{{pp-move-indef}}

{{Use Bangladeshi English|date=February 2023}}

{{EngvarB|date=January 2017}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}

{{More citations needed|date=January 2017}}

{{Infobox settlement <!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->

| name = Bandarban

| native_name = {{lang|bn|বান্দরবান }}

| native_name_lang = bn

| type = [[Districts of Bangladesh|District]]

| image_skyline = {{Photomontage

|photo1a = Nilachol, Bandarban, Bangladesh (06).jpg

|photo1b = Jadipai Jharna (6830526372).jpg

|photo2a = Boga lake 01.jpg

|photo2b = Keokradong 10.jpg

|photo3a = Buddha Dhatu Zadi01.jpg

|size = 250

}}

| imagesize =

| image_alt =

| image_caption = Clockwise from top-left: Nilachol, Jadipai waterfall, Keokradong, Buddha Dhatu Zadi, Boga lake

| image_flag =

| image_seal =

| image_shield =

| nickname =

| nicknames =

| motto =

| mottoes =

| image_map = BD Bandarban District locator map.svg

| map_caption = Location of Bandarban in Bangladesh

| image_map1 = {{Maplink|frame=yes|plain=y|type=shape-inverse|frame-width=260|frame-height=300|stroke-width=1|zoom=8|frame-align=center|frame-lat=|frame-long=|title=Bandarban District}}

| map_caption1 = Expandable map of Bandarban District

| pushpin_map =

| pushpin_label_position =

| pushpin_map_caption = Location of Bandarban in Bangladesh

| coordinates = {{coord|21|48|N|92|24|E|type:adm2nd_region:BD_dim:200000_region:BD|display=inline,title}}

| coordinates_footnotes =

| subdivision_type = Country

| subdivision_name = {{flag|Bangladesh}}

| subdivision_type1 = [[Divisions of Bangladesh|Division]]

| subdivision_name1 = [[Chittagong Division]]

| established_title = As a District

| established_date = 18 April 1981

| seat_type =

| seat =

| leader_title = MP

| leader_name = [[Ushwe Sing|Bir Bahadur Ushwe Sing]]

| leader_party = [[Awami League]]

| leader_title1 = [[Deputy Commissioner (Bangladesh)|Deputy Commissioner]]

| leader_name1 = Yasmin Parvin Tibriji<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pmis.mopa.gov.bd/pmis/Forms/dclist.php |title=List of Deputy Commissioners |access-date=2 April 2021 |archive-date=8 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191108083518/http://pmis.mopa.gov.bd/pmis/Forms/dclist.php |url-status=dead }}</ref>

| leader_title2 = [[District Councils of Bangladesh|District Council Chairman]]

| leader_name2 = Kya Show Hla<ref name="bhdc" />

| leader_title3 = Chief Executive Officer

| leader_name3 = A. T. M. Kawser Hossain<ref name="bhdc">{{cite web |url=http://bhdc.gov.bd/ |title=Bandarban District Hill Council |website=Bangladesh National Portal |access-date=26 March 2021}}</ref>

| area_footnotes =

| area_total_km2 = 4479.01

| area_metro_km2 =

| area_note =

| elevation_footnotes =

| elevation_m =

| population_footnotes = <ref name="2022census-prelim" />

| population_total = 481109

| population_as_of = 2022 census

| population_rank =

| population_density_km2 = auto

| population_demonym =

| population_demonyms =

| population_note =

| timezone1 = [[Bangladesh Standard Time|BST]]

| utc_offset1 = +06:00

| postal_code_type =

| postal_code =

| website = {{URL|bandarban.gov.bd}}

| footnotes =

| blank_name_sec1 = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] (2019)

| blank_info_sec1 = 0.574<ref name="GlobalDataLab">{{Cite web|url=https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/|title=Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab|website=hdi.globaldatalab.org|language=en|access-date=18 March 2020}}</ref><br />{{color|#fc0|medium}} · [[List of regions of Bangladesh by Human Development Index|19th of 20]]

