Ramgati Upazila: History
Ramgati is home to historic infrastructure such as the Bedar Bakhsh Mosque in Borokheri. The origin of Ramgati is said to have been from a man named Ramkrishna who had a large mercantile centre in the area known as a gôdi in the Bengali language. From this, the area came to be known as Ramer gadi (meaning Ram's godi) and was later corrupted into Ramgati. Initially, a thana was established in the Borokheri Union in 1862. In 1933, the Baluchar Islamia Senior Alim Madrasa was founded. Five years later, the Char Alexander Alia Madrasa opened.
In 1957, the government of Pakistan's Irrigation Department constructed the earthen 13.68 km Meghna Cross-Dam I across a major branch of the Meghna River which flowed between Ramgati and the Noakhali mainland. As a result, river flow was diverted westwards and by 1965, 207 km2 of land was reclaimed. In October 1960, a severe cyclonic storm affected Ramgati leading to 3,500 deaths.
During the Bangladesh War of Independence in 1971, a brawl took place in Zamindar Hat between Bengali fighters against the Pakistan Army soldiers and its collaborating Razakars leading to the death of 17 Pakistan Army soldiers and numerous Razakars. On the night of 3 December, a Mitra Bahini tank arrived to Ramgati and the Pakistani soldiers and their allies fled the area leading to the capture of Ramgati in 4 December. In 1972, the Borokheri Thana outpost was relocated to Ramgati Bazar as a consequence of river erosion. The Ramgati Thana was upgraded to an upazila (sub-district) in 1983 as part of Hussain Muhammad Ershad's decentralisation project.