Portal:Bangladesh/Did you know

Show new list

... that in December 2014 up to 350,000 litres (77,000 imp gal) of oil was spilt (pictured) after an oil tanker collided with a cargo vessel in the Sundarbans, Bangladesh?
... that Bangladesh Games, the national multi-sport event of Bangladesh, was previously known as Bangladesh Olympic Championships?
...that boats crammed with people from both India and Bangladesh, flying the flags of their respective countries, converge on the Ichamati River, the international border, to immerse the idols after Durga Puja?
... that the folk-rock band Bangla's debut album, which featured several little-known folk songs, sold over a hundred thousand copies in the first two weeks of its release?
... that a report criticizing senior Pakistani leaders—including General Abdul Hamid Khan—over their conduct during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, was long suppressed by the Pakistani government?
... that Nawab Faizunnesa was the first woman in south Asia to be awarded the title of "Nawab" by Queen Victoria, for her campaign for female education and other social issues?
... that Bangladesh is the only Test-playing nation that has not been involved in any tied international cricket matches?
... that Saida Muna Tasneem is the first woman to hold the positions of Bangladeshi high commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Liberia?

Recent items from main page DYK

... that many fans of Ayub Bachchu's Bangladeshi rock watched the film Loot Toraj in theaters just to hear the love song "Ananta Prem Tumi Dao Aamake"?
... that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman proclaimed the independence of Bangladesh from his residence in Dhaka before his arrest by the Pakistan Army?
... that Alatchakra: Circle of Desire was the first three-dimensional Bangladeshi film?
... that a Bangladeshi government agency collected ৳6.5 billion (equivalent to US$150 million in 2023) from corruption suspects, but a court ruled it was illegal?
... that television production companies working in Bhadun, Bangladesh, can hire a local woman as an extra for ৳500 (US$5.30) per day?
... that Raihan Rafi, the writer and director of the 2021 Bangladeshi film Janowar, interviewed the alleged perpetrators of the quadruple murder on which it is based?

Archive of Existing Entries

... that Bengal tigers (pictured) in the Sundarbans East Wildlife Sanctuary have the reputation of being man-eaters?
...that Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world?
...that the Bangabhaban has served as the official residence for the Viceroy of India, Governor of East Pakistan and the President of Bangladesh?
...that Bangladesh is separated from Nepal by the Chicken's Neck?
...that Independence Day Award is the highest state award given by the Government of Bangladesh?
... that Manabendra Narayan Larma was a major political leader of the Chakma people and other tribes of the Chittagong Hill Tracts and founder of the Shanti Bahini militia?
...that the University of Dhaka is the oldest and largest public university in Bangladesh?
... that Bangladesh's first Citizenship Order after it gained independence was issued by the President of Bangladesh in 1972?

...that on the banks of Shitalakshya River, in Bangladesh, there are artistic weaving centres, where once the muslin industry flourished?
... that the founding leader of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, also co-founded the East Pakistan Renaissance Society which promoted East Pakistan as an independent state?
... that in 2010, Bangladesh became only the second country after Malaysia, among the developing nations, to have successfully sequenced a plant genome?
... that Bangladesh Games, the national multi-sport event of Bangladesh, was previously known as Bangladesh Olympic Championships?
... that in 2010, Bangladesh became only the second country after Malaysia, among the developing nations, to have successfully sequenced a plant genome?
... that internet penetration in Bangladesh grew in three years from 3.2 percent of the population to 21.27 percent in 2012?
... that although socialism is one of its four fundamental principles, the Constitution of Bangladesh also allows cooperative and private ownership alongside state ownership?
... that the magnitude of the 1762 Arakan earthquake may have been as high as 8.8?"

...that Rajshahi College is the first institution in Bangladesh offering Masters degree?
...that Sholakia, a tiny town in Bangladesh, draws 300,000 Muslims for Eid prayers every year on Eid ul-Fitr?
...that scientists are concerned that the Bangali River in northern Bangladesh may merge with the Jamuna River and cause loss of 100,000 hectares of land in the region?
... that fauna of Bangladesh includes Trigona fuscobaltiata, the only species of stingless bees found in the country?
...that the Korotoa River, a small stream in Rajshahi Division of Bangladesh, was once a large and sacred river?
...that Pundravardhana was a territory, mostly in present-day Bangladesh, of the Pundras, a group of non-Aryan people, dating back to 8th-7th centuries BC?
...that the haor located in north-eastern Bangladesh, is a bowl-shaped depression with such vast stretches of turbulent water that it is thought of as a sea during a monsoon?
...that Chalan Beel, a wetland in Bangladesh, is getting vastly reduced in size with fast silting up caused by the inflow of 47 rivers and waterways?