| blank_name_sec2 =

| blank_info_sec2 =

}}

'''Bandarban''' ({{lang-bn|বান্দরবান}}, [[Chakma script|Chakma]]: 𑄝𑄚𑄴𑄘𑄧𑄢𑄴𑄝𑄚𑄴) is a district in South-Eastern [[Bangladesh]], and a part of the [[Chittagong Division]].<ref name=Banglapedia>{{cite book |last=Rahman |first=Atikur |year=2012 |chapter=Bandarban District | url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Bandarban_District |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref> It is one of the three hill districts of Bangladesh and a part of the [[Chittagong Hill Tracts]], the others being [[Rangamati District]] and [[Khagrachhari District]]. Bandarban district (4,479&nbsp;km²) is not only the most remote district of the country, but also the least populous (population 388,000).<ref>{{cite book|last=Chowdhury |first=Sifatul Quader |year=2012|chapter=Chittagong Hill Tracts| url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Chittagong_Hill_Tracts |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref> There is an army contingent at [[Bandarban Cantonment]].

==Demographics==

{{Historical populations

|align=left

|percentages=pagr

|1974 |116426

|1981 |171478

|1991 |230569

|2001 |298120

|2011 |388335

|2022 |481109

|footnote= Sources:<ref name="2022census-prelim" /><ref name="census2011">{{cite web |url=http://203.112.218.65:8008/WebTestApplication/userfiles/Image/PopCenZilz2011/Zila_Bandarban.pdf|title=Bangladesh Population and Housing Census 2011 Zila Report – Bandarban|website=bbs.gov.bd|publisher=[[Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics]]}}</ref>

}}

According to the [[2022 Census of Bangladesh]], Bandarban District had 106,167 households and a population of 481,109, 40.4% of whom lived in urban areas. The population density was 107 people per km². The literacy rate (age 7 and over) was 63.4%, compared to the national average of 74.7%.<ref name="2022census-prelim">{{Cite book |title=Population and Housing Census 2022: Preliminary Report |url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Vhn2t_PbEzo5-NDGBeoFJq4XCoSzOVKg/view |date=August 2022 |publisher=Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics |pages=viii, 29, 38, 45 |isbn=978-984-35-2977-0}}</ref>

[[File:Mro men from Bandarban.jpg|thumbnail|220x220px|Tribal Mro people holding traditional pipes in their hands, Bandarban (1950)]]

As per the 2011 census, there were 215,934 Bengalis and 142,401 (36.67%) indigenous people in the district.<ref>{{Cite news |script-title=bn:৪৭ জেলায় আদিবাসীর সংখ্যা কমেছে!|url=http://archive.prothom-alo.com/detail/date/2012-08-17/news/282516 |work=Prothom Alo |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180814070003/http://archive.prothom-alo.com/detail/date/2012-08-17/news/282516 |archive-date=14 August 2018 |access-date=27 August 2018}}</ref> There are more than fifteen ethnic minorities living in the district besides the Bengalis, including: [[Marma people|Marma]], who are Arakanese descendants or [[Rakhine people|Rakhine]] and are also known as Magh, [[Mru people|Mru]] (also known as Mro or Murong), [[Bawm people|Bawm]], [[Khyang people|Khyang]], [[Tripuri people|Tripura]] (also known as Tipra or Tipperah), [[Mizo people|Lushei]] (also known as Lushai), [[Khumi people|Khumi]], [[Chak people|Chak]], [[Kuki people|Kuki]], [[Chakma people|Chakma]] and [[Tanchangya people|Tanchangya]] (also spelt as Tenchungya).[[File:Bandarban Tribal kid Sisterhood.jpg|thumb|Tribal children]]

The Mru, also known as Murong, who are famous for their music and dance. The Mru in major numbers have converted to the youngest religion in Bangladesh – ''Khrama'' (or ''Crama'') – a religion that prohibits much of their old ways. They are proposed as the original inhabitants of Bandarban.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Zaman |first=Mustafa |date=24 February 2006 |title=Mother Tongue at Stake |journal=Star Weekend Magazine |volume=5 |issue=83}}</ref><ref>[http://www.newagebd.com/2006/aug/18/aug18/xtra_inner3.html From the land of the sunrise – the New Age] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070913004047/http://www.newagebd.com/2006/aug/18/aug18/xtra_inner3.html|date=13 September 2007}}</ref>

