Gallery
Lal Dighi located in Lal Dighi Park
Lal Dighi Shahe Jame Masjid
Radkin Memorial located in Lal Dighi
Laldighi field
Laldighi field
Lal Dighi is an area located in Chittagong, Bangladesh. Its location is at the end of Jail Road in the city. Lal Dighi is spread over an area of 2.70 acres. On one side of it is Andarkilla. Around it are district council buildings and local bank branches. It belongs to Ward No. 32 of Chittagong City Corporation.
In 1761, the British East India Company gained control of Chittagong. At that time Entekali Kachari i.e. Land Tehsil Office (now Metropolitan Police Office) was painted red. It was known as “Lalkuthi” by the people. To the east of this red gate was the jail. It was also painted red and hence came to be known as “Lalghar”. These two buildings were guarded by British hillmen wearing red turbans. Many people think that this is why the buildings are named Lal Ghar and Lal Kuthi. There was a small pond next to the red house and the red hut. At the beginning of English rule in Chittagong, the pond was enlarged and turned into a lake. This Dighi is known as Lal Dighi because there were two red buildings next to it. [1]
On the north side of Lal Dighi is a mosque with the year 1939 written on its dome. The name of Taqi Ismail Muhammad is written on it. He is a landlord. His native house was Badarkhali village of Chakaria upazila. He used to spend his free time on the banks of the then open Lal Dighi. He was the guardian of Lal Dighi. Later he handed over the ownership of the Dighi to the Government Muslim High School. [2]
On the west bank of Lal Dighi was "Ricketts Ghat". The ghat was built by the zamindars of Chittagong under the command of Sir Henry Ricketts who served as the Commissioner of Chittagong from 1941 to 1948. Harvey was Collector of Chittagong in 1831-1839. He started the survey work with 32 Deputy Collectors and a few Survey Amins. In the survey, he calculated Kani in 18 Gandas instead of 20 Gandas. Everyone was so upset with him that people attacked him in Anwara Thana. He then ordered the soldiers to fire. On receiving this news the authorities sent for Rickett. [3] During the survey of 1200 Maghir, he benefited the people of Chittagong and became respected by all. After the death of Chittagong Sessions Judge Todel in the 19th century, his body was cremated on the north side of Ricketts Ghat. The pillar erected in his memory was later demolished. [4]
The entire area from the foot of the Metropolitan Police Headquarters hill to the foot of Pari Hill in the west was then known as the Municipal Maidan. In 1887, the statue of Queen Victoria was installed in this Maidan. The statue was removed during the freedom movement in the 1940s. After the completion of the North-South road at the end of the 19th century, the Municipal Maidan was divided into two parts. The eastern side is converted into a public playground. When the Muslim High School was established, the ground became the playground of the Muslim High School. This field is now known as Laldighir Maidan. [5]
In 1966, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman organized a public meeting at Lal Dighi maidan to highlight the importance of six points to the people of East Pakistan. [6]
On January 24, 1988, 24 people were killed due to firing on the orders of the then Commissioner of Chittagong Metropolitan Police at Sheikh Hasina's public meeting held at Maidan. A case was filed against the commissioner 4 years after the incident and the verdict was delivered in 2020. [7]
There is a legend in the mouth of the people of Chittagong about the incident of Lal Dighi. Once a day laborer's daughter went down to bathe in that pond. Suddenly he was chained and taken to an underwater country. Actually, it was a king's court. That king's marriage was fixed with Lal Begum. One day the king wanted to see Lal Begum but it was reported that Lal Begum had run away from her home with a slave. The king did not know this news at that time. So Mazur's daughter was brought to act as Lal Begum with Badshah. In many contexts, the king gets to know the real identity of the girl. On the orders of the angry king, everyone started looking for the real Lal Begum. Then it was known that he was in the fort of the Portuguese two hundred cubits away from the lake of Andar Qilla. The king attacked that fort. The water of Dighi turned red with many murders. The king was defeated in that battle. Everyone ran away. Still, he stayed on the banks of the Dighi with the hope of rescuing Lal Begum. [8]
On the 12th of Baishakh in 1910, Abdul Jabbar organized the first Bolikhela on the banks of Lal Dighi. Since then, every year on the 12th of Baisakh, Jobbarer Boli Khela is held on the banks of Lal Dighi. [9]
The University of Chittagong is a public research university located in Hathazari, Chattogram, Bangladesh. It was established on 18 November 1966. It is one of the oldest universities in Bangladesh. Its 2,312.32 acres (935.76 ha) campus is the largest among universities in Bangladesh. It is one of the four autonomous by the act universities of Bangladesh.
