Khulna

Khulna was part of the ancient kingdoms of Vanga or Samatata. It became part of the Sena dynasty during the 12th-century reign of Ballala Sena, and formed part of the Bagri division of Bengal. The region's previous name was Jalalabad.

During the 14th century, Shamsuddin Firoz Shah was the first Muslim ruler to arrive in the city; Muslim settlements increased during the time of Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah, and many mosques and shrines were established. A Muslim saint, Khan Jahan Ali, acquired a jagir (fiefdom) with a large portion of the Khulna Division from the king of Gauḍa during the 15th century. Ali exercised the full rights of sovereignty until his death in 1459.[8]

After Ali's death, the city again became part of the Sultanate of Bengal. During the reign of Daud Khan Karrani in the 16th century, Vikramaditya (one of Karrani's chief ministers) obtained a grant in southern Bengal—including Khulna—when Karrani was fighting the Mughals. Vikramaditya established a sovereign kingdom with its capital at Iswaripur (currently in Jessore District). He was succeeded by his son, Pratapaditya, who gained preeminence over the Baro-Bhuyans and controlled southern Bengal. Vikramaditya was defeated by Man Singh I, a Hindu general of the Mughal emperor Akbar, in 1611.[9]

Khulna remained under the rule of autonomous nawabs (rulers) of Bengal until 1793, when the British East India Company abolished nizamat (local rule) and took control of the city. The city became part of Jessore District in 1842, and became the headquarters of Khulna District (the Khulna and Bagerhat subdivisions of Jessore district, the Satkhira subdivision of 24 Parganas district, and the Sundarbans) in 1882.[9] Khulna had a pouroshava (municipal council) in 1884, which became a municipal corporation in 1984.

Before 19 August 1947, Khulna district was part of undivided Bengal. Khulna was first declared part of India in 1947, and the Indian flag was flown on 15 August. Syed Mohammad Abdul Halim an official of then Bengal civil service wrote the memorandum and send it to the boundary commission to include Khulna in Pakistan, the boundary commission declared Khulna under the east Bengal province.Sher e Bangla A.K.Fazlul Haq, Hamidul Haq Chowdhur, Muslim League leaders Khan A.Sabue, Abdul Mojid Khan, Advocate Hamidul Haq Chowdhury also involved in this process.The Pakistan government awarded later syed md Abdul Halim as TQA for this but he rejected the title in support of the 1971 war. He returned to his native village Bonomalidia, Faridpur. He died in September 1999 and was buried Banani graveyard.

Pakistani Eastern Command plan for the defence of East Pakistan from 1967 to 1971 (generic representation—some unit locations not shown.

During the Bangladesh Liberation War, Pakistan Army created 314th ad hoc brigade to hold on to Khulna.[10] Pakistan Army's 93,000 troops unconditionally surrendered to the Indian Army and India's local ally Mukti Bahini on 16 December 1971.[11] This day and event is commemorated as the Bijoy Dibos (Bengali: বিজয় দিবস) in Bangladesh and Vijay Diwas in India.[12][11]

Khulna is Bangladesh's third-largest city, after Dhaka and Chittagong. In the south-western part of the country, on the Rupsha and Bhairab Rivers, it covers an area of 59.57 square kilometres (23.00 sq mi);[13] the district covers 4,394.46 square kilometres (1,696.71 sq mi). Khulna is south of Jessore and Narail, east of Satkhira, west of Bagerhat and north of the Bay of Bengal. It is part of the Ganges Delta, the world's largest river delta. The Sundarban, the world's largest mangrove forest, is in the southern part of the delta. Khulna is in the northern part of the district, and the Mayur River is the western boundary of the metropolitan area.

The city is humid during summer and pleasant in winter. Khulna has an annual average temperature of 26.3 °C (79.3 °F), with monthly average temperatures from 12.4 °C (54.3 °F) in January to 34.3 °C (93.7 °F) in May. Its annual average rainfall is 1,809.4 millimetres (71.24 in), and about 87 percent falls between May and October.

Khulna Municipal Council was founded on 12 December 1884, and became a municipal corporation in 1984 and a city corporation in 1990. Khulna City Corporation is a self-governing corporation run by an elected mayor, who governs the city's 31 wards.

Khulna Metropolitan Police (KMP) maintains law and order and regulates traffic flow in the metropolitan area. It has eight police stations: Khulna Kotwali Thana, Sonadanga Thana, Khalishpur Thana, Daulatpur Thana, Khan Jahan Ali Thana, Aarongghata Thana, Horintana Thana and Labonchora Thana. The Metropolitan Magistrate Court (CMM) adjudicates the city's legal issues. The Khulna Development Authority (KDA) plans and coordinates the city's development. Khulna Water Supply & Sewerage Authority (KWASA) parallels the KCC.

Khulna has two parliamentary constituencies: Khulna-02 (Khulna Sadar Thana and Sonadanga Thana) and Khulna-03 (Khalishpur Thana, Daulatpur Thana and part of Khan Jahan Ali Thana). Khulna District and Khulna Division are headquartered in the city.