=== Religious composition===

{{bar box

|title=Religion in Bandarban district (2011)<ref name="census2011"/>

|titlebar=#Fcd116

|left1=Religion

|right1=Percent

|float=left

|bars=

{{bar percent|[[Islam in Bangladesh|Muslims]]|green|52.68}}

{{bar percent|[[Buddhism in Bangladesh|Buddhists]]|yellow|29.52}}

{{bar percent|[[Christianity in Bangladesh|Christians]]|dodgerblue|9.78}}

{{bar percent|[[Hinduism in Bangladesh|Hindus]]|darkorange|3.42}}

{{bar percent|Others|grey|4.61}}

}}

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|+Religion in present-day Bandarban district{{Efn|Bandarban, Ruma, Lama and Nakhyngchari thanas of Chittagong Hill Tracts district}}

!Religion

!Population (1941)<ref name="1941religion">{{cite web |title=Census of India, 1941 Volume VI Bengal Province |url=https://dspace.gipe.ac.in/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10973/37365/GIPE-020591.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y }}</ref>{{rp|104–105}}

!Percentage (1941)

!Population (2011)<ref name="census2011naogaon">{{cite web |title=Bangladesh Population and Housing Census 2011 Zila Report – Naogaon |url=http://203.112.218.65:8008/WebTestApplication/userfiles/Image/PopCenZilz2011/Zila_Naogaon.pdf |website=bbs.gov.bd |publisher=[[Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics]]}}</ref>

!Percentage (2023)

|-

|Tribal{{Efn|'Tribal' was used as a blanket term for religious traditions of all tribes, and many of these tribes followed a more mainstream religion.|group=lower-alpha}} [[File:Sarna_dhorom_2014-05-30_19-54.jpg|15x15px]]

|57,793

|94.50%

|15,726

|4.05%

|-

|[[Islam in Bangladesh|Islam]] [[File:Star_and_Crescent.svg|15x15px]]

|2,595

|4.24%

|197,087

|52.68%

|-

|[[Hinduism in Bangladesh|Hinduism]] [[File:Om.svg|16x16px]]

|369

|0.60%

|13,137

|6.38%

|-

|[[Christianity in Bangladesh|Christianity]] [[File:Christian_cross.svg|21x21px]]

|0

|0.00%

|39,333

|10.13%

|-

|[[Buddhism in Bangladesh|Buddhism]] [[File:Dharma_Wheel_(2).svg|15x15px]]

| ---

| ---

|123,052

|33.69%

|-

|Others {{efn|Including [[Jainism]], [[Zoroastrianism]], [[Judaism]], [[Ad-Dharmi]]s, or not stated}}

|399

|0.65%

|0

|0.00%

|-

|'''Total Population'''

|'''61,156'''

|'''100%'''

|'''338,335'''

|'''100%'''

|}

{| {{table}}

| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''Religion'''

| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''1991'''

| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''2001'''

| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''2011'''

| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''Perc 2011'''

| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''PGR 91-11'''

|-

| Muslim||109,800||147,062||197,087||40.75%||79.5%

|-

| Hindu||8,105||10,796||13,137||4.4%||62.1%

|-

| Christian||16,769||28,546||39,333||10.1%||134.6%

|-

| Buddhist ||87,613||103,997||123,052||30.7%||40.4%

|-

| Others||8,282||7,719||15,726||4.0%||89.9%

|-

| Total||230,569||298,120||388,335||100.0%||68.4%

|}

The religious composition of the population in 2011 was 46.75% Muslim, 33.69% Buddhist, 10.13% Christian, 6.38% Hindu and 4.05% others.<ref name="district-stats">{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=District Statistics 2011: Bandarban |url=http://www.bbs.gov.bd/WebTestApplication/userfiles/Image/District%20Statistics/Bandarban.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113184808/http://www.bbs.gov.bd/WebTestApplication/userfiles/Image/District%20Statistics/Bandarban.pdf |archive-date=13 November 2014 |access-date=14 July 2014 |website=Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics}}</ref> Religious institutions is Mosque 2,070, Buddhist 900 (256 temples, 644 pagodas), [[Hindu]] temple 94 and Church 2.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://alalodulal.org/2014/04/12/hindu-population-gap/|title = Is this the Bangladesh we wanted? Analyzing the Hindu Population Gap (2001-2011)|date = 12 April 2014}}</ref>

==Tourism==

The [[India–Myanmar barrier#India-Bangladesh Sabroom-Cox Bazar railway 2|India - Myanmar Sabroom - Cox's Bazar railway]] link has been proposed to connect Sabroom - Khargachari - Rangamati - Bandarban - Satkania - Cox's Bazar and another rail link connecting Bandarban to [[Tuipang]], India.

