A. Naming:

The name 'Chapainawabganj' is recent. Earlier this area was known as 'Nawabganj'. It is known about the naming of Chapainawabganj that during the pre-British period this region was the abode of the Nawabs of Murshidabad And its location was in Daudpur mouza of the present Sadar upazila. The place was named Nawabganj because the Nawabs used to come here to hunt with their pots, allies and councils. It is said that the place where Nawab Sarfaraz Khan (1839-40 AD) of Bengal-Bihar-Orissa once came hunting and encamped later became known as Nawabganj. However, according to most researchers, Nawabganj was renamed during the reign of Nawab Alivardi Khan (1740-56 AD).

In the first and middle of the eighteenth century, people from West Bengal came in large numbers to settle in the area for fear of the Bargis, and the place became a busy town. Over time, the name of Nawabganj spread around. Nawabganj was then known as 'Chapainawabganj' as its post office was located in the village of Chapai. Historically there is no accurate information on the naming of this ‘chapai’. However, there are two rumors in this regard: -

1. There is a village called Maheshpur 5/6 miles away from the present Nawabganj town. During the Nawab's reign, a beautiful woman named 'Champarani' or 'Champabai' lived in this village. The fame of his dance spread widely in the area and he became the favorite of the Nawabs. Many people think that the name of this place is 'Chapai' after her.

2. There is another common way of naming it 'Chapai' - this region was the residence of King Lakhinder. The capital of Lakhinder was Champak. But there is considerable disagreement as to where the actual location of this Champak city was. However, in Nawabganj district, Chasai, Chandpur, Behula village and Behula river are found. Although the Behula River now flows into Maldah district, Chapai was under Maldah district in the pre-partition period. Historian Akshay Kumar Maitreya (1861-1930 AD) thinks that Behula took her husband on a raft and floated upstream. Linguist Dr. Muhammad Shahidullah (1885-1969 AD) described in the first volume of book 'Bangla Sahityer Kotha' the enemies of Lausanne, entered Gaur through Jamutinagar.

Jambaria in the present Bholahat upazila was formerly known as Jamutinagar. Based on this, some researchers have identified Chapai as Champaknagar, the house of in-law of Behula, and have suggested that the name Chapai originates from the name Champak.

B. Ancient Chapainawabganj (from prehistoric times to 1204 AD):

Historians and geographers have described Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Naogaon, Natore, Bogra, Rangpur, Dinajpur and parts of Malda and Murshidabad in West Bengal and the whole region including Darjeeling and Kochbihar as Barind. Another reason why this area is considered to be the oldest region of Bangladesh is that the most ancient antiquities and antiquities have been found in the Barind region. And the history of Chapainawabganj region is associated with the history of Barind land. At one time the lion's share of North Bengal belonged to Pundravardhana. It is believed that this Pundravardhana later became known as Gaur. According to the traveler Ibn Battuta, the city was situated somewhere between the Ganges and the Karatoya rivers. Of course, there is no end to the legends about the kingdom of Gaur. It is known from the descriptions given in the texts of the Jains of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries that Lakshmanavati of Malda district belonged to Gaur. Gaur is mentioned in Bhavishyapurana or Trikandashesh as belonging to Pundra or Barindra. The first mention of Panchagaur is found in the book 'Brajatarangini' and later in many books Panchagaur is mentioned. According to historians, this Panchagaur is made up of Gaur, Saraswat, Kanauj, Mithila and Utkal. At one time Murshidabad, Birbhum, parts of Burdwan and Maldah belonged to Gaur. In this regard, scholars consider Nawabganj as a part of Gaur. Chapainawabganj was included in his kingdom as part of Gaur during the reign of Gaur king Shashanka (603-637 AD). After the death of Shashanka, the kingdom of Gaur passed under Emperor Harshavardhana and his ally Kamrupraj Bhaskaravarma. After the death of Harshavardhana, the continuous onslaught of external enemies ushered in a century of dark and chaotic life in the state and social life of Gaur called 'Matsyanyaya'. In the middle of the eighth century, the era of Matsyanyaya in the kingdom of Gaur came to an end with the ascension to power of the first Pala king Gopal (c. 650-60 AD). Pala rule in Bengal lasted for about three centuries. Later, the Sen dynasty, who came from Karnataka and lived in the Radha region, took over the throne of Gaur.