In the 2011 census, Khulna had a population of 663,342.[4] The city and its metropolitan area had an estimated 2014 population of 1.022 million.[5] Its population density is about 19,000 inhabitants per square kilometre (49,000/sq mi). The city's literacy rate is 59.1 percent, higher than the national average of 56.5 percent.

Most of Khulna's population is Bengali, like the rest of Bangladesh. Residents of the city are known as Khulnaiya. Its population is also composed of people from neighbouring districts and from Barisal and Faridpur Divisions. Many people from Noakhali District live in the city, which also has a Bihari population.

Most residents of Khulna speak Bengali (the national language, its dialects and regional languages. English is understood by a large segment of the population, especially for business. There is a minority Urdu-speaking population, descendants of Muslims displaced from eastern India in 1947 who sought refuge in East Bengal.

Islam is Khulna's major religion, followed by 80.12 percent of the population. Other religions are Hinduism (19.11 percent), Christianity (0.67 percent) and Buddhism (0.04 percent).

Khulna is Bangladesh's third-largest economic centre. North of the Port of Mongla, it has a variety of light and heavy industry. Major sectors are jute, chemicals, fish and seafood packaging, food processing, sugar milling, power generation and shipbuilding. The KCCI regulates commerce through its Licensed Measurers’ Department (LMD) and certification, attestation and publicity departments of this area. The region has an Export Processing Zone, which has attracted foreign investment. The city is home to branch offices of a number of national companies, including M. M. Ispahani Limited, BEXIMCO, James Finlay Bangladesh, Summit Power and the Abul Khair Group. The largest companies based in the city include Khulna Shipyard, Bangladesh Cable Shilpa Limited, Bangladesh Oxygen, Platinum Jubilee Mills, Star Jute Mills and the Khulna Oxygen Company.

Bangladesh Liberation War statue at the Khulna University of Engineering & Technology

Khulna University building

Brajalal College pond

Khulna has a number of educational institutions. The most prestigious institute in Khulna is Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (KUET). The Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (KUET) is the only engineering university in Khulna, has been ranked in the 2019 edition of QS Asian University Rankings. The QS authority has mentioned that KUET has a sober objective to achieve excellence in quality education, research and progression to address the present needs of the country as well as the South-Western region to make it as the "Center of Excellence". Moreover, top graded students of the country are enrolled yearly at the undergraduate level through very competitive, transparent and standard admission tests.[20] Brajalal College, founded in 1902, is the city's oldest higher-education institution. It also has a general public university, named Khulna University which is the only public university in Bangladesh where student politics is prohibited..There is also an agriculture university, named Khulna Agricultural University (KAU) which had its first batch in 2018. The Khulna Medical College (KMC) and BL College are also in the city. North Western University, Bangladesh (NWU) and the Northern University of Business and Technology (NUBT) are private institutions.

Cricket and football are the two most popular sports in Khulna, and the Khulna Division cricket team has its home ground in the city. Khulna's Bangladesh Premier League Khulna Titans were formerly the Khulna Royal Bengals. The Khulna Abahani Club played in Bangladesh Football Premier League for several seasons before its relegation in the 2008–09 Bangladesh Premier League season.

Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium, the city's only international sports venue (hosting test cricket, One Day International and Twenty20 International matches), became Bangladesh's seventh test-cricket venue on 21 November 2012; it also hosts several Bangladesh Premier League matches.[21] Khulna District Stadium hosts other domestic sports and cultural events.

Newspapers include the Daily Purbanchal, Daily Janmabhumi, Daily Shomoyer Khobor, Daily Probah, Dakhinanchal Protidin and the English-language Daily Tribune. Khulnainfo.com is a web portal.[22] Radio Stations are Bangladesh Betar Khulna (106.5 MHz) Radio Today (89.6), Radio Foorti (88.0), and Radio Khulna FM (88.8).

The Sundarbans, in Khulna District, is home to the Bengal tiger and the world's largest virgin mangrove forest). It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[23]

The Mosque City of Bagerhat is a formerly-lost city in the suburbs of Bagerhat, about 15 miles (24 km) south-est of Khulna. It is also a World Heritage Site.[24]

Rabindra Complex is in the village of Dakkhindihi, 19 kilometres (12 mi) from Khulna. The home of Rabindranath Tagore's father-in-law, Beni Madhab Roy Chowdhury, Tagore visited it several times. The museum has been renovated and is administered by Bangladesh's Department of Archaeology.[25]

The Khulna Divisional Museum, founded in 1998, is the city's only museum. It was established by Bangladesh's Department of Archaeology.

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  Prafulla Chandra Ray
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  Sheikh Razzak Ali meeting with Queen Elizabeth II
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  Firoz Mahmud
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  Tanvir Mokammel

18. Zahidul Islam Sana, Lecturer, 🎓 University of Dhaka.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Khulna.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Khulna.

• Official Website of Khulna City Corporation
• Khulna District on Banglapedia
• Khulna Guide at Discovery Bangladesh