Jaintiapur is a historic town nestled in the scenic Jaintia hills, around 40 kilometers from Sylhet city. It's a charming place with Khasi villages, pineapple and clementine orchards, and busy markets. The town has a long history filled with stories of civilization and battles.
Back in the early 15th century, Jaintiapur was the capital of the Jaintia Kingdom, ruled by the Pnar people. Today, the remains of their royal palace can still be seen scattered across the town.
King's tomb at Dibir Haor, Jaintiapur, Sylhet
History
Pan, Pani Nari—these three make Jaintapuri. That's the opening line of a popular rhyme often used by Sylhetis to encapsulate Jaintiapur, a historically rich upazila of Sylhet.
Long ago, this land was likely submerged under water, forming part of a vast water body that separated Jaintiapur from Sylhet, as historians suggest. This unique geographical setup allowed the region to maintain independence for an extended period, known as the Jaintia Kingdom. Jaintia, also known as the Sutnga kingdom, was an ancient hill kingdom in Meghalaya. By the 16th century, much of the greater Sylhet region fell under the jurisdiction of the Jaintia king, who ruled from the capital, Jaintiapur.
The Khasi people, who inhabited the area, lived in a matriarchal society and spoke their own language. Around 1500, King Prabhat Ray Syiem Sutnga adopted his Sanskrit name. Between 1548 and 1564, the Jaintia kingdom was conquered by the king of Cooch Bihar. Later, it came under the governance of the Cachhar Raja. However, in 1605, with the assistance of the Ahom Raja, the Jaintia kingdom regained independence.
King Lakshmi Narayan, a notable ruler from 1678 to1694, was renowned for constructing brick buildings in his capital, Jaintiapur. In 1765, the British East India Company ousted the Jaintia king from the plains of Sylhet. The kingdom's independence was further compromised when the Burmese conquered Assam in 1824, though it was briefly restored in 1825 after the British expelled the Burmese. Eventually, in 1835, the East India Company annexed the Jaintia kingdom to their Bengal state to facilitate trade.
According to local legends and folk tales, from the 7th or 8th century, the Jaintiapur kingdom fell under the control of the Kamrup Kingdom, later transitioning to the rule of the Chandra and Varman rulers. Following the decline of the Varmans, the kingdom briefly came under the Deva dynasty's rule. The last ruler of this dynasty, Jayanta Roy, had a daughter named Joyonti, whose marriage to a Khasi chief's son led to the kingdom falling under Khasi rule around 1500. It remained an independent kingdom under the Khasi until 1835.
End of Jaintia Kingdom
In 1707, Jaintia king Ram Singh kidnapped the Kachari Raja. The Raja of Cachar then informed Ahom RajaRudra Singh Sukhrungphaa which led to the Ahoms attack through North Cachar and Jaintia Hills. Jaintia was annexed to the Ahoms and its capital city, Jaintiapur, was then raided by the Ahoms and thousands of innocent civilians were put to death or ears and noses were cut off. Sukhrungphaa then informed the Faujdar of Sylhet that Jaintia was under his rule and that it is him that they will trade to. However, the Ahom rule in Jaintia was weak and short-lived. The Jaintias rebelled in their own land defeating the Ahom soldiers. Ram Singh, however, died as a captive to the Ahoms and his son, Jayo Narayan took over the Jaintia Kingdom.
In 1757, the Nongkrem-KhynriamKhasi chief closed the Sonapur Duar, stopping trade between the Jaintia and Ahom kingdoms. An envoy of Jaintias assembled at Hajo where they informed the incident to Ahom Raja Suremphaa Swargadeo Rajeswar Singh who re-opened it for them.
The British came into contact with the Jaintia kingdom upon receiving the Diwani of Bengal in 1765. Jaintiapur, currently in Bangladesh, was the capital. The kingdom extended from the hills into the plains north of the Barak river Major Henniker led the first expedition to Jaintia in 1774. The quarries in their possession were the chief supplier of lime to the delta region of Bengal, but with the British, the contact was not very smooth, and they were attacked in the same year. Subsequently, the Jaintias were increasingly isolated from the plains via a system of forts as well as via regulation of 1799.
In 1821, a group of Jaintias kidnapped British subjects attempting to sacrifice them to Kali. A culprit was then found by the British who admitted that it was an annual tradition which the Jaintias have been doing for 10 years. The priest would cut off the victim's throat and then the Jaintia princess would bathe in his blood. The Jaintia believed that this would bless the princess with offspring. Upon hearing this, the British threatened the Jaintia Raja that they would invade his territories if this does not stop. The Raja made an agreement in 1824 with David Scott that they will only negotiate with the British. A year later, the Jaintias attempted to continue their annual sacrifice which they had previously agreed with the British that they would stop.