C. Chapainawabganj during the Muslim rule (1204-1757 AD):

Ikhtiyaruddin Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji, a fortune-seeking Turkish general, conquered Nadia in 1204 AD. This marked the beginning of Muslim rule in Bengal. During the Muslim period, the city of Gaur came to be known as Lakhnauti (Lakshnavati). During the reign of Ilyas Shahi dynasty, the entire Bengali-speaking territory came under a single state called 'Bangala'. However, the golden age of the history of Gaur or Bengal is considered to be the reign of Hussain Shahi dynasty. And naturally Chapainawabganj district as the foothills of Gaur then achieved unimaginable material prosperity. During the reign of Sultan Alauddin Hossain Shah (1493-1519 AD), the greatest king of medieval Bengal, Chapainawabganj reached its highest peak of glory. And the famous chhoto Sonamasjid of Gaur still survives as a witness of that glory. After the conquest of Bengal by the Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1576 AD:, most of North and West Bengal, including Chapainawabganj, became part of the Mughal Empire. In some areas of East and South Bengal, the Baro Bhuiyans then formed an anti-Mughal resistance. However, among the Mughal subahdars, Prince Muhammad Sujar (1631-59 AD) has several notables in Chapainawabganj. The remains of his Kachari house are in Firozpur of Shibganj upazila. During his time Hazrat Shah Neyamtullah (R) came here to spread Islam in the eastern part of Gaur. Subaddar Shuja greeted him with utmost respect. Later Shah Neyamtullah established a permanent abode at Ferozpur on the outskirts of Gaur.

The Mughal Empire weakened after the reign of Emperor Aurangzeb (1658-1707 AD) and since then it has enjoyed the status of an independent political entity under the Bengal Nawabs. During the reign of Nawab Murshid Quli Khan (1717-1727 AD) the capital of Bengal was shifted from Dhaka to Murshidabad which is closer to Chapainawabganj in terms of geographical distance. As mentioned earlier, during the Nawabi period, the Chapainawabganj area became well-known among the aristocracy of Murshidabad as the hunting ground of the Nawabs and the name 'Nawabganj' gained popularity at that time.

D. British Era (1757-1947):

The defeat of Nawab Sirajuddaula by the British East India Company led by Robert Clive at the Battle of Palashi in 1757 sowed the seeds of British colonial rule in Bengal and India. The state, society and economy of Bengal underwent a negative transformation and the importance of Chapainawabganj as the backbone of Murshidabad during the Nawabi period waned. However, it is also true that most of the rural and urban settlements we see in Chapainawabganj district at present are built in the British era. Although the history of Nawabganj region is very ancient, the history of Nawabganj thana town and subdivision town is not very long. In 1813 Purnia and Dinajpur districts were dissolved and Malda district was formed, but it was not given to any collector till 1859 AD. Mr. Ravan Show was the first District Magistrate and Collector of Malda District. At that time Shibganj and Kaliachak police stations were notorious as crime prone areas. Nawabganj was then just a police outpost under Shibganj police station. Munsef Chowki was shifted from Shibganj to Nawabganj in 1873 AD and was upgraded to Nawabganj Police Station in 1899 AD. Since the establishment of the thana, plans and efforts to form a separate subdivision with Nawabganj and its adjoining thanas have been going on. Until 1876 AD, Nawabganj region was included in Rajshahi district and in 1876-1905 AD it was included in Bhagalpur (division) of Bihar. Meanwhile, Nawabganj Municipality was formed in 1903 with 12 ward commissioners. During the Partition of Bengal in 1905 AD, the region, including the then East Bengal and Assam Provinces, was again included in the Rajshahi Division, though it belonged to the Maldah District. When the Sub-Registry Office was established in Nawabganj in 1906, the activity increased here. The post office at Chapai village was shifted to Nawabganj town in 1925 and renamed as Chapainawabganj to facilitate government work. From that time Nawabganj city became famous as Chapainawabganj.

