Dighinala is an upazila of Khagrachari District in the Division of Chittagong, Bangladesh.

History

Dighinala, the biggest upazila of Khagrachhari zila in respect of area, came into existence in 1916 as a thana and was upgraded to upazila in 1984. It is said that in the long past, Tripura Maharaja Govinda Manikya Bahadur Debbarma dug a big pond (meaning Dighi in Bangla) by the side of a canal (meaning Nala in Bangla). This upazila was under Tripura Kingdom used to known as "Reangdesh" It is generally believed that the upazila might have originated its name from above two words Dighi and Nala.

Geography

Dighinala Upazila (Khagrachhari district) area 694.11 km2, located in between 23°04' and 23°44' north latitudes and in between 91°56' and 92°11' east longitudes. It is a hilly area. It is bounded by tripura state of India on the north, langadu upazila on the south, baghaichhari upazila on the east, Panchhari and Khagrachhari Sadar upazilas and Tripura state on the west. Golamoon, Karmi Mura, Lutiban, Kuradia hills are notable.

Demographics

As of the 2022 Bangladeshi census, Dighinala upazila had a population of 115,440. The ethnic population was 70,420 (61.00%), of which Chakma were 61,618 and Tripura 8,523.

Administration

UNO: Md. Mamunur Rashid. Dighinala Upazila is divided into five union parishads: Babuchhara, Boalkhali, Dighinala, Kabakhali, and Merung. The union parishads are subdivided into 20 mauzas and 245 villages.

Economy

Main sources of income Agriculture 65.53%, non-agricultural labourer 8.51%, commerce 9.70%, service 5.01%, construction 0.42%, religious service 0.20%, rent and remittance 0.10% and others 10.53%. Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 46.96%, landless 53.04%; agricultural landowner: urban 25.85% and rural 50.57%.

Education

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 47.5%; male 56.1%, female 38%. Educational institutions: Choto Merung High School, DIGHINALA BORADOM HIGH SCHOOL, Dighinala Government College, Dighinala Government High School, Dighinala Model Girls' School, Hashinpur High School, Anath Ashram Abashik High School, Babuchhara High School, Udal Bagan High School, Rasik Nagar Dakhil Madrasa.Trabonia high school

Transport

Communication facilities Pucca road 91 km, semi-pucca road 34 km, mud road 280 km. Extinct or nearly extinct traditional transport Bullock cart. Connected to the zila headquarters by metalled roads. Bus, minibus, three wheelers ply over the upazila. Chander Gari (local four wheeled jeep) is a popular transport used to ply in the hill area of upazila.

Points of interest