After the conclusion of the First Anglo-Burmese War, the British allowed the Jaintia king his rule north of the Surma River. The Jaintias kidnapped four British men in 1832. Three were sacrificed in the Great Hindu temple in Faljur, with one escaping and informing the British authorities of the atrocities. After the Jaintia Raja declined to find the culprits, the British finally marched to the Jaintia Kingdom and annexed it on 15 March 1835 The king was handed over his property in Sylhet along with a monthly salary of Rs 500. The British administered the plain areas directly and the hill region indirectly via a system of fifteen dolois and four sardars. The fifteen administrators were free to adjudicate on all but the most heinous crimes.
Jaintia continued to exist though divided into pargana or fiscal division, within greater Sylhet such as the Jaintia Puriraj (Jaintiapuri Raj) pargana, Japhlang pargana, Chairkata pargana and Phaljur pargana. Puriraj had an area of 59.15 square metres and had a land revenue of £325 of 1875. Phaljur was 51.84 sqm and had a land revenue of £301. Chairkata was 37.88 square metres, consisted of 749 estates and land revenue of £276. Japhlang was 40.07 square metres, 342 estates and £279 land revenue.
Though the remnants of Jaintiapur, including the Jainteswari temple, the Rajbari (palace), and various monuments, still attract visitors, they are now quite dilapidated. The palace, built by King Lakshmi Sinha in 1680, lies in ruins, and the temple has suffered significant damage, despite having a boundary wall. Notably, the lone megalithic remains discovered in Bangladesh are located in Jaintiapur, similar to those found in India.
Around the Jainteswari temple area, 42 structures can be found, with 19 megaliths near the temple itself. Another eight structures are located near the Jaintiapur Shahid Minar area, while others lie in broken pieces. Additionally, five structures stand along the southern side of the Sylhet-Tamabil Road, with seven more located about one and a half kilometers from the temple, near the northern side of the Nayagang River.
In 1971 the Pakistani Army engaged in torture, genocide, and plundering; soldiers also set many houses of the upazila on fire. The Pakistani Army killed a number of innocent persons at the village of Hemo by strafing via fighter planes. Additionally, the Pakistani Army brutally killed 30 persons including the Khan Tea Garden workers.
Geography
area 280.27 km2, located in between 24'59' and 25'11' north latitudes and in between 92'03' and 92'14' east longitudes. It is bounded by Meghalaya State of India on the north, Kanaighat and Golapganj upazilas on the south, Kanaighat Upazila on the east, Gowainghat and Sylhet Sadar Upazila on the west. The Jaflong Hills Range is located on the northeast of the upazila.
According to the 2011 Census of Bangladesh, Jaintiapur Upazila had 27,719 households and a population of 161,744. 49,914 (30.86%) were under 10 years of age. Jaintiapur had a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 41.15%, compared to the national average of 51.8%, and a sex ratio of 1003 females per 1000 males. 7,887 (4.88%) lived in urban areas.[6] Ethnic population was 1,721 (1.06%), of which Khasi were 477.[7]
As of the 2001 Bangladesh census, Jaintiapur had a population of 121458. Males constituted 63254 of the population, and females 58204. Muslim 109123, Hindu 12066, Christian 92, Buddhist 17 and others 160. Indigenous community such as khasia belongs to this upazila.
Economy
In Jaintiapur Upazila, the economy is primarily driven by agriculture, which employs 53.38% of the population. Other significant sectors include commerce (12.60%), non-agricultural labor (10.32%), and services (4.71%). The distribution of employment across various sectors is as follows:
Industry: 0.70%
Transport and Communication: 1.79%
Construction: 0.79%
Religious Service: 0.64%
Rent and Remittance: 0.15%
Others: 14.92%
Regarding land ownership, 48.95% of the residents are landowners, while 51.05% are landless. Among agricultural landowners, 52.53% are urban residents and 49.88% are rural residents.
Jaintiapur Upazila falls under the 232nd constituency, Sylhet-4, and is administratively divided into six Union Parishads: Nijpat, Jaintiapur, Charikata, Darbast, Fatehpur, and Chiknagul UP. The upazila comprises 142 mouzas and 174 villages, providing a structured framework for local governance and community organization.
^"Bangladesh Postal Code". Dhaka: Bangladesh Postal Department under the Department of Posts and Telecommunications of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. 20 October 2024.
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