E. Pakistan and Bangladesh era (1947-present):

During the partition of India in 1947, Nawabganj and its adjoining Shibganj, Nachol, Bholahat and Gomstapur police stations were separated from Malda and included in the Rajshahi district of East Pakistan, according to the Radcliffe Royedad. In order to facilitate the administration, a new subdivision was formed on 1 November 1948 with a thana of Rajshahi district and Porsha thana of Dinajpur and a subdivisional headquarters was established at Nawabganj. This new subdivision was named 'Nawabganj'. After the declaration of Nawabganj subdivision, Syed Ahmad Chowdhury, EPCS (1948-1949 AD) was the first subdivisional administrator. In 1982, the then President Hussein Muhammad Ershad declared the administration to be at the doorstep of the people and transformed the police stations into upazilas and subdivisions into districts.

 Due to this step, 5 thanas of Nawabganj were upgraded to Shibganj, Nachol, Bholahat, Gomstapur and Nawabganj Sadar upazilas. On 1 March 1984, Nawabganj subdivision was officially declared a district. The then Minister of Health and Population Affairs of the Government of Bangladesh, Major General M. Shamsul Haque inaugurated Chapainawanganj district. Nawabganj district was appointed the first deputy commissioner. K. Shamsul Haque. He served as the Deputy Commissioner from 01.03.1984 to 08.08.1985. Nawabganj district was officially renamed as Chapainawabganj on August 1, 2001 in response to the demands of the people of the district.

Special events during the war of liberation:

The participation of the people of Chapainawabganj in the war of independence of Bangladesh in 1971 was all-pervading and spontaneous. The heroic struggle of the local freedom fighters and the people made it possible to liberate the town of Chapainawabganj from the grip of the Pak army at the last stage of the war of liberation. On 10 December the freedom fighters advanced from the other side of the river Mahananda to capture the town of Chapainawabganj. Captain Mohiuddin Jahangir led this group of about fifty fighters under the direction of the then Sector Commander Kazi Nuruzzaman. Although he arrived at the village of Bargharia on the banks of the Mahananda, he could not cross the river and enter the town before 13 December. That night Captain Mohiuddin Jahangir divided his forces into three divisions and sent them to attack the city. He himself led a section and crossed the Mahananda in the middle of the night with his comrades and came to the outskirts of the city. He fought with the enemy at a place called Rehaichar.

Fighting valiantly, Captain Mohiuddin Jahangir was forcing the Pak army and their allies to retreat from the battlefield when the enemy's ruthless bullets came and pierced his forehead. Captain Mohiuddin Jahangir was martyred. Due to his heroic fighting and brave war plan, the freedom fighters were able to liberate the city of Chapainawabganj on 14 December. Martyr Captain Mohiuddin Jahangir was buried in the premises of the historic chhoto Sona Mosque. The heroism of the great Captain Mohiuddin Jahangir has become immortal in the hearts of the liberated people of Chapainawabganj and Bangladesh.

District Chapainawabganj:

In 1982, the then President Hussein Muhammad Ershad declared the administration to be at the doorstep of the people and transformed the police stations into upazilas and subdivisions into districts.

 Due to this step, 5 thanas of Nawabganj were upgraded to Shibganj, Nachol, Bholahat, Gomstapur and Nawabganj Sadar upazilas. On 1 March 1984, Nawabganj subdivision was officially declared a district. The then Minister of Health and Population Affairs of the Government of Bangladesh, Major General M. Shamsul Haque inaugurated Chapainawanganj district. Nawabganj district was appointed the first deputy commissioner. K. Shamsul Haque. He served as the Deputy Commissioner from 01.03.1984 to 08.08.1985. Nawabganj district was officially renamed as Chapainawabganj on August 1, 2001 in response to the demands of the people of the district.

Organizational structure:

Organizational structure of Deputy Commissioner's Office, Chapainawabganj. Branch based organizational structure including additional deputy commissioner and district magistrate was given. Click on the link below to see the details.