]; Publisher: Mustafa Selim; Source publication, 2004</ref> He was succeeded by [[Haydar Ghazi]].<ref name="Srihatta"/><ref name="bn.wikipedia.org">'''Syed Murtaza Ali's History of Sylhet''' ; Moinul Islam</ref> |
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Sylheti Muslims began exploiting the fertile land of Sylhet for agricultural production and enjoyed relative prosperity innovating a contemporary agrarian society. The [[Taraf Kingdom]], founded by [[Syed Nasiruddin]], was transformed into a hub of Islamic and linguistic education. Prominent writers and poets hailing from medieval Taraf and its surrounding areas included [[Syed Shah Israil]] (Sylhet's first author), [[Muhammad Arshad (writer)|Muhammad Arshad]], [[Syed Pir Badshah]] and [[Syed Rayhan ad-Din]]. The region experienced an influx of [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]], [[Pashtuns|Afghan]], [[Arabs|Arab]], and [[Persians|Persian]] immigrants.<ref>{{cite book|author=Abu Musa Mohammad Arif Billah|chapter=Persian|chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Persian|title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |editor=Sirajul Islam and Ahmed A. Jamal |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]] |year=2012 |edition=Second}}</ref> |
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===Early modern=== |
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The [[Mughals|Mughal]] conquests in [[Bengal]] started during the reigns of Emperors [[Humayun]] and [[Akbar]]. The [[Battle of Rajmahal]] in 1576 led to the execution of [[Daud Khan Karrani]], ending the [[Karrani dynasty|Karrani sultanate]]. During the reigns of Emperors [[Jahangir]] and [[Shah Jahan]], Sylhet came to be known as Bengal's ''Wild East'' due to the region becoming a refuge for [[Afghans|Afghan chieftains]] and other independent insurgents.<ref name=wildeast>{{cite book|title=The Rise of Islam and the Bengal Frontier, 1204–1760|url=https://archive.org/details/riseofislambenga00eato|url-access=registration|chapter=Bengal under the Mughals: Mosque and Shrine in the Rural Landscape: The Religious Gentry of Sylhet|last=Eaton|first=Richard}}</ref> [[Khwaja Usman]] of [[Gouripur Upazila|Bokainagar, Mymensingh]] fled to Sylhet where he allied with the likes of [[Bayazid of Sylhet]], Anwar Khan of [[Baniachong]], Pahlawan of Matang and Mahmud Khan. The final [[raja]] of the ''Ita Kingdom''', Subid Narayan, lost a battle in 1610 causing [[South Sylhet]] to come under the rule of [[Afghans|Afghan chieftain]] [[Khwaja Usman]]. However, this rule was short-lived after [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] General [[Islam Khan I]]'s attack in 1612 leading to complete Mughal control of Sylhet.<ref name=proceed>{{cite book|title=The Proceedings of the All Pakistan History Conference|volume=1|chapter=A chronology of Muslim faujdars of Sylhet|publisher=Pakistan Historical Society|location=Karachi|author=[[Syed Mohammad Ali]]|pages=275–284}}</ref> |
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Sylhet became a [[Sarkar (country subdivision)|sarkar]] of the [[Bengal Subah]]. Its eight ''mahals/[[mahallah]]s'' included Pratapgarh-Panchakhanda, Bahua-Bajua, Jaintia, Habili ([[Sylhet]]), Sarail-Satra Khandal ([[North Tripura district|North Tripura]]), [[Laur Kingdom|Laur]], [[Baniachong]] and [[Badarpur, Assam|Harinagar]]. Muhammad Zaman Karori of [[Tehran]] was made the Amil of Sylhet by [[Jahangir]]. Zaman took part in [[Islam Khan I]]'s Assam expedition and was instrumental to the capture of [[Hajo]] in [[Gauhati]]. He later on became [[faujdar]] of Sylhet in 1636 by [[Shah Jahan]] and was made a [[mansabdar]] of 2,000 [[sowar]].<ref>Inayat Khan, Shah Jahan Nama, trans. A. R. Fuller, ed. W. E. Begley and Z. A. Desai (Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1990), 235.</ref> |
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During [[Aurangzeb]]'s reign in the 17th century, the [[Mughals]] benefited from the trade of slaves, oranges, timber and singing birds in the sarkar generating annual revenues of 167,000 takas.<ref name=proceed/><ref>{{cite book|author=Milton S. Sangma|title=Essays on North-east India: Presented in Memory of Professor V. Venkata Rao|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UaNQ_HLLt04C&pg=PA75|year=1994|publisher=Indus Publishing|isbn=978-81-7387-015-6|pages=75–}}</ref> Faujdars under Aurangzeb included [[Lutfullah Shirazi]], [[Isfandiyar Beg]], [[Syed Ibrahim Khan]], [[Jan Muhammad Khan]], [[Mahafata Khan]], [[Farhad Khan]], [[Sadeq Khan]], [[Inayetullah Khan]], Kartalab Khan Bijapuri, Hamid Khan, Ahmad Majeed and Karguzar Khan.<ref name=proceed/> |
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Shukurullah Khan was dismissed of his [[faujdar]]ship and replaced by Harkrishna Das in 1721. Nicknamed ''Mansur al-Mulk'' (Victor of the Nation), Das was murdered in 1723 by his own men presumed to be loyal to Shukurullah. Shukurullah returned to his post as [[faujdar]] in 1723.<ref>Ali, Syed Murtaja, Hazrat Shah Jalal and Sylheter Itihas, 66: 1988</ref> |
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===Late modern and contemporary=== |
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[[File:Tea Garden in Malini chora Sylhet Bangladesh (3).JPG|thumb|The Mulnicherra Estate is the oldest tea garden in South Asia]] |
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Sylhet came under British administration in 1765. Sylhet was strategically important for the British in their pursuit of conquering [[Northeast India]] and [[Upper Burma]]. In 1782, the first uprising in [[the subcontinent]] against British rule, the [[Muharram Rebellion]], took place in [[Sylhet Shahi Eidgah]] in which [[Robert Lindsay (Sylhet)|Robert Lindsay]], the supervisor of Sylhet, killed two of the leading rebels, the Pirzada and Hada Miah, with his own pistol. The other leader, Mada Miah was also killed in the conflict. |
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Tea trade in [[the subcontinent]] first initiated in the hills of Sylhet.<ref>Colleen Taylor Sen (2004). ''Food Culture in India''. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 26. {{ISBN|978-0-313-32487-1}}.</ref><ref name=bpedia>{{cite book|title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh|chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Tea_Industry|chapter=Tea Industry|publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref> The first commercial [[tea]] plantation in [[British India]] was the Mulnicherra Estate launched in 1857.{{citation needed|date=November 2019}} The region emerged as the centre of tea cultivation in [[Bengal]] and major export. [[Syed Abdul Majid]] pioneered the development and native involvement in the [[Agriculture in Bangladesh|agricultural]] and [[Tea production in Bangladesh|tea industry]] in [[British India]]. |
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In the anti-British [[Sepoy Mutiny]] of 1857, 300 sepoys looted the Chittagong Treasury and then took shelter with Nawab Gaus Ali Khan of [[Prithimpassa]].<ref name="sepoy">{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Rare-1857-reports-on-Bengal-uprisings/articleshow/4637780.cms|title=Rare 1857 reports on Bengal uprisings|work=The Times of India}}</ref> The treasury remained under rebel control for several days. A rebellion also took place in Latu, [[Barlekha]]. |
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Despite protests from its Bengali-majority, Sylhet was made part of the [[Chief Commissioner's Province of Assam|Chief Commissioner's Province of Assam (Northeast Frontier)]] in 1874 to facilitate Assam's commercial development.<ref>{{cite book |author=Tanweer Fazal |year=2013 |title=Minority Nationalisms in South Asia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6bGMAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA53 |publisher=Routledge |pages=53–54 |isbn=978-1-317-96647-0}}</ref> The [[Assam Bengal Railway]] was established to connect Assam and Sylhet with the port city of [[Chittagong]] and served as a lifeline for the tea industry, transporting tea to exporters in the [[Port of Chittagong]].<ref name="AlamHussain2011">{{cite book|author1=Ishrat Alam|author2=Syed Ejaz Hussain|title=The Varied Facets of History: Essays in Honour of Aniruddha Ray|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5qSbjBTDC-UC&pg=PA273|year=2011|publisher=Primus Books|isbn=978-93-80607-16-0|page=273}}</ref><ref name="Warren2011">{{cite book|author=Alan Warren|title=Burma 1942: The Road from Rangoon to Mandalay|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NE4B9qwlGQoC&pg=PA235|date=1 December 2011|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=978-1-4411-0673-5|page=235}}</ref> |
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[[File:Jaflong Sylhet.jpg|thumb|Tea garden in [[Jaflong]] hill station]] |
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Due to the size of Sylhet's [[Bengali Muslim]] majority, the [[All India Muslim League]] formed the first elected government in British Assam. |
