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== Governance ==
== Governance ==
[[File:AssamProvince1936 Map.png|thumb|The Assam Province's Sylhet District contained Karimganj.]]
[[File:AssamProvince1936 Map.png|thumb|The Assam Province's Sylhet District contained Karimganj.]]
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.
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]].

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]].
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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==Geography==
==Geography==
[[File:Kala pahar.jpg|thumb|The highest peak in the region is [[Kala pahar]] located in the Longla Ridge (Hararganj-Singla range).]]
[[File:Kala pahar.jpg|thumb|The highest peak in the region is [[Kala pahar]] located in the Longla Ridge (Hararganj-Singla range).]]

Revision as of 22:40, 17 July 2022

Sylhet
সিলেট
ꠍꠤꠟꠐ সিলেট
Region
Bichnakandi, Gowainghat
Bichnakandi, Gowainghat
Countries Bangladesh
 India
AreasSylhet Division, Bangladesh
Karimganj, Assam
Hailakandi, Assam
Cachar, Assam
Hojai, Assam
North Tripura, Tripura
Area
 • Total
18,738.4 km2 (7,234.9 sq mi)
Elevation
[1]
334.67 m (1,098 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total
13,522,872
 • Density720/km2 (1,900/sq mi)
 (Pop. of Sylhet Division and Barak Valley)
DemonymSylhetis
Time zonesUTC+6 (BST)
UTC+05:30 (IST)
Language(s)Sylheti, Bengali
Additional languagesKhasi, 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, Karimganj district of India's Barak Valley in Assam along with Hailakandi and Cachar districts. 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

Sirote was a name used by Europeans in the 1700s

The name Sylhet is an anglicisation of Shilhot (ꠡꠤꠟꠐ). Its origins seem to come from the Sanskrit words of ꠡꠤꠟꠣ śilā (meaning stone) and ꠢꠣꠐ꠆ꠐꠣ 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 ꠎꠣꠟꠣꠟꠣꠛꠣꠖ. 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

Main article: History of Sylhet

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]

Masjid of Shah Jalal containing his shrine

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

The Mulnicherra Estate is the oldest tea garden in South Asia

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]

Tea garden in Jaflong hill station

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.

Central Shaheed Minar, in memory of the victims of the Bengali Language Movement

Governance

The Assam Province's Sylhet District contained Karimganj.

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.

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.

List of Subdivisions in Barak Valley
District Subdivision
Cachar district
  1. Katigorah
  2. Lakhipur
  3. Silchar
  4. Sonai
  5. Udharbond
Hailakandi district
  1. Algapur
  2. Hailakandi
  3. Katlicherra
  4. Lala
Karimganj district
  1. Badarpur
  2. Karimganj
  3. Nilambazar
  4. Patharkandi
  5. Ramkrishna Nagar
List of Upazilas in Sylhet Division
District Upazila
Habiganj District
  1. Ajmiriganj Upazila
  2. Bahubal Upazila
  3. Baniyachong Upazila
  4. Chunarughat Upazila
  5. Habiganj Sadar Upazila
  6. Lakhai Upazila
  7. Madhabpur Upazila
  8. Nabiganj Upazila
  9. Sayestaganj Upazila
Moulvibazar District
  1. Barlekha Upazila
  2. Juri Upazila
  3. Kamalganj Upazila
  4. Kulaura Upazila
  5. Moulvibazar Sadar Upazila
  6. Rajnagar Upazila
  7. Sreemangal Upazila
Sunamganj District
  1. Bishwamvarpur Upazila
  2. Chhatak Upazila
  3. Dakshin Sunamganj Upazila
  4. Derai Upazila
  5. Dharamapasha Upazila
  6. Dowarabazar Upazila
  7. Jagannathpur Upazila
  8. Jamalganj Upazila
  9. Sullah Upazila
  10. Sunamganj Sadar Upazila
  11. Tahirpur Upazila
Sylhet District
  1. Balaganj Upazila
  2. Beanibazar Upazila
  3. Bishwanath Upazila
  4. Companigonj Upazila
  5. Dakshin Surma Upazila
  6. Fenchuganj Upazila
  7. Golapganj Upazila
  8. Gowainghat Upazila
  9. Jaintiapur Upazila
  10. Kanaighat Upazila
  11. Osmani Nagar Upazila
  12. Sylhet Sadar Upazila
  13. Zakiganj Upazila

Geography

The highest peak in the region is Kala pahar located in the Longla Ridge (Hararganj-Singla range).

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]

Hakaluki Haor is the largest haor in Bangladesh.

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

Bengali Muslim primary school students in Srimangal.
A young Khasi boy in a remote village.

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

Religion in Sylhet[citation needed]

  Islam (55.00%)
  Hinduism (40.00%)
  Christianity (2.00%)
  Buddhism (1.00%)
  Others (2.00%)
The ancient Rabir Bazar Jame Mosque in Kulaura was established by a woman.

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

Main article: Culture of Sylhet
Sribhumi

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

A poem on Sylhet by Rabindranath Tagore.[53]

The unique culture and linguistic differences of Sylhetis is because Sylhet Region has always been an independent territory with its own culture from the time of Harikela to the Kingdom of Shah Jalal.

Architecture

See also: Bengali architecture, Islamic architecture, and Mughal 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.

Sports and games

The Sylhet International Cricket Stadium is the largest stadium in the region. It is surrounded by hills and has a scenic view.

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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