Rajshahi City
Rajshahi is the headquarters of Rajshahi Division, one of the seven administrative divisions in Bangladesh. Rajshahi Municipality was established in 1876, one of the first in Bangladesh. Rajshahi is located near many ancient capitals of Bengal, notably Lakhnauti or Lokhonaboti and Pundra.
Rajshahi is home to many educational institutions, and is often referred to in Bangladesh as Education City. It is famous for its silk and its fruits, especially mangos and lichis. Attractive silk products are cheaper in Rajshahi than elsewhere and for that reason it is also known as Silk City. The silk industry is in decline at present, being faced with cheaper imports from countries such as China. There are also a number of ancient mosques, shrines and temples in and around Rajshahi.
Rajshahi has a population of 700,000. According to the census of 1991[1], 93.46% of the total population are Muslims, 5.51% are Hindus, 0.62% are Christians, 0.02% are Buddhists and 0.39% others.
