Bangladesh

From SikhiWiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
The printable version is no longer supported and may have rendering errors. Please update your browser bookmarks and please use the default browser print function instead.

Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a country in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma (Myanmar) to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south. Together with the Indian state of West Bengal, it makes up the ethno-linguistic region of Bengal. The name Bangladesh means "Country of Bengal" in the official Bengali language.

The borders of present-day Bangladesh were established with the partition of Bengal and India in 1947, when the region became the eastern wing of the newly formed Pakistan. However, it was separated from the western wing by 1,600 km (994 mi) of Indian territory. Political and linguistic discrimination as well as economic neglect led to popular agitations against West Pakistan, which led to the war for independence in 1971 and the establishment of Bangladesh. After independence the new state endured famines, natural disasters and widespread poverty, as well as political turmoil and military coups. The restoration of democracy in 1991 has been followed by relative calm and economic progress.

Sikhi in Bangladesh

There are seven known Gurdwaras in Bangladesh. The most well known is Gurdwara Nanak Shahi Dhaka; it is the most important historic Gurdwara, commemorating the visit of Guru Nanak in 1506-1507. This Gurdwara is said to have been built in 1830. Besides, Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Guru of the Sikhs stayed at Dhaka for over two years. The news of the birth of his only son Sri Gobind Rai - Guru Gobind Singhji Maharaj - in Patna was received by Guru Tegh Bahadur when he was sojourning in Dhaka. This gurdwara is among the few places outside India which were graced more than once by Guru Baba Nanak. Its historic and religious importance outside India is second perhaps only to the Gurdwaras of Nanakana Sahib and Panja Sahib.

Other info

Bangladesh is the seventh most populous country and is among the most densely populated countries in the world with a high poverty rate. However, per-capita (inflation-adjusted) GDP has more than doubled since 1975, and the poverty rate has fallen by 20% since the early 1990s. The country is listed among the "Next Eleven" economies. Dhaka, the capital, and other urban centers have been the driving force behind this growth.[5]