Dakshin Surma Upazila

Dakshin Surma (Bengali: দক্ষিণ সুরমা, romanized: Dokkhin Shurma), also known as South Surma, is an upazila of Sylhet District in Sylhet Division, Bangladesh.^[2][3]

Dakshin Surma দক্ষিণ সুরমা
Upazila
Lalmatia Waste Dumping Site
Country	Bangladesh
Division	Sylhet
District	Sylhet
Government
• MP (Sylhet-3)	Habibur Rahman Habib (Bangladesh Awami League)
• Upazila Chairman	Muhammad Abu Jahid
Area
• Upazila	187.66 km2 (72.46 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[1]
• Upazila	304,237
• Density	1,600/km2 (4,200/sq mi)
• Metro	41,454
Demonym	South Surman
Time zone	UTC+6 (BST)
Website	dakshinsurma.sylhet.gov.bd

History

After the Conquest of Gour in 1303, many disciples of Shah Jalal settled in the Jalalpur, Godhrail and Renga parganas in modern-day South Surma where they would preach Islam to the local people. Shah Sheikh Mir Afzal Khandakar migrated to the village of Mirargaon, Shah Kamal Pahlawan Yemeni, Shah Moinuddin and Shah Jawharuddin to Maqamduar, Sheikh Jalal Shah Milon, Shah Muhammad Taqiuddin and Shah Sheikh Fathuddin to Jalalpur, Sheikh Farid Ansari and Sheikh Shah Sikandar to Lalabazar, Makhdum Zafar Sheikh Ghaznawi to Muhammadpur (Godhrail), Khwaja Taif Salim to Silam (Godhrail), Shah Sheikh Rahimuddin Ansari to Purbobhag (Jalalpur), Syed Qutbuddin Sheikh and Syed Jalaluddin Sheikh to Bungigram (Godhrail), Sayyid Zakir Shah Fatimi Makki to Turukkhola (Renga) and Shah Sheikh Daud Qureshi to Daudpur (Renga).

Demographics

Religions in Dakshin Surma upazila (2011)[4]
Religion			Percent
Islam			96.07%
Hinduism			3.91%
Other or not stated			0.02%

According to the 2011 Bangladesh census, Dakshin Surma Upazila had 43,004 households and a population of 253,388. 60,786 (23.99%) were under 10 years of age. Dakshin Surma had a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 56.01%, compared to the national average of 51.8%, and a sex ratio of 1006 females per 1000 males. 17,064 (6.73%) lived in urban areas.^[4][5]

Administration

Jamia Tawakkulia Renga madrasa, founded in 1919.

The following are the nine unions in South Surma.^[6]

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (km2)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Kuchai 45	16.27	7,311	6,588	60.33
Jalalpur 37	31.98	13,735	13,368	52.31
Tentli 85	9.48	10,253	9,894	59.94
Daudpur 30	27.18	11,762	10,649	56.02
Baraikandi 36	9.87	7,894	7,103	64.02
Mogla Bazar 60	37.91	12,835	12,170	56.10
Mollargaon 65	9.56	10,494	9,892	62.81
Lala Bazar 50	20.10	9,982	9,714	56.99
Silam 75	25.3	12,846	12,183	59.72
Kamalbazar	6.54

(Statistics shown here is based on the Bangladesh Population Census of 2011 by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.)

Points of interest

There are many popular places to visit in Dakshin Surma. Qadipur Jame Mosque in Jalalpur, Monir Ahmad Academy, Turukkhola Islamia Balika Alim Madrasa, Hayat Mahmud Turukkhola Jame Masjid (Puran Masjid), Shah Daud (R) Jame Masjid in Daudpur, Jamia Towakkulia Renga Madrasha in Moglabazar and Chapra Beel in Tetli are popular tourist sites.

Notable people

• Hormuz Ullah Shayda, Islamic scholar researcher, professor and author
• Abdul Jalil Choudhury, Islamic scholar and member of Assam Legislative Assembly for 27 years
• Abdul Muktadir, geologist and lecturer martyred during the 1971 Dhaka University massacre
• Abdul Malik, first cardiologist of Pakistan and National Professor of Bangladesh
• Shafi Ahmed Chowdhury Qureshi, businessman, politician
• Abdul Mukit Khan, politician
• Dilwar Khan, poet
• Khandaker Abdul Malik, politician
• Mahbub Ali Khan, rear admiral and former Chief of Naval Staff (Bangladesh)
• E. A. Chowdhury, former Inspector General of Bangladesh Police and founding commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
• Habibur Rahman Habib, politician
• Md Mizanur Rahman Mizan, a Army officer and former principal of Rajendrapur Cantonment School and College and former adjudant of Rajshahi Cadet College

References

1. National Report (PDF). Population and Housing Census 2022. Vol. 1. Dhaka: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. November 2023. pp. 192, 404. ISBN 978-9844752016.
2. Sirajul Islam (2012). "Dakshin Surma Upazila". In Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
3. এক নজরে দক্ষিণ সুরমা [South Surma at a glance]. Dakshin Surma Upazila (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2017-02-16. Retrieved 2016-06-04.
4. "Bangladesh Population and Housing Census 2011 Zila Report – Sylhet" (PDF). bbs.gov.bd. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.
5. "Community Tables: Sylhet district" (PDF). bbs.gov.bd. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. 2011.
6. "Dakshin Surma Upazila". Banglapedia. Retrieved 2018-10-01.

24°49′10″N 91°52′35″E