Madarganj Upazila: History
In 1760, when the entire Bengali population was suffering under British Raj and widespread chaos engulfed the political arena, the Bengali throne was controlled by The British Ruler, at this very time, the Sannyasis (ascetics) started a rebellion which initiated the Great Bengal famine aka 'Chhiattar Manbantar.' At such a time, the Fakirs (Sufi ascetics) left their spiritual practices to protect the people of Bengal from the English. Their main camp was in Makhnopur, Gorakhpur district of Nepal. They came to this land and established their camps at Mahasthangarh in Bogura and the remote island of Daokoba in the Mymensingh district. The Daokoba River was a branch of the Brahmaputra. Today, it's known as the Jamuna River. At that time, the present-day flowing Jamuna River did not exist. In 1778, English surveyor Mr. Renel created a map where the name 'Jamuna' was absent, but the names of the Brahmaputra and the Daokoba River were present. The Fakirs started their secret activities in this remote island. At that time, a person named Shah Madar, a preacher, joined their group. He came to this country from Syria to preach religion. His full name was Seyyad Badruddin Kuthub-ur-Madar Shah. Shah Madar directly participated in the Fakir movement alongside Majnu Shah, the leader of the rebellion. Around 1763, after Shah Madar arrived at this remote island, the Fakirs accepted him as their disciple, and they became known as the Madariya community. In 1772, during the rainy season, the Fakirs and ascetics created extensive unrest and riots in various villages of Bogura and Mymensingh districts, looting the belongings of farmers, creating a terrifying situation in the country. When the ascetic rebellion was somewhat subdued, in 1815, the then Magistrate of Mymensingh district, Mr. Year, appointed 13 watchmen to enforce law and government orders in Madarganj area. After the establishment of Jamalpur district in 1845, a police outpost was set up in Madarganj in 1882. After 24 years of the outpost's establishment, on June 15, 1906, in the Eastern Bengal Gazette, Madarganj Police Outpost was converted into a full-fledged police station. Since then, Madarganj has been the name of a police station. Currently, it is the name of the upazila.