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By the 1920s, organisations such as the Sylhet Peoples' Association and Sylhet-Bengal Reunion League mobilised public opinion demanding its incorporation into Bengal.<ref>{{cite book |author=Tanweer Fazal |year=2013 |title=Minority Nationalisms in South Asia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6bGMAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA54 |publisher=Routledge |pages=54–55 |isbn=978-1-317-96647-0}}</ref> In 1946, [[Gopinath Bordoloi]], Prime Minister of Assam, brought forward his wish to hand over Sylhet to [[East Bengal]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Daniyal|first1=Shoaib|title=With Brexit a reality, a look back at six Indian referendums (and one that never happened)|url=http://scroll.in/article/810564/with-brexit-a-reality-a-look-back-at-six-indian-referendums-and-one-that-never-happened|website=Scroll.in|publisher=Scroll|accessdate=20 November 2016}}</ref> Following a [[1947 Sylhet referendum|referendum]], almost all of Sylhet joined [[East Bengal]] in the [[Dominion of Pakistan]]. After being pleaded by a delegation led by [[Abdul Matlib Mazumdar]], [[Karimganj district|Karimganj]] was barred and joined the [[Dominion of India]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40277795}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=History – British History in depth: The Hidden Story of Partition and its Legacies|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/partition1947_01.shtml |work=BBC |access-date=20 November 2016}}</ref><ref name="qaty">{{cite web|last1=Chowdhury|first1=Dewan Nurul Anwar Husain|title=Sylhet Referendum, 1947|url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Sylhet_Referendum,_1947|website=en.banglapedia.org|publisher=Banglapedia|accessdate=20 November 2016}}</ref> |
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During the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]], many non-Bengali language printing presses were damaged and this included the [[Sylheti Nagari script]].<ref name="Banglapedia">[http://www.ebanglapedia.com/en/article.php?id=2880 Banglapedia]</ref><ref name="Archive">[https://archive.org/stream/lifeofmaulaviabd031133mbp/lifeofmaulaviabd031133mbp_djvu.txt Archive]</ref> Sylhet was home to General [[M. A. G. Osmani]], the commander-in-chief of [[Bangladesh Forces]] and Panchgaon Factory in [[Rajnagar Upazila|Rajnagar]] produced cannons under his command. The [[Battle of Sylhet]] raged between [[Pakistan Armed Forces|the Pakistani military]] and the allied forces of [[Mukti Bahini|Bangladesh]] and [[Mitro Bahini|India]] from 7 to 15 December 1971, eventually leading to Pakistani surrender and the liberation of Sylhet. |
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[[File:Shaheed Minar, Sylhet (24307516735).jpg|thumb|Central Shaheed Minar, in memory of the victims of the [[Bengali Language Movement]]]] |
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== Governance == |
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[[File:AssamProvince1936 Map.png|thumb|The Assam Province's Sylhet District contained Karimganj.]] |
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The region is partitioned between [[Bangladesh]] and [[India]]. [[Bangladesh]] governs over the majority, covering over 12,298.4 km2 of area, known as the [[Sylhet Division]]. The [[India]]n side covers just above 1,000 km2 of area and is known as the [[Karimganj district]], located in the [[Barak Valley]] in the southern part of the [[Assam]] state. |
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Historically, the entire region was part of the ''Surma Valley and Hill Districts'' Division as part of the [[Assam Province]]. Sylhet (including Karimganj) and Cachar (including Hailakandi) were two separate districts in the division. The Sylhet District was divided into 5 collectory zilas or [[mahakuma]]s; North Sylhet (modern-day [[Sylhet District]]), South Sylhet (modern-day [[Moulvibazar District]]), [[Habiganj District|Habiganj]], [[Sunamganj District|Sunamganj]] and [[Karimganj district|Karimganj]]. After the [[Partition of India]], Karimganj was also divided with the Jolodhup [[thana]] joining [[East Bengal]] and becoming a part of the [[Dominion of Pakistan]]. The Jolodhup thana later split into [[Beanibazar]] and [[Barlekha]]. |
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The [[Sylhet Division]] is one of the 8 [[bibhag]]s of Bangladesh, and is split into [[Districts of Bangladesh|zilas (districts)]] and further divided into [[upazila|upazilas (sub-districts)]]. Upazilas are further divided into [[Union parishad]]s, which are roughly divided into 9 wards. The Division hosts 19 [[Municipal corporation]]s known as [[pourashava]]s, and one city corporation in [[Sylhet City Corporation|Sylhet city]]. It also has 19 [[List of Parliamentary constituencies in Bangladesh|Parliamentary constituencies]]. The headquarters of the [[Sylhet Division]] is the city of [[Sylhet]] in [[Sylhet Sadar Upazila]], [[Sylhet District]]. |
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India's [[Assam]] state is split into five regional divisions, one of which is the [[Hills and Barak Valley Division]] which contains the Karimganj district.The divisional office lies in [[Silchar]] – also the capital of the [[Cachar district]]. The other districts of the [[Barak Valley]] are [[Karimganj district]] and [[Hailakandi district]]. Karimganj is divided into five subdivisions: [[Badarpur, Assam|Badarpur]], [[Karimganj]], [[Nilambazar]], [[Patharkandi]] and [[Ramkrishna Nagar, Karimganj|Ramkrishna Nagar]]. |
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{{hidden begin|ta1=center|border=1px #aaa solid|title=List of Subdivisions in Barak Valley}} |
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{| class="wikitable" |
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|- |
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! District||colspan="7" width="100%"| Subdivision |
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|- style="border-top: 3px solid black" |
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| rowspan="1" | [[Cachar district]] |
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| colspan="2" style="background: #eeffeb" | |
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{{div col|colwidth=15em}} |
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#[[Katigorah]] |
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#[[Lakhipur]] |
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#[[Silchar]] |
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#[[Sonai]] |
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#[[Udharbond]] |
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{{div col end}} |
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|- |
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| rowspan="1" | [[Hailakandi district]] |
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| colspan="2" style="background: #eeffeb" | |
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{{div col|colwidth=15em}} |
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#[[Algapur]] |
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#[[Hailakandi]] |
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#[[Katlicherra]] |
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#[[Lala, Assam|Lala]] |
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{{div col end}} |
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|- |
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| rowspan="1" | [[Karimganj district]] |
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| colspan="2" style="background: #eeffeb" | |
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{{div col|colwidth=15em}} |
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#[[Badarpur, Assam|Badarpur]] |
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#[[Karimganj]] |
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#[[Nilambazar]] |
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#[[Patharkandi]] |
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#[[Ramkrishna Nagar, Karimganj|Ramkrishna Nagar]] |
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{{div col end}} |
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|} |
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{{hidden end}} |
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{{hidden begin|ta1=center|border=1px #aaa solid|title=List of Upazilas in Sylhet Division}} |
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{| class="wikitable" border="1" |
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|- |
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! District||colspan="7" width="100%"| Upazila |
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|- style="border-top: 3px solid black" |
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| rowspan="1" | [[Habiganj District]] |
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| colspan="2" style="background: #eeffeb" | |
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{{div col|colwidth=15em}} |
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#[[Ajmiriganj Upazila]] |
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#[[Bahubal Upazila]] |
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#[[Baniyachong Upazila]] |