...that Hakim Habibur Rahman, a Unani physician, collected all the Arabic, Persian and Urdu books written in Bengal for more than 40 years and published a catalog titled Sulasa Ghusala?
...that boats crammed with people from both India and Bangladesh, flying the flags of their respective countries, converge on the Ichamati River, the international border, to immerse the idols after Durga Puja?
... that the World Wide Fund for Nature rates the Mizoram-Manipur-Kachin rain forests bordering India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar (Burma) as "Globally Outstanding" in biological distinctiveness?
... that the Banglabandha inland port is aimed at increasing trade between Bangladesh and Nepal, India, and Bhutan?
... that the Mymensingh Museum in Bangladesh contains Saraswati and Vishnu statues from a Muktagacha zamindar palace, and a huge shade used during hunting from a Gouripur zamindar palace?
... that fauna of Bangladesh includes Trigona fuscobaltiata, the only species of stingless bees found in the country?
...that Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka was the scene of Mujibur Rahman's historic speech on March 7, 1971 that eventually led to Bangladesh's Liberation War
...that notated Bengali writer Rajnarayan Basu was a tutor of Asia's first Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore?
...that Mangalkavya depicted the social customs of Bengal in the middle ages?

Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium

... that Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman and Kagiso Rabada are the bowlers to take 5 wickets on ODI debut at the Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium (pictured) making this the only venue where three bowlers have achieved this record?
...that the Tagore family, with over three hundred years of history, has exercised the greatest influence on reawakened Bengali spirit?
...that former Bangladeshi footballer Kazi Salahuddin rode on a cargo plane of the Indian Air Force to reach play in a Swadhin Bangla Football Dal game in 1971?
...that in Hindu mythology, after Lakshmindara, son of Chand Sadagar, died of snakebite on his wedding night, his bride Behula accompanied his corpse on a raft floating in a river?
... that James Long, an Anglican missionary in India, was jailed for publishing the play Nil Darpan?
... that a Village Defence Party is organised on the basis of one platoon of men and one platoon of women for each village in Bangladesh?
... that while mainly charged with maintaining law and order, Bangladesh Ansars are also assigned to help in schemes promoting local development?
... that Chapal Bhaduri is, as of today, the last living female impersonator in Bengali folk theatre?

...that Mahasthangarh is the earliest urban archaeological site so far discovered in Bangladesh, dating back to at least the 3rd century B.C.?
... that the German architect Anna Heringer has contributed to sustainable architecture building hand-made schools in Bangladesh and Morocco with local craftsmen and materials?
... that Dhaka Racing is the first 3D video game developed in Bangladesh?
... that internet penetration in Bangladesh grew in three years from 3.2 percent of the population to 21.27 percent in 2012?
... that the folk-rock band Bangla's debut album, which featured several little-known folk songs, sold over a hundred thousand copies in the first two weeks of its release?
... that Bangladesh Games, the national multi-sport event of Bangladesh, was previously known as Bangladesh Olympic Championships?
... that the folk-rock band Bangla's debut album, which featured several little-known folk songs, sold over a hundred thousand copies in the first two weeks of its release?
... that Taslima Akhter's photograph "Final Embrace" became an iconic image of the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse?
... that Kazi Nazrul Islam was arrested by the Bengal Presidency police in 1923 for publishing an anti-British poem in his Dhumketu biweekly?
... that the Gol Talab pond is an official heritage site, designated by the city administration of Dhaka?

