Savar or Shabhar সাভার সম্ভার Shômbhar |
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Upazila | |
National Memorial in Savar, Bangladesh
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Location in Bangladesh | |
Coordinates: 23°51′30″N 90°16′00″E / 23.8583°N 90.2667°ECoordinates: 23°51′30″N 90°16′00″E / 23.8583°N 90.2667°E | |
Country | Bangladesh |
Division | Dhaka Division |
District | Dhaka District |
Area | |
• Total | 280.13 km2 (107.50 sq mi) |
Population (2011) | |
• Total | 1,387,426 |
• Density | 4,951/km2 (12,820/sq mi) |
Time zone | BST (UTC+6) |
Post code(s) | 134.. |
National calling code | +880 |
Calling code | 027 [For Savar only] |
Savar (Bengali: সাভার Savar or Shabhar) is an Upazila of Dhaka District in the Division of Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is located at a distance of about 24 kilometres (15 mi) to the northwest of Dhaka city. Savar is mostly famous for Jatiyo Smriti Soudho, the National Monument for the Martyrs of the Liberation War of Bangladesh.Savar has highly named for Daffodil international University current ranking in 2017 .
The origin of the name Savar is thought to be an evolved version of the ancient 7th-8th century township of সর্বেশ্বর Shôrbeshshôr ("Lord of everything") or সম্ভার Shômbhar ("Collection") situated on the banks of the river known today as the Bangshee. It was the capital of the Sanbagh Kingdom then. Local legends claim that a king by the name of Harish Chandra ruled over Shôrbeshshôr. There is an old shloka that goes বংশাবতীর পূর্বতীরে সর্বেশ্বর নগরী, বৈশে রাজা হরিশচন্দ্র জিনি সূরপুরী Bôngshabotir purbotire shôrbeshshôr nôgori, boishe raja Horishchôndro jini shurpuri ("In Sharbeshvar city on the east bank of the Bansabati, lives King Harish Chandra conquering Heaven").
During the 1971 war, Savar Cantonment (then Ansar Camp) and the then-newly founded Jahangirnagar University were some of the first targets of military swoop outside the capital following Operation Searchlight of 25 March. In December of that year, Savar was the last obstacle before the freedom fighters (led by Kader Siddiqui and others) entered the capital and the Pakistan army conceded defeat. Days before the end of the war, teenager Golam Dastagirr Titu was killed in a direct encounter between the Pakistani army and the freedom fighters. The compatriots buried him near the main gate of the Central Cattle Breading & Dairy Farm, Savar. The Bangladeshi army constructed a memorial monument in his honour.