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#[[Chunarughat Upazila]] |
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#[[Habiganj Sadar Upazila]] |
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#[[Lakhai Upazila]] |
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#[[Madhabpur Upazila]] |
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#[[Nabiganj Upazila]] |
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#[[Sayestaganj Upazila]] |
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{{div col end}} |
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|- |
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| rowspan="1" | [[Moulvibazar District]] |
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| colspan="2" style="background: #eeffeb" | |
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{{div col|colwidth=15em}} |
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#[[Barlekha Upazila]] |
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#[[Juri Upazila]] |
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#[[Kamalganj Upazila]] |
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#[[Kulaura Upazila]] |
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#[[Moulvibazar Sadar Upazila]] |
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#[[Rajnagar Upazila]] |
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#[[Sreemangal Upazila]] |
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{{div col end}} |
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|- |
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| rowspan="1" | [[Sunamganj District]] |
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| colspan="2" style="background: #eeffeb" | |
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{{div col|colwidth=15em}} |
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#[[Bishwamvarpur Upazila]] |
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#[[Chhatak Upazila]] |
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#[[Dakshin Sunamganj Upazila]] |
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#[[Derai Upazila]] |
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#[[Dharamapasha Upazila]] |
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#[[Dowarabazar Upazila]] |
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#[[Jagannathpur Upazila]] |
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#[[Jamalganj Upazila]] |
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#[[Sullah Upazila]] |
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#[[Sunamganj Sadar Upazila]] |
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#[[Tahirpur Upazila]] |
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{{div col end}} |
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|- |
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| rowspan="1" | [[Sylhet District]] |
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| colspan="2" style="background: #eeffeb" | |
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{{div col|colwidth=15em}} |
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#[[Balaganj Upazila]] |
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#[[Beanibazar Upazila]] |
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#[[Bishwanath Upazila]] |
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#[[Companigonj Upazila, Sylhet|Companigonj Upazila]] |
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#[[Dakshin Surma Upazila]] |
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#[[Fenchuganj Upazila]] |
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#[[Golapganj Upazila]] |
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#[[Gowainghat Upazila]] |
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#[[Jaintiapur Upazila]] |
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#[[Kanaighat Upazila]] |
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#[[Osmani Nagar Upazila]] |
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#[[Sylhet Sadar Upazila]] |
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#[[Zakiganj Upazila]] |
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{{div col end}} |
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|} |
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{{hidden end}} |
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==Geography== |
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[[File:Kala pahar.jpg|thumb|The highest peak in the region is [[Kala pahar]] located in the Longla Ridge (Hararganj-Singla range).]] |
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Geographically the region is surrounded by hillocks (known as ''tilla''s) from all three sides except its western plain boundary with the rest of [[Bengal]]. In the south of the region ([[Habiganj District|Habiganj]], [[Moulvibazar District|Moulvibazar]] and [[Karimganj district|Karimganj]]), eight hill ranges enter the plains of Sylhet running uniformly from the west to the east. They are: Raghunandan, Dinarpur-Shatgaon, Balishira, Bhanugach-Rajkandi, Hararganj-Singla, Patharia, Pratapgarh-Duhalia and Sorrispur-Siddheswar hill ranges. At the centre of the region is also an isolated range known as the Ita Hills.<ref name=heads>{{cite book|title=Principal Heads of the History and Statistics of the Dacca Division|chapter=Sylhet District|pages=281–326|url=https://archive.org/details/principalheadsh00unkngoog/page/n294|year=1868|location=Calcutta|author=E M Lewis|publisher=Calcutta Central Press Company}}</ref> |
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The region is considered one of the most picturesque and archaeologically rich regions in [[South Asia]]. It is home to three [[national park]]s; the [[Lawachara National Park]], [[Khadim Nagar National Park]] and [[Satchari National Park]], as well as numerous smaller parks and forests such as the [[Ratargul Swamp Forest]], [[Rema-Kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary]]. Its burgeoning economy has contributed to the regional attractions of landscapes filled with fragrant orange and pineapple gardens as well as tea plantations. The region has a [[tropical monsoon climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Am'') bordering on a [[humid subtropical climate]] (''Cwa'') at higher elevations. The rainy season from April to October is hot and humid with very heavy showers and thunderstorms almost every day, whilst the short dry season from November to February is very warm and fairly clear. Nearly 80% of the annual average rainfall of {{convert|4200|mm|in|-1}} occurs between May and September.<ref>[http://weather.msn.com/monthly_averages.aspx?wealocations=wc:BGXX0010&q=Sylhet%2c+BGD+forecast:averagesm Monthly Averages for Sylhet, BGD] MSN Weather. Retrieved 25 May 2009.</ref> |
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The [[physiography]] of the region consists mainly of hill soils, encompassing a few large depressions known locally as "[[beel]]s" which can be mainly classified as [[oxbow lake]]s, caused by tectonic subsidence primarily during [[1762 Arakan earthquake|the earthquake of 1762]]. The largest [[beel]] in the region is [[Son Beel]] in Karimganj.<ref name=heads/> |
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Geologically, the region is complex having diverse sacrificial geomorphology; high topography of [[Pliocene|Plio]]-[[Miocene]] age such as the [[Khasi Hills|Khasi and Jaintia Hills]] and small hillocks along the border. At the centre there is a vast low laying flood plain of recent origin with saucer shaped depressions, locally called ''[[haor]]s''. There are many haors in the region and the largest ones include [[Hakaluki Haor|Hakaluki]], Kawadighi, [[Tanguar Haor|Tanguar]] and Hail. Available limestone deposits in different parts of the region suggest that the whole area was under the ocean in the [[Oligocene|Oligo]]-[[Miocene]]. In the last 150 years, three major earthquakes hit the city, at a magnitude of at least 7.5 on the [[Richter Scale]], the last one took place in 1918, although many people are unaware that Sylhet lies on an earthquake prone zone.<ref name="ds10Feb2006">{{cite news |last=Siddiquee |first=Iqbal |date=10 February 2006 |title=Sylhet growing as a modern urban centre |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/suppliments/2006/15thanniv/ourcities/ourcities24.htm|work=The Daily Star|access-date=25 May 2009}}</ref> |
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[[File:Nature of hakaluki haor.jpg|thumb|[[Hakaluki Haor]] is the largest [[haor]] in [[Bangladesh]].]] |
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=== Flora and fauna === |
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The region is home to the [[Asian elephant]] and the [[One-horned rhinoceros]], mostly towards the south. Tigers and leopards were once found throughout the region. Other notable fauna include the [[Sambar deer]], [[Indian hog deer]], [[Hara jerdoni|Sylhet hara]] and [[Sylhet roofed turtle]].<ref name=allen>{{cite book|title=Assam District Gazetteers|volume=2|year=1905|location=Calcutta|author=B C Allen|publisher=[[Government of Assam]]}}</ref> |
