Bogra District

Bogra বগুড়া
District
Ramparts of Mahasthangarh citadel in Bogra
Location of Bogra in Bangladesh
Coordinates: 24°47′N 89°21′E / 24.78°N 89.35°E / 24.78; 89.35Coordinates: 24°47′N 89°21′E / 24.78°N 89.35°E / 24.78; 89.35
Country	Bangladesh
Division	Rajshahi Division
Area
• Total	2,898.68 km2 (1,119.19 sq mi)
Population (2011 census)
• Total	3,400,874
• Density	1,200/km2 (3,000/sq mi)
Literacy rate
• Total	28.4%
Time zone	BST (UTC+6)
Postal code	5800

Karatoa River
River
Karatoa River near Mahasthangarh
Country	Bangladesh
Region	Rajshahi Division
City	Bogra

Bogra (Bengali: বগুড়া) is a northern district of Bangladesh, in the Rajshahi Division. It is called the gateway to North Bengal. Bogra is an industrial city where many small and mid-sized industries are sited. Bogra district was a part of the ancient Pundravardhana territory and the ruins of Mahasthangarh, the ancient capital of Pundravardhana, are located north of Bogra.

The Bogra District occupies an important place in the legendary and the earlier historical annals of Bengal. In the ancient period, it was a part of the territory of the Pundras or Paundras, which was known by the name of Pundravardhana. Pundravardhana was one of the kingdoms of Eastern India and was separated by the stream of Karatoya from the more easterly kingdom of Prag-Jyotisha or Kamrupa. The name, Pundravardhana, occurs frequently in the Mahabharata, Ramayana and the various Puranas. According to the Mahabharata and the Puranas, Vasudeva, a powerful prince of the Pundra family, is said to have ruled over Pundravardhana as far back as 1280 BC. The claims of the district to antiquity, however, rests chiefly on association which centre round the old fortified town, now known as Mahasthangarh.

This district was under the following rules:

This district was under the rule of the Mauryas in the 4th century BC. This is evident from the existence of some Pillars of Ashoka in many parts of Pundravardhana and from the discovery of an old Brahmi Inscription at Mahasthangarh in this district. Bhadra Babu, a high monk of the Jain religion and a son of a Brahmin of Kotivarsha in Pundravardhana, was the Jain-Guru of Chandra Gupta Maurya. As Ashoka was a firm believer in Buddhism, he put to death many naked Sectarians (presumably the Jains in Pundravardhana.