...that the Buddha Dhatu Jadi (pictured), also known as Bandarban Golden Temple, is the largest Theravada Buddhist Temple in Bandarban, with the second largest Buddha statue in Bangladesh?
...that Kallol was perhaps, the first conscious literary movement to embrace modernism in Bengali literature?
... that in 1994 Partha Pratim Majumder wrote, choreographed and staged The Nightmare which was the first mimodrama focused on child abuse to be staged in South Asia?
... that Qawmi primary education lasts six years, though it does not differentiate students by progressive grade levels?
... that each year in December, the life and works of Abedin, who painted by the Brahmaputra River, are discussed at the Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin Sangrahashala art gallery?
... that University Press Limited has won the National Book Centre Award of Bangladesh sixteen times since 1981?
... that the Maizbhandari order of Sufism in Bangladesh is each year host to reportedly the fifth-largest gathering of Muslims in the world?
...that the Sannyasi Rebellion was a series of clashes between Indian ascetics and the British East India Company during the eighteenth century in Bengal?
...that Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh was also known as Jahangir Nagar?
...that 17th-century Mughal subahdar Shaista Khan conquered Chittagong and ousted the British East India Company from Bengal over a trade dispute?
...that the Sannyasi Rebellion was a series of clashes between Indian ascetics and the British East India Company during the eighteenth century in Bengal?
...that Bengali nationalism motivated the proposal for a united, independent Bengal as an alternative to the 1947 partition of Bengal?
...that for his part in the Bangladesh Liberation War, Dutch Australian commando officer William Ouderland is the only foreign recipient of Bir Pratik, Bangladesh's fourth highest gallantry award?
...that Islam Khan was the founder of the modern city of Dhaka and the first Mughal general to subjugate Bengal?
...that the suffering caused by 19th century floods and famines in Mymensingh District, presently in Bangladesh, led to the sale of human beings for around the price of a maund of rice?

...that the ship breaking industry in Sitakunda began when a 20,000-ton ship was accidentally beached by a tidal bore in 1965?
...that the Baharistan-i-Ghaibi is the only extensive historical document accounting the wars, events and life in Bengal during the reign of Mughal emperor Jahangir?
... that the Government of Bangladesh and the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samiti promulgated the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord in 1997?
... that on December 12, 1996, India and Bangladesh signed a 30-year treaty resolving the long-standing dispute over the sharing of Ganges Waters?
... that a report criticizing senior Pakistani leaders—including General Abdul Hamid Khan—over their conduct during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, was long suppressed by the Pakistani government?
... that Bangladesh declined to renew its 1972 Friendship Treaty with India, criticizing it as unequal and an imposition of excessive Indian influence?
... that Mukti Bahini guerrillas were absorbed into the ranks of regular military officers and personnel upon the formation of Bangladesh's armed forces?
... that during Hossain Mohammad Ershad's rule, chiefs of Bangladeshi intelligence agencies were amongst his closest advisers?
... that Jhalkaribai fought with the East India Company army in disguise as Queen Laxmibai of Jhansi during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 to let the queen escape easily out of the fort?
... that the Pakistan National Congress represented Hindus and other minorities and won 28 seats in the East Bengal Legislature in 1954?

...that the Bara Katra palace in Dhaka, now dilapidated and half-destroyed, was built originally to be the residence of Mughal prince Shah Shuja?
... that Balu Sankaran received a Padma Shri award in 1972 for helping and treating injured soldiers in Safdarjang Hospital during the Bangladesh Liberation War?
... that Bhutan was one of the first countries in the world to recognize the independence of Bangladesh in 1971?
... that in retaliation for Nepal recognising Bangladesh in 1971, Pakistan broke off its ties with Nepal?
... that tea production in Bangladesh began in 1840 when the first tea garden in the Indian subcontinent was set up in the port city of Chittagong?
... that Bangladeshi nationalism was popularized by President Ziaur Rahman as a substitute for Bengali nationalism?
... that Geoffrey Davis compared the mass rapes during the Bangladesh Liberation War to the Nazi Lebensborn program?
... that the Supreme Court of Bangladesh declared the 1982 military coup led by General Hussain Muhammad Ershad to be illegal?"
... that Bangladeshi nationalism was popularized by President Ziaur Rahman as a substitute for Bengali nationalism?
... that Bangladesh officially rejected Israel's recognition of its sovereignty in 1972?
... that the arrest of Basanti Devi during the non-cooperation movement in 1921 proved to be a major impetus for widespread agitation?
... that after trying to overthrow his father twice in ten years, Bahadur Shah I resorted to being a "grudgingly obedient son"?
...that the Battle of Garibpur fought between India and Pakistan preceded the official start of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, and was the first battle where dog fighting occurred over East Pakistan?