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The [[Asian elephant]] were once found in small numbers in places such as Chapghat, Bhanugach, Chamtolla, Mahram and the Raghunandan hills. More abundantly they are found near streams in Singla and Langai.<ref name=heads/> |
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==Demography== |
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[[File:Boys at Primary School - Srimangal - Sylhet Division - Bangladesh (12906116925).jpg|thumb|Bengali Muslim primary school students in [[Srimangal]].]] |
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[[File:Khasia Children-02, Srimongol, Moulvibazar, Bangladesh, (C) Biplob Rahman.jpg|thumb|A young [[Khasi people|Khasi]] boy in a remote village.]] |
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As the Sylhet region consists of the [[Divisions of Bangladesh|Bangladeshi division]] of [[Sylhet Division|Sylhet]] and the Indian valley of [[Barak Valley|Barak]], the combined population is over 13.5 million. The [[Sylhetis]] make up a large majority of the region's population. It is debated whether Sylhetis are a separate ethnic group from the [[Bengalis]] and most Sylhetis today maintain a distinct identity separate from or in addition to having a [[Bengalis|Bengali]] identity, due to linguistic differences, geographical uniqueness and historical reasons.<ref>Tanweer Fazal (2012). ''Minority Nationalisms in South Asia: 'We are with culture but without geography': locating Sylheti identity in contemporary India, Nabanipa Bhattacharjee.' pp.59–67.</ref><ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2007/may/02/yesterdaysawthepublication A community without aspirations] Zia Haider Rahman. 2 May 2007. Retrieved 7 March 2018.</ref> |
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There are also many Bengali people from the [[Chittagong Division|Chittagong]] and [[Dhaka Division]]s who have migrated to the region for employment opportunities. The [[Rohingya people|Rohingya]] population has also grown in the past few years due to the increase of [[Rohingya conflict|attacks]] by the [[Rakhine people|Rakhine]] [[Buddhists]]. In the Indian side, there is also a large [[Assamese people|Assamese]] population due to the [[Barak Valley]] being a part of the state of [[Assam]]. |
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The indigenous [[Adivasi]] population tend to live in secluded rural areas of the region primarily near the hills and tea gardens. They are made up of several ethnic groups such as the [[Bishnupriya Manipuri people|Bishnupriya Manipuri]]s, [[Khasi people|Khasi]], [[Laleng]]s, [[Tripuri people|Tripuri]]s, [[Meitei people|Meitei]]s, [[Garo people|Garo]]s, and [[Kuki people|Kuki]]s. In the nineteenth century, the British brought over indigenous peoples from other parts of [[British India]] to work as tea garden labourers such as the [[Kurmi]]s, [[Musahar]]s, [[Bauris]], [[Beens]], [[Bonaz]] and [[Bhumij]] amongst others.<ref name=bhumij>{{cite book|title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh|first=Subhash|last=Jengcham|chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Bhumij|chapter=Bhumij|publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref> |
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===Language=== |
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The official languages recognised by the [[Bangladesh]]i and [[India]]n governments are [[Bengali language|Standard Bengali]] and [[Assamese language|Assamese]] respectively. These languages are used in education. The most common spoken language is [[Sylheti language|Sylheti]], although this is considered as a dialect of Bengali to both governments. Other [[Bengali dialects]] that are spoken include the [[Bangali dialect]] (including varieties such as [[Dhakaiya Kutti]] and Sundarbani/Barishailla) as well as [[Rohingya language|Rohingya]]. The [[Adivasi]]s and tea labourers brought over during British rule also have their own native languages which they speak in addition to [[Sylheti language|Sylheti]] and [[Bengali language|Bengali]] such as [[Khasi language|Khasi]], [[Kuki language|Kuki]], [[Laleng|Laiunghtor]], [[Meitei language|Meitei]], [[Bishnupriya Manipuri language|Bishnupriya Manipuri]], [[Hajong language|Hajong]], [[Garo language|Garo]], [[Odia language|Odia]], [[Kurmi|Kurmi creole]], [[Hindi]], [[Bhumij language|Bhumij]] and [[Tripuri language|Tripuri]].<ref name=musahar>{{cite book|title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh|first=Subhash|last=Jengcham|chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Mushahar|chapter=Mushahar|publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref> |
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In [[madrasa]]s across the region, [[Arabic language|Arabic]] is taught as a second language. It is seen by [[Muslims]] as a religious language in which they can understand the theology of [[Islam]], the [[Qur'an]], [[Sunnah]] and [[Hadith]]. The [[Sylheti diaspora]] in the [[Middle East]] has further increased the number of people who can speak Arabic in the region. A majority of Sylhet's [[Muslim]] population has had some form of formal or informal education in the reading, writing and pronunciation of the [[Arabic language]] as part of their religious education. Arabic is used in many [[Muslim]] congregations such as the weekly [[Jumu'ah]] [[Salah]] in which a sermon ([[khutbah]]) is given in Arabic. Historically, after the [[Conquest of Sylhet]] when the region was incorporated into Muslim Bengal, the [[Arabic language]] was an official language used by the [[Delhi Sultanate|Delhi]] and [[Bengal Sultanate]]s in addition to [[Farsi|Persian]]. [[Urdu]] is also sometimes taught, predominantly in [[Qawmi Madrasah]]s which follow the [[Islam]]ic [[Deobandi]] model based in [[Darul Uloom Deoband]], an [[Urdu]]-speaking [[Islamic university]] based in [[India]]. |
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===Religion=== |
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[[File:যেখানে শত অসহায়ত্বের অবসান হয়, আল্লাহ-র ঘর মসজিদ৷.jpg|thumb|The ancient Rabir Bazar Jame Mosque in [[Kulaura]] was established by a woman.]] |
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[[Islam]] is the largest religion in the whole region practised by the [[Bengali Muslims]]. [[Sunni Islam]] is the largest denomination with majority following the [[Hanafi]] school of law although some also follow the [[Shafi'i]] and [[Hanbali]] [[madhhab]]s.<ref name=ourbang>{{cite web |url=http://www.ourbangla.com/islam/bd/bd1.asp |title=Islam in Bangladesh |website=OurBangla |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070219125652/http://www.ourbangla.com/islam/bd/bd1.asp |archivedate=19 February 2007 |accessdate=3 August 2016}}</ref> There are significant numbers of people who follow [[Sufism|Sufi]] ideals similar to the [[Barelvis]], the most influential is the teachings of [[Saheb Qibla Fultali|Abdul Latif]] of [[Zakiganj Upazila|Fultoli, Zakiganj]] – a descendant of [[Shah Kamal Quhafa]], the son of Burhanuddin Quhafa, one of the disciples of [[Shah Jalal]].<ref name=BDUK>{{cite web |url=http://www.surrey.ac.uk/Arts/CRONEM/SOASBangladeshi%20diaspora%20PaperDRAFT-7June2005.pdf |format=PDF |title=Bangladeshi Diaspora in the UK : Some observations on socio-culturaldynamics, religious trends and transnational politics |author=Dr David Garbin |date=17 June 2005 |publisher=University of Surrey |access-date=3 June 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100923014220/http://www.surrey.ac.uk/Arts/CRONEM/SOASBangladeshi%20diaspora%20PaperDRAFT-7June2005.pdf |archive-date=23 September 2010 }}</ref> The revivalist [[Deobandi]] movement is also popular in the region with Jamia Luthfia Anwarul Uloom Hamidnagar being a notable centre and many are part of the [[Tablighi Jamaat]]. Other Islamic institutions include the [[Sujaul Senior Fazil Madrasha]], [[Sagornal Senior Alim Madrasha]], [[Jamia Tawakkulia Renga Madrasah|Jamia Tawakkulia Renga]] and [[Faridpur Jamia Islamia Madrasah]]. [[Haji Shariatullah]]'s [[Faraizi movement]] was very popular during the British period and [[Wahhabism]] is adopted by some upper-class families.<ref>{{cite book|title=A Statistical Account of Assam|volume=2|chapter=District of Sylhet: Administrative History|year=1875|author=[[William Wilson Hunter|Hunter, William Wilson]]}}</ref> |
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There is a very small minority of [[Shia Muslims]] who gather every year during [[Ashura]] for the [[Mourning of Muharram]] processions. Places of procession include the [[Prithimpassa Family|Prithimpasha Nawab Bari]] in [[Kulaura]], home to a Shia family, as well as [[Balaganj]], [[Osmani Nagar Upazila|Osmani Nagar]] and [[Kamalganj Upazila|Rajtila]]. |
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[[Hinduism]] is the second largest religion practised by the [[Bengali Hindus]] as well as majority of the [[Bishnupriya Manipuri people|Bishnupriya Manipuri]], [[Beens]], [[Bhumij]], [[Bonaz]], [[Musahar]], [[Kurmi]], [[Laleng]]s, [[Bauris]] and [[Tripuri people|Tripuri]] population. Sylhet has the largest concentration of Hindus in Eastern Bengal and is a part of the [[Shakti Peetha]]. |