Bandarban lies, by bus, eight hours away from [[Dhaka]], two hours from [[Chittagong]] and three hours from [[Cox's Bazar]]. It is also possible to get there by a six-hour bus ride from [[Rangamati]]. The [[Buddha Dhatu Jadi]], the Buddhist temple in Bangladesh, located in Balaghata, 4&nbsp;km from the town. This place attracts many tourists every year. This [[Theravada]] Buddhist temple is made completely in the style of South-East Asia and houses the second largest statue of the [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]] in Bangladesh. The waterfall named Shoilo Propat at Milanchari is another place tourists like to visit. The numerous Buddhist temples, known as ''kyang'' in local tongue, and bhihars in the town include the highly notable the Rajvihar (royal vihar) at Jadipara and the Ujanipara Bhihar. Bawm villages around Chimbuk, and Mru villages a little further off, are also lie within a [[day's journey]] from the town. Prantik Lake, Jibannagar and Kyachlong Lake are some more places of interest. Boat ride on the river Shangu is one of the main attractions here for tourists.

{{Blockquote|Starting on January 7, 2015 the Home Ministry has enforced the provision of "no free passes" for foreigners visiting the three Chittagong Hill Tracts districts – Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban. As a result, foreigners need to submit an application to the Home Ministry a month ahead for their scheduled visit.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Tanzimuddin Khan|first1=Mohammad|title=Securitisation of tourism in CHT |url=http://newagebd.net/128368/securitisation-of-tourism-in-cht/|access-date=8 April 2016|work=New Age|date=12 June 2015|language=en-GB}}</ref>}}

==Notable persons==

* [[Saching Prue Jerry]]

== Notes ==

{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==

{{Refbegin}}

* Lonely Planet Bangladesh (Lonely Planet Bangladesh) by Richard Plunkett, et al.

* {{cite web |url=http://www.lonelyplanet.com/bangladesh/chittagong-division/bandarban/introduction |title=Lonely Planet }}

* Identity Politics in Central Asia and the Muslim World (Library of International Relations *Vol. 13) by Willem van Schendel (Editor), Erik J. Zurcher (Editor)

* Deforestation, Environment, and Sustainable Development: A Comparative Analysis by Dhirendra K. Vajpeyi (Editor)

* Minorities, Peoples And [[Self-determination]]: Essays in Honour of Patrick Thornberry by [[Nazila Ghanea]] (Editor)

* Brauns, Claus-Dieter, "The Mrus: Peaceful Hillfolk of Bangladesh", ''National Geographic Magazine'', February 1973, Vol 143, No 1

{{Refend}}

==External links==

{{Sister project links|voy=Bandarban District|Bandarban}}

* {{Wikivoyage-inline|Bandarban}}

* [https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/3824576#map=8/22.525/92.518&layers=C Bandarban District] mapped on OpenStreetMap, retrieved 29 December 2021.

* [https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/13610971#map=8/22.525/92.518&layers=C Chittagong Hill Tracts] mapped on OpenStreetMap, retrieved 29 December 2021. (inset are its three districts: [[Khagrachari District|Khagrachari]], [[Rangamati Hill District|Rangamaai]], and Bandarban)

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080501134640/http://www.sdnpbd.org/sdi/international_days/Indigenous-people/2004/indigenous_people_bd/index.html Indigenous People of Bangladesh] (archived 2008)

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060202155531/http://pcjss.org/ Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti] (archived 2006)

{{Bandarban District}}

{{Divisions and districts of Bangladesh}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Bandarban District| ]]

[[Category:Districts of Chittagong Division]]

[[Category:Chittagong Hill Tracts conflict]]

[[Category:Tourism in Bangladesh]]