... that Shamsunnahar Mahmud and Roquia Sakhawat Hussain (pictured) were Muslim feminists of the Bengal renaissance?
...that John Cartier was eulogized by Edmund Burke for his Governorship of Bengal despite losing a third of the population during the 1770 famine?
...that Habibullah Bahar Chowdhury, as the first Health Minister of Bangladesh, worked to eradicate mosquitoes from that country?
... that Binod Bihari Chowdhury, who died on 10 April 2013 at the age of 102, was the last surviving anti-British colonial revolutionary in South Asia?
... that Purnendu Dastidar was elected to the East Pakistan Legislative Assembly in 1954 while in jail?
... that Nawab Faizunnesa was the first woman in south Asia to be awarded the title of "Nawab" by Queen Victoria, for her campaign for female education and other social issues?
...that the modern history of aviation in Bangladesh began by meeting the needs of the Royal Indian Air Force for its World War II Burma campaign?
... that Oladevi, a deity whose worship may have originated in the Indus Valley Civilization, was honoured and feared as the goddess of cholera in rural Bengal?
...that the Pagal Panthis were a religious order who led the peasants of the Mymensingh region of Bengal in armed revolts against the British East India Company and zamindars?
... that the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samiti launched an armed struggle to achieve autonomy for the people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts?
... that the Portuguese settlement in Chittagong flourished for more than 130 years between the 16th and 17th centuries?
...that Pundravardhana was a territory, mostly in present-day Bangladesh, of the Pundras, a group of non-Aryan people, dating back to 8th-7th centuries BC?
...that the Purba Banglar Sarbahara Party, a Maoist group, took part in the Liberation War of Bangladesh but continued armed activities after the independence of the country?
... that in 2014, the government of Bangladesh removed 2,367 former communist guerrilla fighters from the official listing of freedom fighters, but this move was overruled by the High Court?
... that Nurul Alam Chowdhury was the youngest MP in the first parliament of Bangladesh?
... that inter-service cooperation was one of the most important lessons of the Bangladesh war for India?
... that future Bangladeshi prime minister Tajuddin Ahmad earned a degree in law after taking his law examination in prison?
... that India's Mohan Samant managed the largest covert naval operation in history, which resulted in the destruction of around 100,000 tonnes of Pakistani shipping during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971?
... that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman proclaimed the independence of Bangladesh from his residence in Dhaka before his arrest by the Pakistan Army?
... that Alatchakra: Circle of Desire was the first three-dimensional Bangladeshi film?
...that a fire that broke out a few days before Hiralal Sen died destroyed all his films including India's first political film?
...that Matir Moina, a Bangladeshi film by Tareque Masud, was temporarily banned by censors in Bangladesh before becoming the country's first film to compete for the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category?

...that Somapura Mahavihara, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Bangladesh, was one of the best known Buddhist viharas in South Asia since King Dharmapala erected it in the 8th century?
...that Mukh O Mukhosh (The face and the mask), directed by Abdul Jabbar Khan, is the first full-length Bengali language feature film to be produced in the erstwhile East Pakistan, which later became Bangladesh?
...that the Bangladeshi filmmaker Alamgir Kabir was imprisoned by Ayub Khan for being a leftist?
... that England cricket team's decision to rest captain Andrew Strauss and select South African-born Craig Kieswetter caused controversy during their 2009–10 tour of Bangladesh?
... that in 1937, Bangladeshi film director Khan Ataur Rahman won the first prize of Dhaka Zilla Music Competition, when he was in third grade?
... that Bangladesh football goalkeeper Biplob Bhattacharjee made his international debut at the age of 18?
... that the Bangladesh delegation to the 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games consisted of eight people, including four competitors?
... that a University of Michigan gymnast dubbed the "Golden Syque" won the first gold medal in international competition for Bangladesh and was chosen to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London?
... that about half of the blood donations in Bangladesh are one-time donations for specific patients?
... that Dhaka Racing is the first 3D video game developed in Bangladesh?
... that Shakib Al Hasan has the most five-wicket hauls for Bangladesh in Test cricket?