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Other minority religions include [[Christianity]] (including the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Sylhet]] and [[Sylhet Presbyterian Synod]]), [[Khasi people#Khasi mythology|Ka Niam Khasi]], [[Sanamahism]], [[Garo people#Religion|Songsarek]] as well as animism. In the early 20th century, there were over a hundred [[Marwari people|Marwari]]s from [[Rajasthan]] that were living in Sylhet, mostly as merchants and followed [[Jainism]].<ref name=allen/>{{rp|90}} |
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There was a presence of [[Sikhism]] in Sylhet after [[Guru Nanak]]'s visit in 1508 to spread the religion. [[Kahn Singh Nabha]] has stated that in memory of Nanak's visit, ''Gurdwara Sahib Sylhet'' was established.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Gurdwaras_in_Bangladesh|title=Gurdwaras in Bangladesh|publisher=Sikhi Wiki}}</ref> This Gurdwara was visited twice by [[Tegh Bahadur]] and many [[hukamnama]]s were issued to this temple by [[Guru Gobind Singh]]. In 1897, the gurdwara fell down after the [[1897 Assam earthquake|earthquake]]. Nearly all the Sikhs of Sylhet in the early 18th century were found in [[Cachar district|North Cachar]] where they used to work for the [[Assam Bengal Railway]].<ref name=cachar>{{cite book|title=Assam District Gazetteers|volume=1: Cachar|year=1905|location=Calcutta|author=B C Allen|publisher=[[Government of Assam]]|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.463827}}</ref> |
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==Culture== |
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{{Main|Culture of Sylhet}} |
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{{Quote box|title=Sribhumi|quote=<poem>মমতাবিহীন কালস্রোতে, বাঙলার রাষ্ট্রসীমা হোতে, |
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Momotābihīn kālsrōte, Banglār rāshtroshīma hote |
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নির্বাসিতা তুমি, সুন্দরী শ্রীভূমি। |
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Nirbāshita tumi, shundorī srībhūmi |
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ভারতী আপন পুণ্য হাতে, বাঙালির হৃদয়ের সাথে |
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Bhāroti āpon punno hāte, bangalir hridoyer shathe |
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বাণীমাল্য দিয়া, বাঁধে তব হিয়া |
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Banimallo diya, bandhe tobo hiya |
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সে বাঁধন চিরদিন তরে তব কাছে |
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She bāndhon chirodin tore tobo āchhe |
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বাঙলার আশীর্বাদ গাঁথা হয়ে আছে। |
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Banglār āshīrbād gānthā hoye āchhe</poem>|source=A poem on Sylhet by [[Rabindranath Tagore]].<ref name=star>{{cite news|url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-35464|title=Rabindranath in Srihatta|last=Siddiquee|first=Iqbal|date=8 May 2008|publisher=[[The Daily Star (Bangladesh)|The Daily Star]]}}</ref>}} |
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The unique culture and [[Sylheti dialect|linguistic differences]] of [[Sylhetis]] developed in part because of its long history of being separate from the rest of Bengal during the [[British Bengal|British]] and pre-[[Islam]]ic period as well as the high influx of [[Middle East]]ern and [[Central Asia]]n settlers after the arrival of [[Shah Jalal]] in 1303. |
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===Architecture=== |
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{{See also|Bengali architecture|Islamic architecture|Mughal architecture}} |
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The intense building of mosques which took place during the Sultanate era indicates the rapidity with which the locals converted to Islam. Today, mosques are present in every Muslim-inhabited village. Bengali mosques are normally be covered with several small domes and curved brick roofs decorated with [[terracotta]]. [[Ponds]] are often located beside a mosque.<ref name="Grabar1989">{{cite book|author=[[Oleg Grabar]]|title=Muqarnas: An Annual on Islamic Art and Architecture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O0NCAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA58|year=1989|publisher=Brill Archive|isbn=978-90-04-09050-7|pages=58–72}}</ref> |
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[[Faujdar]] [[Farhad Khan]] built [[Sylhet Shahi Eidgah]] in the 1660s under the reign of [[Mughal Emperor]] [[Aurangzeb]]. It stands as the largest [[eidgah]] of the region.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Ali Ahmad|journal=Journal of Assam Research Society|volume=VIH|page=26|title= Vide}}</ref> |
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In 1872, Nawab Moulvi Ali Ahmed Khan of [[Prithimpassa]] constructed [[Ali Amjad's Clock]], named after his son, in [[Sylhet City]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.daily-sun.com/printversion/details/335134/2018/09/11/Ali-Amjad%E2%80%99s-Tower-Clock|title=Ali Amjad’s Tower Clock|last=Kadir Jibon|first=Abdul|date=11 September 2018|work=Daily Sun|access-date=17 August 2019|location=Dhaka}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.banglanews24.com/index.php/tourism/news/bd/503632.details |script-title=bn:এখনও সময় জানায় আমজাদের সেই ঘড়ি|last=Alam|first=Mahabub|date=20 July 2016|work=Banglanews24.com| language=bn |access-date=18 August 2019|trans-title=Ali Amjad's clock still telling the time!}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bd-pratidin.com/editorial/2016/10/06/174851 |script-title=bn:আলী আমজাদের ঘড়ি|last=Chowdhury|first=Aftab|date=5 October 2016|work=Bangaldesh Pratidin |language=bn |access-date=18 August 2019|location=Dhaka|trans-title=The Clock of Ali Amjad}}</ref> In 1936, a bridge was constructed across the [[Surma River]] known as the [[Keane Bridge]]. These two historic landmarks are known as the ''gateway to Sylhet city''. |
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[[Assam-type architecture]] developed in Sylhet region under [[Assam Province]] during the late modern period. |
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<gallery mode="packed" caption="Architecture of Sylhet"> |
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Keane Bridge and Ali Amjad's Clock, Sylhet.jpg|[[Ali Amjad's Clock]] and [[Keane Bridge]] |
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Uchail mosque 1.jpg|[[Shankarpasha Shahi Masjid]] |
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পাগলার বড় মসজিদ,সুনামগঞ্জ,সিলেট।.JPG|[[Pagla Jame Masjid]] |
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File:Night View of Sylhet Shahi Eidgah.jpg|[[Sylhet Shahi Eidgah]] entrance |
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File:Eatopia_Restaurant,_Sylhet.jpg|Modern architecture in Sylhet |
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</gallery> |
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===Sports and games=== |
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[[File:সিলেট আন্তর্জাতিক ক্রিকেট স্টেডিয়াম.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Sylhet International Cricket Stadium]] is the largest stadium in the region. It is surrounded by hills and has a scenic view.]] |
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[[Cricket]] is the most popular sport in Sylhet. Regional cricket teams include [[Sylhet Thunder]], [[East Zone cricket team (Bangladesh)|East Zone]] and the [[Sylhet Division cricket team]]. The [[Government Boys' HS School Ground]] is a historical cricket ground in [[Karimganj]]. Football is also a common sport and the multi-use [[Saifur Rahman Stadium]] and [[Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Stadium]]s are known to host football matches. [[Beanibazar SC]] has played in the [[Bangladesh League]]. The home stadium of the football club, [[Sheikh Russel KC]], is in [[Sylhet District Stadium]]. In 1897, the [[Cachar Club]] based in [[Silchar]] developed the modern version of [[Polo]] and introduced it to the [[Englishmen]]. It was also the first ever polo club in the world.<ref>http://www.cacharclub.in</ref> Board and home games such as [[Pachisi|Fochishi]] and its modern counterpart [[Ludo (board game)|Ludo]], as well as [[Carrom Board]], Sur-Fulish, [[Kanamachi|Khanamasi]] and [[Chess]], are very popular in the region. [[Nowka Bais]] is a common traditional rowing competition during the monsoon season when rivers are filled up, and much of the land is under water. Fighting sports include [[Kabaddi]], [[Latim]] and [[Lathi khela]]. |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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{{Sylhet topics}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sylhet Region}} |
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[[Category:Sylhet Division]] |
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[[Category:Divided regions]] |
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[[Category:Historical Indian regions]] |
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[[Category:Geography of Bangladesh]] |
