Amtali Upazila: History
The South Tepura mouza in Haldia Union, Amtali Upazila is home to the dargah of Ghazi and Kalu. Nearby stands a brick-built enclosure (indira), and a short distance away lies the site where their disciples, known as the Twelve Awliya, are believed to have gathered. During the reign of Mughal emperor Jahangir, the Muslim population in greater Patuakhali began to increase as many Sufi pirs and awliya from Arabia, Iran and Iraq came to propagate Islam in the region. The village of Faqirkhali is home to a large reservoir and lofty hill which is understood to have been excavated and used as a khanqah by one of these missionary faqirs. The village of Gunaighar hosts the mazar (mausoleum) of Rahman Faqir, Mashakira village hosts the mazar of Kawthar Dawlat Shah Faqir and Ponra village is home to the mazar of Mainuddin Faqir.
Amtali had a historical importance in the coastal defence network of the Bengal Subah during the Mughal period. In the 17th century, the area suffered repeated raids by Magh and Portuguese pirates which started to depopulate vast areas of the lower delta, and it is known that there once existed a Portuguese fort at Khepupara, near Amtali. This prompted Mughal authorities to establish an earthen fort in the village of Patakata in Chaora Union, Amtali for protection and counterattack. It was strategically situated on the Chaora River, which once extended nearly 20 kilometres and served as an important inland waterway. Over time, the river’s course changed and its strong current diminished, leaving behind only a large earthen mound that marks the remnants of the earlier defensive fortification. It is generally thought to have been constructed under Subahdar Shaista Khan of Bengal, perhaps under the initiative of his son Buzurg Umed Khan. However, other historians alternatively attributed its establishment to the defensive initiatives undertaken by Prince Shah Shuja or Faujdar Agha Baqer Khan. During the reign of Emperor Aurangzeb, Amtali was placed under the Aurangpur pargana.
During the Konbaung conquest of Arakan in 1785, the Buddhist Maghs of Rakhine fled to Baliatali in Amtali and began to settle there. Amtali was also home to the Mians of Bighai, a Muslim taluqdar clan of wealthy fish traders that had risen to prominence. They were awarded a taluq and settled near the Bighai Haat (present-day Patuakhali Sadar). During the colonial period, a minor by the name of Mufizuddin Chowdhury had become the head of the family. The estate was misappropriated by Chowdhury's naib, Ishwar Chandra Dutta, and the remaining portions were sold off to Mr. Brown in order to cover debts. Despite these upheavals, Chowdhury's three daughters of continue to reside in their ancestral home, the Miah Bari of Bighai.
In 1853, a thana was founded by the British Raj in Gulishakhali village on the banks of the Payra. The Gulishakhali Thana administered present-day Amtali, Kalapara and Patuakhali Sadar. In 1871, it was included within the Patuakhali subdivision. The headquarters of the Gulishakhali Thana was changed to Amtali in 1901 due to river corrosion and was renamed to Amtali Thana in 1944. On 12 November 1970, Amtali was affected by the Great Cyclone, which resulted in the loss of many lives, livestock and crops. During the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, Amtali was pretty much always under the control of the Bengali freedom fighters. C.I. …