Paltan

History

The name Paltan came from a cantonment of the British East India Company.{{cite book |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Paltan

Meanwhile, in 1895, due to the growth of football among Bengalis in the Bengal Presidency, the Dhaka Sporting Association (DSA) was formed in a small tin house on an unoccupied field. It also served as the practice grounds for Dhaka's three biggest clubs at the time: Wari Club, Victoria SC, and Lakshibazar Club. The clubs divided the field into thirds according to their own preferences.

Prior to the partition of India, Paltan served as the main practice ground for the Dacca football team, which represented Dacca (present-day Dhaka).

Up to 1930, very few people lived in Paltan. Buddhadeva Bose's novella 'Moner Moto Meye' is evocative of this period; the character Bikash says “When I was 17 years old, I came to a house in Paltan. At that time there were only three houses in that area”.

Paltan has boasted numerous noted personalities and families since its beginning. The Gazis, Abedins, Chowdhurys and Roufs were among the families who settled during the early 19th century. These families played a major role in development of the city as a whole.

Geography

Paltan is located at . Its total area is 1.42 km2.

Demographics

According to the 2022 Bangladeshi census, Paltan Thana had 12,313 households and a population of 53,914. 4.91% of the population were under 5 years of age. Paltan had a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 94.22%: 95.54% for males and 92.39% for females, and a sex ratio of 135.06 males for every 100 females.

According to 2011 Census of Bangladesh, Paltan Thana has a population of 59,639 with average household size of 5.7 members, and an average literacy rate of 83.0% vs national average of 51.8% literacy.

Features

VIP Road- In Paltan area there is an inner-circular VIP road (now named as Anjuman-e- Mufidul Islam road, Shahid-Manik road), which is 120 feet wide divided by a divider. The road is named so because it's the pathway for all VIP's starting from the Prime minister and President of the country to most business tycoons. This road is Adjacent to Motijheel, the countries business capital area which includes principal branches of nearly all the banks and other financial organizations along with the corporate offices of most of the companies. The stock Exchange of Dhaka is also located at the same area.

Police Station-The model police station “Paltan Thana” is located in Paltan. People can obtain help from police at any time. There is a big police quarter inside the police station. Around 200 police force stays here, including female police.

Community Centers- Ananda Bhaban and Paltan Community Center in this area are well known community centers in the city

Mosques and other places of worship- Dhaka is known as the city of mosques. Numerous mosques are located in this area. ‘Baitul Mukarram’, the national mosque, is located in this Zone. Naya Paltan Jame masjid, Purana Paltan mosque, Purana Paltan Lane Bot-tola mosque are amongst others to be mentioned. Most of these mosques were built during the earlier decades of the last century. The Archbishop house known as the Kakrail Church, one of the oldest and biggest churches in the city, is located near Paltan.

Siddheshwari Kali Mandir, one of the major sacred places for the Hindus is also situated near this area apart from many others.

Shopping Complexes- Paltan, being one of the oldest areas in the city, boasts numerous shopping centers and markets. Baitul Mukarram, Polwel super Market, Paltan Super Market, City heart, Gazi Bhaban and many other centers are situated in the area.

Sports

Professional football is played at the National Stadium. The stadium complex also includes the Bangladesh Kabaddi Stadium and venues for boxing, field hockey, handball, gymnastics, roller skating, and volleyball.

Administration

Paltan has 2 Wards (Wards-36, 56), 13 Mahallas and 1 Police Station.

Notable residents

Starting from the British period till today numerous noted individuals have lived in the greater Paltan. Amongst them Great Political and social reformer; Philanthropist Alhajj Abdul Halim Chowdhury, Noted Industrialist Mr. Nurunnabi Gazi, Printing and Packaging pioneer Mr. Mohammed Hussain, Aga Khani industrialist Mr. Mohammad Bhai, Veteran Politician Gazi Golam Mostafa, Central Commerce Minister of Pakistan Mr. Wahiduzzaman, Lawyer Adv. Ashraf Ali Chowdhury, Adv Golam Morshed, Pakistan's Hilal-i-Quaid, first editor of Dawn (newspaper) and Central Industry Minister of Pakistan back in 1965 Altaf Husain's brother Censor Board Chairman Anwar Husain and his wife Media personality and daughter of renowned Bollywood Actor Pahari Sanyal.

Naya Paltan

There is a history of the naming of Naya Paltan. Before the 1950s this area presently named as Naya Paltan was called Ramkrishnapur. There were hardly 25 families residing in the two lanes of the area. One lane is through to Purana Paltan. The other lane was blind having less than 10 families. In 1952 (year of Language Movement of 1952) the residents (Including Dr. Abdul Halim, Md. Rajab Ali, Md. Zohad Hossain, and others) of the area (Then Ramkrishnapur) sat together in several occasions to change the name of the area. The reason was, after partition of 1947 all the original owners of the area sold their houses and migrated to India and new owners populated and developed the area. The first proposal was to change the name from Ramkrishnapur to Allahrasulpur. In subsequent meetings this proposal did not get sufficient support. The second proposal was Naya Paltan. Immediately, this proposal was seconded and supported by all.

The most respected person of the blind lane was Professor Dr. Abdul Halim. Originally the lane was six feet wide. One fine morning in the year of 1953/54 Dr. Halim sat together with the local land lords and took a resolution to widen the lane from 6 feet to 18 feet. In the next day he grounded all his five giant trees along his property line and released 6 feet of his side. Then all other land lords followed him. That is how the lane of Naya Paltan came into existence. At that time 18 feet wide lane was simply a dream.

Purana Paltan

Under British rule, the Government maintained a regiment of soldiers here and hence it got the name Purana Paltan. In this spot the Army had a firing range. During 1956 there were fewer buildings in Purana Paltan and it was surrounded by villages on the east and north, and a vast empty space to the south. Now there's hardly any open place. This is an old Dhaka Landmark. At present it is famous for publishing houses. Recently it got popularity for large number of travel agency being shifted to Purana Paltan.

References

References

1. (November 2023). "National Report". [[Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics]].
2. "Geographic coordinates of Dhaka, Bangladesh". DATEANDTIME.INFO.
3. (18 October 2024). "Bangladesh Area Code". Chahaoba.com.
4. link. (6 July 2020)
5. [https://ijcrt.org/papers/IJCRT2207661.pdf IJCRT], 7 July 2022
6. (June 2024). "Population and Housing Census 2022 - District Report: Dhaka". [[Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics]].
7. [[Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics]]. (2011). "Population & Housing Census". Bangladesh Government.
8. (15 February 2025). "BNS renamed as National Stadium". New Age.
9. (18 March 2020). "Stadium Para in the time of Corona days". Dhaka Tribune.