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[[Category:Geography of Assam]] |
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Revision as of 15:39, 22 March 2022
Sylhet
সিলেট ꠍꠤꠟꠐ সিলেট | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Countries |  Bangladesh India |
| Areas | Sylhet Division, Bangladesh Karimganj, Assam |
| Area | |
• Total | 18,738.4 km2 (7,234.9 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 334.67 m (1,098 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 13,522,872 |
| • Density | 720/km2 (1,900/sq mi) |
| (Pop. of Sylhet Division and Barak Valley) | |
| Demonym | Sylhetis |
| Time zones | UTC+6 (BST) |
| UTC+05:30 (IST) | |
| Language(s) | Sylheti, Bengali |
| Additional languages | Khasi, Dimasa, Meitei, Bishnupriya Manipuri, Garo, Tripuri, Kurmi creole, Bhumij, Hindi |
Sylhet (Sylheti: ꠍꠤꠟꠐ Silôţ, Template:Lang-bn) is a geographical, historical, and cultural region in the Indian subcontinent and comprises the Sylhet Division in Bangladesh, which includes the Surma Valley, and Karimganj district of India's Barak Valley in Assam. In 1947, when a plebiscite was held in Sylhet, the population decided to join the Pakistani province of East Bengal. However, when the Radcliffe Line was drawn up, the Karimganj was given to India by the Commission as the result of a plea from a delegation led by Abdul Matlib Mazumdar. Nihar Ranjan Roy, author of Bangalir Itihas, says that "South Assam / Northeastern Bengal or Barak Valley is the extension of the Greater Surma/Meghna Valley of Bengal in every aspect from culture to geography".[2]
Etymology and names
The name Sylhet is an anglicisation of Shilhot (শিলহট). Its origins seem to come from the Sanskrit words of শিলা śilā (meaning stone) and হট্ট haṭṭa (meaning marketplace). These words match the landscape and topography of the hilly region. The shila stones were abundant across Sylhet and King Gour Govinda is known to have used stones to guard his capital. The word changed to Shilhot due to the elision of letter-final অ ô in the Bengali language.[3] Another theory is that it was named after Princess Sheela, the eldest daughter of Raja Guhak of the Jaintia Kingdom. It is said that Sheela was once bathing in a pond and was kidnapped. After being rescued by her father Raja Guhak, Sheela started to become more religious and live a secluded life. Sheela's died at a young age, the port-area which developed around the lake, which was the largest centre in northeastern Bengal for trade, was named Sheela haat (or Sheela's marketplace) in her honour. Xuanzang of China mentions that he visited a place called Sheelachatal in the 630s in his book, the Great Tang Records on the Western Regions. The Hattanath Tales mention Sheelachatal was named after both daughters of Guhak; Sheela and Chatala. Chatala indulged herself in an unlawful relationship with one of the palace servants, leading to her being disowned and dumped in a distant island in the middle of 2000 square mile lake to the south of the kingdom.[4]
Mughal documents such as the Ain-i-Akbari referred to the region in Persian as Silhet/Silhat (سلهت). Archaic European names included Sirote and Silhat. After the British arrived in the region in the 18th century, the spelling was changed to Sylhet so that it is distinct from the name of the nearby town of Silchar. In Modern Standard Bengali, the official name is Śileṭ (সিলেট). Another less-common endonym is Siloṭ (ꠍꠤꠟꠐ/ছিলট).[5]
An alternative name which may or may not have originated from Shilahatta was Srihotto (শ্রীহট্ট). The word sri is a Sanskrit word for beauty. This name was used in Kamarupa and the other petty kingdoms. In the Bengal Sultanate's inscriptions, Srihat/Sirhat (سریحت/سرحت) can be found as an administrative "Arsah". The earliest Sultanate inscription using this name was found in Shah Jalal's dargah. Dating 1303, the inscription mentions Sikandar Khan Ghazi's Conquest of Arsah Srihat with the help of Shah Jalal, during the reign of Sultan Shamsuddin Firoz Shah.[6]
Another theory is that the word is of Semitic origin and compares it to the Hebrew word שלט shelet. According to Hebrew researchers, the word shelet is used when something is guaranteed or protected. The word shelet has been used in the Hebrew Bible to mean shield or ruler.[7] However, there is no clear evidence that the name is derived from this.
After the Islamic Conquest of Sylhet in 1303, the city colloquially became nicknamed as Jalalabad (জালালাবাদ). It is made up two words Jalal (جلال), a name of Arabic origin meaning majesty but in this case referring to Shah Jalal, and Abad (آباد), meaning settlement.[8][9][10] This colloquial name continued to be used in the Mughal period. Currently, in the Sylhet City Corporation, there exists a metropolitan thana known as the Jalalabad Thana as well an area in its 7th ward.[11]
History
Ancient and medieval
Sylhet was an expanded commercial centre inhabited by Brahmans under the realms of the Harikela and Kamarupa kingdoms of ancient Bengal and Assam. Buddhism was prevalent in the first millennium. In the early medieval period, the area was dominated by Hindu principalities under the nominal suzerainty of the Senas and Devas.[12][13] This is documented by their copper-plate charters.[14] The Mahabharata mentions the marriage of Duryodhana of the Kauravas into a family in Habiganj as well as Arjuna travelling to the Jaintia to regain his horse held captive by a princess.[15] The region was home to many petty kingdoms such as Jaintia, Laur, Gour, and later Taraf, Jagannathpur, Ita and Chandrapur. Rajnagari inscriptions suggest there was an ancient university in Panchgaon.[16]
The 14th century marked the beginning of Islamic influence in Sylhet. In 1303, Shamsuddin Firoz Shah's army defeated Gour Govinda in the Conquest of Sylhet.[17][18] The army was aided by the missionary Shah Jalal and his companions.[17] Gour was then renamed as Jalalabad (settlement of Jalal).[9] Sikandar Khan Ghazi, one of the commanders of the battle, was then made the first Muslim wazir of Sylhet.[19] He was succeeded by Haydar Ghazi.[5][20]
Sylheti Muslims began exploiting the fertile land of Sylhet for agricultural production and enjoyed relative prosperity innovating a contemporary agrarian society. The Taraf Kingdom, founded by Syed Nasiruddin, was transformed into a hub of Islamic and linguistic education. Prominent writers and poets hailing from medieval Taraf and its surrounding areas included Syed Shah Israil (Sylhet's first author), Muhammad Arshad, Syed Pir Badshah and Syed Rayhan ad-Din. The region experienced an influx of Turkic, Afghan, Arab, and Persian immigrants.[21]
Early modern
The Mughal conquests in Bengal started during the reigns of Emperors Humayun and Akbar. The Battle of Rajmahal in 1576 led to the execution of Daud Khan Karrani, ending the Karrani sultanate. During the reigns of Emperors Jahangir and Shah Jahan, Sylhet came to be known as Bengal's Wild East due to the region becoming a refuge for Afghan chieftains and other independent insurgents.[22] Khwaja Usman of Bokainagar, Mymensingh fled to Sylhet where he allied with the likes of Bayazid of Sylhet, Anwar Khan of Baniachong, Pahlawan of Matang and Mahmud Khan. The final raja of the Ita Kingdom', Subid Narayan, lost a battle in 1610 causing South Sylhet to come under the rule of Afghan chieftain Khwaja Usman. However, this rule was short-lived after Mughal General Islam Khan I's attack in 1612 leading to complete Mughal control of Sylhet.[23]
Sylhet became a sarkar of the Bengal Subah. Its eight mahals/mahallahs included Pratapgarh-Panchakhanda, Bahua-Bajua, Jaintia, Habili (Sylhet), Sarail-Satra Khandal (North Tripura), Laur, Baniachong and Harinagar. Muhammad Zaman Karori of Tehran was made the Amil of Sylhet by Jahangir. Zaman took part in Islam Khan I's Assam expedition and was instrumental to the capture of Hajo in Gauhati. He later on became faujdar of Sylhet in 1636 by Shah Jahan and was made a mansabdar of 2,000 sowar.[24]
During Aurangzeb's reign in the 17th century, the Mughals benefited from the trade of slaves, oranges, timber and singing birds in the sarkar generating annual revenues of 167,000 takas.[23][25] Faujdars under Aurangzeb included Lutfullah Shirazi, Isfandiyar Beg, Syed Ibrahim Khan, Jan Muhammad Khan, Mahafata Khan, Farhad Khan, Sadeq Khan, Inayetullah Khan, Kartalab Khan Bijapuri, Hamid Khan, Ahmad Majeed and Karguzar Khan.[23]
Shukurullah Khan was dismissed of his faujdarship and replaced by Harkrishna Das in 1721. Nicknamed Mansur al-Mulk (Victor of the Nation), Das was murdered in 1723 by his own men presumed to be loyal to Shukurullah. Shukurullah returned to his post as faujdar in 1723.[26]
Late modern and contemporary
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Sylhet came under British administration in 1765. Sylhet was strategically important for the British in their pursuit of conquering Northeast India and Upper Burma. In 1782, the first uprising in the subcontinent against British rule, the Muharram Rebellion, took place in Sylhet Shahi Eidgah in which Robert Lindsay, the supervisor of Sylhet, killed two of the leading rebels, the Pirzada and Hada Miah, with his own pistol. The other leader, Mada Miah was also killed in the conflict.
