Sunamganj is one of the four districts of Sylhet division. It is located in the north-eastern part of Bangladesh, 70km west to Sylhet town. It lies on the lap of the Khasia and jaintia hills. It is surrounded by many of the other districts. On south are Habiganj and Kishoreganj districts, on east is sylhet district, on west are Netrokona and greater mymensingh and on the north are the hills. Among other geographic features of the region are the two rivers Surma and Kushiyara and numerous haors.
History
Jagannathpur lake, Sunamganj
The name Sunamganj is believed to have originated from the name of a brave Mughal soldier “ Sunamdi”. Sunamdi is the regional form of Sunam Uddin. He was rewarded with some lands in this region by the then Mughal emperor for his bravery in one of the battles. Later Sunamdi donated this land to establish a market. In recognition to his generosity it was named after him as “Sunamganj”.
However, the history of Sunamganj is far too old. It is thought that most of the parts of Sunamganj was once submerged under “kalidoho” sea. With time it was revealed from under water. Besides many geographical changes Sunamganj has also experienced a great deal of historical events.
Hason Raja
Shah Abdul Karim
Sunamganj has been the birthplace of many a renowned mystic poets and devotees of art and culture. Hason Raja, Radharaman, Durbin Shah, Shah Abdul Karim , Gias Uddin Ahmed, Mohsin Reza Chowdhury, Moniruzzaman Monir, Nirmolendu Chowdhury, Abdul Hai, Brahmanendu Das, Lalanirendu De, Bipin Paul, Khirod Sharma, Toroni Kanto De, Sadir Uddin Ahmed, Shah Abu Taher and many more legends of the country comes from this region. Besides them Sunamganj has also given the country with many war heroes who fought for freedom. Among them Nankar rebellion Sukhair is notable.
Travelling:
From Sylhet there are regular buses to Sunamganj bus station at Amberkhana . This costs about Tk 50-75 and takes 2 hours time on an average. There might be some local bus services from Dhaka to Sunamganj. If you are interested to take up a train from Dhaka then you’ll have to go Sylhet by train and then make the rest of the journey with a rent a car or local bus to reach Sunamganj.
Accommodation:
For accommodation a few hotels are available here. Besides a few governmental and non-governmental rest houses are available.
- Hotel Nur
- Hotel Palace
- Hotel Nurani
- Hotel Sarpinia
- Hotel Mizan
Along with these hotels there are a government circuit house, zilla parishod rest house and some other rest houses.
Nature
Guest birds in a haor of Sunamganj
Sunamganj is a land of natural beauty. Hills, rivers, haors, beels, trees, wildlife everything here make this place magnificent. Even lifestyle of the members of hill-tribes makes this land more interesting. The cultural diversity of the local people is mentionable in this case. Many languages and different practices are seen over the whole region. Some of these trends are due to the influence of the nearby districts habiganj, sylhet and a bit far from these two Comilla. All these add a different dimension to the natural glory of the region, making it more attractive.
Due to the presence of a huge number of wetlands Sunamganj has become one of the favorite spot for birdwatchers.
Many people, unaware of Sunamganj’s treasure, may not consider it as a tourist attraction. But you should visit to find out the unbound beauty this place offers.
kobe jabo sunamganj ahare ahare…..:-(
[edit] History
The name Sunamganj is derived from its founder, Sipahi Sunamuddin, who established a bazaar on the bank of the river Surma. In the ancient period, Sunamganj was part of the Rarh Kingdom that included Sylhet, Habiganj, Netrokona, Kishoreganj and the northern part of Mymensingh. After the conquest of Sylhet in 1303 by Muslims under the spiritual guidance of Hazrat Shah Jalal, Hazrat Shah Kamal Qahafan brought the entire Kingdom of Rarh under his control with aid of his twelve disciples and Shah Moazzamuddin, administered the entire district from Shaharpara.
In 1336 BS a devastating flood occurred as a result of a broken dam in Manipur. This flood is popularly known as ‘White Water Flood’. An earthquake on 12 June 1897 caused heavy loss of lives and establishments.
During the Nankar Rebellion of Sukhair in 1922-23 many political leaders and activists of Sunamganj were involved in the anti-British movement. The leftist movement spread over the district after the partition of 1947.
During the war of liberation there were many encounters between freedom fighters and the Pakistani Army. Sunamganj was liberated on 6 December 1971.