Chittagong District, officially Chattogram District, is a district located in south-eastern Bangladesh. It is a part of the Chittagong Division. The port city of Chittagong, which is the second largest city in Bangladesh, is located within this district.
Manzoor Alam Beg was a Bangladeshi photographer. He was awarded Ekushey Padak in 2007 by the Government of Bangladesh.
Abdul Gaffar Choudhury was a Bangladeshi-born British writer, journalist, columnist, political analyst and poet. He wrote the lyrics to "Amar Bhaier Rokte Rangano", a widely celebrated song commemorating the Bengali Language Movement. He was awarded Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1967, Ekushey Padak in 1983, and Independence Day Award in 2009.
Mahbub Ul Alam Choudhury was a Bangladeshi poet, journalist, and activist in the Bengali Language Movement. He wrote the first poem on the Bengali Language Movement. He was awarded Ekushey Padak in 2009 by the Government of Bangladesh.
Satkania is an upazila of Chattogram District in Chattogram Division, Bangladesh.
Pirganj is an upazila of Rangpur District in the division of Rangpur, Bangladesh. Pirganj Upazila area 411.35 km2, located in between 25°18' and 25°31' north latitudes and in between 89°08' and 89°25' east longitudes. It is bounded by Mithapukur Upazila on the north, Palashbari Upazila on the south, Ghoraghat Upazila and Nawabganj Upazila on the west, Sadullapur Upazila on the east.
Moyukh Chowdhury is a Bangladeshi poet, critic, researcher and professor. He has published poetry and research. He has drawn attention from readers since the 1980s.
Abdul Gafur Hali was a Bangladeshi folk lyricist, composer and singer of the Maizbhandari musical tradition. He was the first folk play author to use the Chittagonian language. His works are created mainly in his native language of Chittagong. He was also known by his Sufi name, Gafur Hali Maizbhanderi.
Chittagong massacre refers to a massacre of opposition activists in Chittagong on January 24 of 1988. The activists of Awami League who were rallying in the streets of Chittagong that day were attacked by the police during the regime of autocratic ruler Hussain Muhammad Ershad. The then Chittagong Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mirza Rakibul Huda ordered the police to open fire on the rally that left at least 24 people dead.
Chowdhury is a title of honour, usually hereditary, originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is an adaption from Sanskrit. During the Mughal rule, it was a title awarded to eminent people, while during British rule, the term was associated with zamindars and social leaders. The common female equivalent was Chowdhurani.
The city known in English as Chittagong has undergone changes in both its official and popular names worldwide. The choice of names stems from the Chittagonian culture, language and colonisation. A reason for the city having a number of names is due to the diverse history of Chittagong.
Chattogram City Corporation Literary Award is an annual literary award introduced by Chattogram City Corporation This award has been given in February every year since 2014 in recognition of outstanding contributions in various branches of Bengali literature at the national level.
Shireen Akhter is a Bangladeshi academic. She was the first female vice chancellor of the University of Chittagong.
Nurul Alam Chowdhury was a Bangladeshi politician, diplomat and freedom fighter who was elected twice as MP of Chittagong-4 in Jatiya Sangsad. He was also a former Bangladeshi Ambassador to Oman, and director of Rupali Bank.
Abu Solaiman Chowdhury was a Bangladeshi freedom fighter and former cabinet secretary of Bangladesh.
Mohammad Manjur Alam aka M. Manjur Alam is a Bangladeshi politician and businessman. He is the former Mayor of Chittagong and managing director of Mostafa-Hakim Group.
Sirajul Islam Chowdhury is a Jatiya Party (Ershad) politician, former student activist, social worker, and Ex Member of Parliament of Patiya Chittagong-11.
Bangladesh Television Chattogram or Bangladesh Television Chittagong, branded on-air as BTV Chittagong or BTV Chattogram, sometimes known as CTV, is a BTV-affiliated television station broadcast from Chittagong, serving southeastern Bangladesh. It is the network's first and currently the only regional television station. It was launched in 1996 and initially broadcast for one and a half hours, but the broadcast schedule significantly increased over time. It broadcasts on a full-day basis daily on both terrestrial and satellite television.
Mughal conquest of Chittagong refers to the conquest of Chittagong in 1666. On 27 January 1666 AD, the Arakan Kingdom of Mrauk U was defeated by the Mughal forces under the command of Buzurg Ummed Khan, the son of Mughal Subedar Shaista Khan.