Tea trade in the subcontinent first initiated in the hills of Sylhet.[27][28] The first commercial tea plantation in British India was the Mulnicherra Estate launched in 1857.[citation needed] The region emerged as the centre of tea cultivation in Bengal and major export. Syed Abdul Majid pioneered the development and native involvement in the agricultural and tea industry in British India.
In the anti-British Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, 300 sepoys looted the Chittagong Treasury and then took shelter with Nawab Gaus Ali Khan of Prithimpassa.[29] The treasury remained under rebel control for several days. A rebellion also took place in Latu, Barlekha.
Despite protests from its Bengali-majority, Sylhet was made part of the Chief Commissioner's Province of Assam (Northeast Frontier) in 1874 to facilitate Assam's commercial development.[30] The Assam Bengal Railway was established to connect Assam and Sylhet with the port city of Chittagong and served as a lifeline for the tea industry, transporting tea to exporters in the Port of Chittagong.[31][32]
Due to the size of Sylhet's Bengali Muslim majority, the All India Muslim League formed the first elected government in British Assam.
By the 1920s, organisations such as the Sylhet Peoples' Association and Sylhet-Bengal Reunion League mobilised public opinion demanding its incorporation into Bengal.[33] In 1946, Gopinath Bordoloi, Prime Minister of Assam, brought forward his wish to hand over Sylhet to East Bengal.[34] Following a referendum, almost all of Sylhet joined East Bengal in the Dominion of Pakistan. After being pleaded by a delegation led by Abdul Matlib Mazumdar, Karimganj was barred and joined the Dominion of India.[35][36][37]
During the Bangladesh Liberation War, many non-Bengali language printing presses were damaged and this included the Sylheti Nagari script.[38][39] Sylhet was home to General M. A. G. Osmani, the commander-in-chief of Bangladesh Forces and Panchgaon Factory in Rajnagar produced cannons under his command. The Battle of Sylhet raged between the Pakistani military and the allied forces of Bangladesh and India from 7 to 15 December 1971, eventually leading to Pakistani surrender and the liberation of Sylhet.
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Governance
The region is partitioned between Bangladesh and India. Bangladesh governs over the majority, covering over 12,298.4 km2 of area, known as the Sylhet Division. The Indian side covers just above 1,000 km2 of area and is known as the Karimganj district, located in the Barak Valley in the southern part of the Assam state.
Historically, the entire region was part of the Surma Valley and Hill Districts Division as part of the Assam Province. Sylhet (including Karimganj) and Cachar (including Hailakandi) were two separate districts in the division. The Sylhet District was divided into 5 collectory zilas or mahakumas; North Sylhet (modern-day Sylhet District), South Sylhet (modern-day Moulvibazar District), Habiganj, Sunamganj and Karimganj. After the Partition of India, Karimganj was also divided with the Jolodhup thana joining East Bengal and becoming a part of the Dominion of Pakistan. The Jolodhup thana later split into Beanibazar and Barlekha.
The Sylhet Division is one of the 8 bibhags of Bangladesh, and is split into zilas (districts) and further divided into upazilas (sub-districts). Upazilas are further divided into Union parishads, which are roughly divided into 9 wards. The Division hosts 19 Municipal corporations known as pourashavas, and one city corporation in Sylhet city. It also has 19 Parliamentary constituencies. The headquarters of the Sylhet Division is the city of Sylhet in Sylhet Sadar Upazila, Sylhet District.
India's Assam state is split into five regional divisions, one of which is the Hills and Barak Valley Division which contains the Karimganj district.The divisional office lies in Silchar – also the capital of the Cachar district. The other districts of the Barak Valley are Karimganj district and Hailakandi district. Karimganj is divided into five subdivisions: Badarpur, Karimganj, Nilambazar, Patharkandi and Ramkrishna Nagar.
| District | Upazila | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Habiganj District | |||||||
| Moulvibazar District | |||||||
| Sunamganj District | |||||||
| Sylhet District | |||||||
Geography
Geographically the region is surrounded by hillocks (known as tillas) from all three sides except its western plain boundary with the rest of Bengal. In the south of the region (Habiganj, Moulvibazar and Karimganj), eight hill ranges enter the plains of Sylhet running uniformly from the west to the east. They are: Raghunandan, Dinarpur-Shatgaon, Balishira, Bhanugach-Rajkandi, Hararganj-Singla, Patharia, Pratapgarh-Duhalia and Sorrispur-Siddheswar hill ranges. At the centre of the region is also an isolated range known as the Ita Hills.[40]
The region is considered one of the most picturesque and archaeologically rich regions in South Asia. It is home to three national parks; the Lawachara National Park, Khadim Nagar National Park and Satchari National Park, as well as numerous smaller parks and forests such as the Ratargul Swamp Forest, Rema-Kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary. Its burgeoning economy has contributed to the regional attractions of landscapes filled with fragrant orange and pineapple gardens as well as tea plantations. The region has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am) bordering on a humid subtropical climate (Cwa) at higher elevations. The rainy season from April to October is hot and humid with very heavy showers and thunderstorms almost every day, whilst the short dry season from November to February is very warm and fairly clear. Nearly 80% of the annual average rainfall of 4,200 millimetres (170 in) occurs between May and September.[41]
The physiography of the region consists mainly of hill soils, encompassing a few large depressions known locally as "beels" which can be mainly classified as oxbow lakes, caused by tectonic subsidence primarily during the earthquake of 1762. The largest beel in the region is Son Beel in Karimganj.[40]
Geologically, the region is complex having diverse sacrificial geomorphology; high topography of Plio-Miocene age such as the Khasi and Jaintia Hills and small hillocks along the border. At the centre there is a vast low laying flood plain of recent origin with saucer shaped depressions, locally called haors. There are many haors in the region and the largest ones include Hakaluki, Kawadighi, Tanguar and Hail. Available limestone deposits in different parts of the region suggest that the whole area was under the ocean in the Oligo-Miocene. In the last 150 years, three major earthquakes hit the city, at a magnitude of at least 7.5 on the Richter Scale, the last one took place in 1918, although many people are unaware that Sylhet lies on an earthquake prone zone.[42]
Flora and fauna
The region is home to the Asian elephant and the One-horned rhinoceros, mostly towards the south. Tigers and leopards were once found throughout the region. Other notable fauna include the Sambar deer, Indian hog deer, Sylhet hara and Sylhet roofed turtle.[43]
The Asian elephant were once found in small numbers in places such as Chapghat, Bhanugach, Chamtolla, Mahram and the Raghunandan hills. More abundantly they are found near streams in Singla and Langai.[40]
Demography
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As the Sylhet region consists of the Bangladeshi division of Sylhet and the Indian valley of Barak, the combined population is over 13.5 million. The Sylhetis make up a large majority of the region's population. It is debated whether Sylhetis are a separate ethnic group from the Bengalis and most Sylhetis today maintain a distinct identity separate from or in addition to having a Bengali identity, due to linguistic differences, geographical uniqueness and historical reasons.[44][45]
There are also many Bengali people from the Chittagong and Dhaka Divisions who have migrated to the region for employment opportunities. The Rohingya population has also grown in the past few years due to the increase of attacks by the Rakhine Buddhists. In the Indian side, there is also a large Assamese population due to the Barak Valley being a part of the state of Assam.