... that the Sixty Pillar Mosque located in Bagergat in south Bangladesh is one of the oldest mosques in the country, and is described as "historic mosque representing the Golden Era of Muslim Bengal"?
... that the characters of Che'r Cycle, a 2009 Bengali drama, included Che Guevara, Aleida March, Fidel Castro, and Raul Castro?
...that the Bangladeshi musician and composer Samar Das, who composed over 2,000 songs and was the music director of over 50 films, also played a prominent role in the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971?
... that the 14-year-old lead actress in the 1931 British Indian film The Last Kiss was brought from a brothel in Dhaka?
... that the Bangladesh women's team won the first One Day International cricket match they played?
... that Naimur Rahman took six wickets for 132 runs in the very first test Bangladesh played in 2000?
... that Bangladesh is the only Test-playing nation that has not been involved in any tied international cricket matches?
... that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the first president of Bangladesh, had an appearance in the 1974 film Sangram?
... that Raihan Rafi, the writer and director of the 2021 Bangladeshi film Janowar, interviewed the alleged perpetrators of the quadruple murder on which it is based?
...that an edition of Alpin, a supplement of the Bangladeshi newspaper Prothom Alo, was banned by the caretaker government for publishing a controversial cartoon in relation to the Islamic prophet Muhammad?
...that Asif Hossain Khan, a Commonwealth Games gold medal winner for Bangladesh at the age of just 15, was brutally beaten and seriously injured by the police of his own country?

... that in December 2014 up to 350,000 litres (77,000 imp gal) of oil was spilt (pictured) after an oil tanker collided with a cargo vessel in the Sundarbans, Bangladesh?
...that the assassins of former Bangladeshi prime minister Mansur Ali were protected by the Indemnity Act and not arrested or tried for more than 20 years?
...that the first episode of talk show Shomoyer Kotha drew media attention when a former U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh jokingly commented that Bangladeshis sometimes tend to be conspiratorial?
...that at a cost of $7.9 billion, Meghna Bridge in Bangladesh is the single largest project with Japanese assistance in the world?
...that a proposed strategic road link through Bangladesh and its capital Dhaka will reduce the travel distance between the Indian cities of Agartala and Kolkata from 1,700 km to 400 km?
... that the Banga Sena is a separatist organization which advocates formation of a separate homeland for Bengali Hindus in Bangladesh?
...that the Maitreyi Express was launched on Pohela Baisakh in 2008 to revive the railway link between India and Bangladesh that had been closed for 43 years?
... that in a major improvement in bilateral ties since it blocked Bangladesh's entry in the U.N. in 1972, China offered to help Bangladesh construct its first nuclear plant?
... that in a major improvement in bilateral relations in 2008, Pakistan proposed sharing nuclear technology with Bangladesh?
... that Farhad Reza, along with 12 other Bangladeshi cricketers, was banned from playing for 10 years after joining the Dhaka Warriors team in the unauthorised Indian Cricket League?
... that the Bangladesh Police inherits much of its structure from the police of British India and contributes to U.N. peace-keeping missions?
... that a council ward in the East End of London was renamed "Spitalfields and Banglatown" in 2001 to reflect the history of Bangladeshi immigration to that area?
...that the Armenian community of Dhaka played a major role in education in Bangladesh, and owned major landmarks like the gardens of Shahbag and Bangabhaban?
...that the Bangladesh Nazrul Sena, founded upon the philosophy of Kazi Nazrul Islam, pioneered the introduction of computer science and multimedia education for children at the kindergarten level in Bangladesh?
... that Bangladesh officially rejected Israel's recognition of its sovereignty in 1972?
... that the Supreme Court of Bangladesh declared the 1982 military coup led by General Hussain Muhammad Ershad to be illegal?
... that, despite her party's policy of secularism, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed had created an alliance with the Islamist Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish?
... that attorney Rizwana Hasan's focus on regulations for the shipbreaking industry in Bangladesh earned her the Goldman Environmental Prize?
... that attackers broke the legs and hands of journalist Tipu Sultan after he implicated a Bangladeshi MP in an arson attack on a girls' school?

...that the Korotoa River (pictured) , a small stream in Bangladesh, was once a large and sacred river?
... that several secularist writers and bloggers have been hacked to death in Bangladesh since 2013 by Islamist extremists?
... that Indian politician Anil Sarkar led efforts to provide relief and shelter for hundreds of thousands of refugees from the Bangladesh Liberation War?
... that in most of the killings of the Bangladesh Drug War the victims were shot at night, and weapons and drugs were found near the bodies?
... that Saida Muna Tasneem is the first woman to hold the positions of Bangladeshi high commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Liberia?
... that for a Murad Takla, writing "reminds me of you" might be interpreted as "mind farts in you"?
... that Raihan Rafi, the writer and director of the 2021 Bangladeshi film Janowar, interviewed the alleged perpetrators of the quadruple murder on which it is based?