The indigenous Adivasi population tend to live in secluded rural areas of the region primarily near the hills and tea gardens. They are made up of several ethnic groups such as the Bishnupriya Manipuris, Khasi, Lalengs, Tripuris, Meiteis, Garos, and Kukis. In the nineteenth century, the British brought over indigenous peoples from other parts of British India to work as tea garden labourers such as the Kurmis, Musahars, Bauris, Beens, Bonaz and Bhumij amongst others.[46]
Language
The official languages recognised by the Bangladeshi and Indian governments are Standard Bengali and Assamese respectively. These languages are used in education. The most common spoken language is Sylheti, although this is considered as a dialect of Bengali to both governments. Other Bengali dialects that are spoken include the Bangali dialect (including varieties such as Dhakaiya Kutti and Sundarbani/Barishailla) as well as Rohingya. The Adivasis and tea labourers brought over during British rule also have their own native languages which they speak in addition to Sylheti and Bengali such as Khasi, Kuki, Laiunghtor, Meitei, Bishnupriya Manipuri, Hajong, Garo, Odia, Kurmi creole, Hindi, Bhumij and Tripuri.[47]
In madrasas across the region, Arabic is taught as a second language. It is seen by Muslims as a religious language in which they can understand the theology of Islam, the Qur'an, Sunnah and Hadith. The Sylheti diaspora in the Middle East has further increased the number of people who can speak Arabic in the region. A majority of Sylhet's Muslim population has had some form of formal or informal education in the reading, writing and pronunciation of the Arabic language as part of their religious education. Arabic is used in many Muslim congregations such as the weekly Jumu'ah Salah in which a sermon (khutbah) is given in Arabic. Historically, after the Conquest of Sylhet when the region was incorporated into Muslim Bengal, the Arabic language was an official language used by the Delhi and Bengal Sultanates in addition to Persian. Urdu is also sometimes taught, predominantly in Qawmi Madrasahs which follow the Islamic Deobandi model based in Darul Uloom Deoband, an Urdu-speaking Islamic university based in India.
Religion
Islam is the largest religion in the whole region practised by the Bengali Muslims. Sunni Islam is the largest denomination with majority following the Hanafi school of law although some also follow the Shafi'i and Hanbali madhhabs.[48] There are significant numbers of people who follow Sufi ideals similar to the Barelvis, the most influential is the teachings of Abdul Latif of Fultoli, Zakiganj – a descendant of Shah Kamal Quhafa, the son of Burhanuddin Quhafa, one of the disciples of Shah Jalal.[49] The revivalist Deobandi movement is also popular in the region with Jamia Luthfia Anwarul Uloom Hamidnagar being a notable centre and many are part of the Tablighi Jamaat. Other Islamic institutions include the Sujaul Senior Fazil Madrasha, Sagornal Senior Alim Madrasha, Jamia Tawakkulia Renga and Faridpur Jamia Islamia Madrasah. Haji Shariatullah's Faraizi movement was very popular during the British period and Wahhabism is adopted by some upper-class families.[50]
There is a very small minority of Shia Muslims who gather every year during Ashura for the Mourning of Muharram processions. Places of procession include the Prithimpasha Nawab Bari in Kulaura, home to a Shia family, as well as Balaganj, Osmani Nagar and Rajtila.
Hinduism is the second largest religion practised by the Bengali Hindus as well as majority of the Bishnupriya Manipuri, Beens, Bhumij, Bonaz, Musahar, Kurmi, Lalengs, Bauris and Tripuri population. Sylhet has the largest concentration of Hindus in Eastern Bengal and is a part of the Shakti Peetha.
Other minority religions include Christianity (including the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sylhet and Sylhet Presbyterian Synod), Ka Niam Khasi, Sanamahism, Songsarek as well as animism. In the early 20th century, there were over a hundred Marwaris from Rajasthan that were living in Sylhet, mostly as merchants and followed Jainism.[43]: 90
There was a presence of Sikhism in Sylhet after Guru Nanak's visit in 1508 to spread the religion. Kahn Singh Nabha has stated that in memory of Nanak's visit, Gurdwara Sahib Sylhet was established.[51] This Gurdwara was visited twice by Tegh Bahadur and many hukamnamas were issued to this temple by Guru Gobind Singh. In 1897, the gurdwara fell down after the earthquake. Nearly all the Sikhs of Sylhet in the early 18th century were found in North Cachar where they used to work for the Assam Bengal Railway.[52]
Culture
মমতাবিহীন কালস্রোতে, বাঙলার রাষ্ট্রসীমা হোতে,
Momotābihīn kālsrōte, Banglār rāshtroshīma hote
নির্বাসিতা তুমি, সুন্দরী শ্রীভূমি।
Nirbāshita tumi, shundorī srībhūmi
ভারতী আপন পুণ্য হাতে, বাঙালির হৃদয়ের সাথে
Bhāroti āpon punno hāte, bangalir hridoyer shathe
বাণীমাল্য দিয়া, বাঁধে তব হিয়া
Banimallo diya, bandhe tobo hiya
সে বাঁধন চিরদিন তরে তব কাছে
She bāndhon chirodin tore tobo āchhe
বাঙলার আশীর্বাদ গাঁথা হয়ে আছে।
Banglār āshīrbād gānthā hoye āchhe
The unique culture and linguistic differences of Sylhetis developed in part because of its long history of being separate from the rest of Bengal during the British and pre-Islamic period as well as the high influx of Middle Eastern and Central Asian settlers after the arrival of Shah Jalal in 1303.
Architecture
The intense building of mosques which took place during the Sultanate era indicates the rapidity with which the locals converted to Islam. Today, mosques are present in every Muslim-inhabited village. Bengali mosques are normally be covered with several small domes and curved brick roofs decorated with terracotta. Ponds are often located beside a mosque.[54]
Faujdar Farhad Khan built Sylhet Shahi Eidgah in the 1660s under the reign of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. It stands as the largest eidgah of the region.[55]
In 1872, Nawab Moulvi Ali Ahmed Khan of Prithimpassa constructed Ali Amjad's Clock, named after his son, in Sylhet City.[56][57][58] In 1936, a bridge was constructed across the Surma River known as the Keane Bridge. These two historic landmarks are known as the gateway to Sylhet city.
Assam-type architecture developed in Sylhet region under Assam Province during the late modern period.
- Architecture of Sylhet
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Sylhet Shahi Eidgah entrance -
Modern architecture in Sylhet
Sports and games
Cricket is the most popular sport in Sylhet. Regional cricket teams include Sylhet Thunder, East Zone and the Sylhet Division cricket team. The Government Boys' HS School Ground is a historical cricket ground in Karimganj. Football is also a common sport and the multi-use Saifur Rahman Stadium and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Stadiums are known to host football matches. Beanibazar SC has played in the Bangladesh League. The home stadium of the football club, Sheikh Russel KC, is in Sylhet District Stadium. In 1897, the Cachar Club based in Silchar developed the modern version of Polo and introduced it to the Englishmen. It was also the first ever polo club in the world.[59] Board and home games such as Fochishi and its modern counterpart Ludo, as well as Carrom Board, Sur-Fulish, Khanamasi and Chess, are very popular in the region. Nowka Bais is a common traditional rowing competition during the monsoon season when rivers are filled up, and much of the land is under water. Fighting sports include Kabaddi, Latim and Lathi khela.
References
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