Ulpur

Ulpur is a village to the north of Golpalganj in Bangladesh. It has been founded by the Basu family as seat of their Zamindari & Jagir called Shahpur.

Shahpur Pargana consisted of 27 villages and a population of 30200 in 1931 with Ulpur being the central village and seat of the Zamindari.

Dasarath Basu arrived in the 11th century in Bengal. One of his descendants, Raghunandan Basu, was reconfirmed the Zamindari / Jagir of Ulpur / Shahpur by the Moghuls in the 16th century, where his descendants settled. Many members of the Basu Roy Chowdhury clan of Ulpur left their ancestral home in East Bengal (now Bangladesh) after India was divided in 1947. However a few have remained behind and continue to participate in the social, political and cultural life of the area.

The estates of the different family members can still be found in Ulpur and are now used by the villagers as their homes. The smaller temples and ponds are in a decaying condition, but the main Kali temple is still in use and has been recently renovated.

The village was once the center of the district/pargana with markets and a very active cultural life.

Ulpur (Basu Roy Chowdhury) emigres

Most Basu Roy Chowdhurys as well as other emigres from Ulpur settled down in Calcutta, then the largest city in India. An Ulpur Sammelani exists in that city of `exiles' from the village. In the 1950s, Ulpur emigres had also set up a Ulpur football club which participated in the Indian Football Association shield.

Besides, calcutta, Ulpur residents have settled in Delhi, and most cities in India. They have also settled down in the UK, Germany, Australia, Romania and other parts of the globe.

name of village	population
Ulpur	3000
Tentulia	1850
Rautkhamar	1250
Mollakandi	700
Kathalbari	350
Nijra	6000
Rautpara	400
Barkhadiya	450
Shoorgram	750
Kalpur	900
Boultali	600
Krishnapur	950
Gandiasur	600
Thutamandra	1500
Barodomrasur	1000
Demakari	150
Puisur	50
Panail	150
Targram	1900
Hatbaria	1000
Balakari	1950
Bongram	2000
Kangsur	950
Aruakangsur	750
Khatiyagarh	1100

Ulpurians

• Sarbari Roy Chowdhury, born in 1933 in Ulpur,well known Bengali sculpturor
• Subrata Roy Chowdhury

References

• Archaeological survey report of Greater Faridpur District (2008), by Md. Abul Hashem Miah, Nazimuddin Ahmad, Bangladesh. Dept. of Archaeology

• Parichay: Vangaja Kayastha-ganer Samajika Ithisa saha Daksina Fardipurer Bil-pradeser Vivarna (1937), by Roy Chowdhury, Dinabandhu Calcutta

• Marriage and Rank in Bengali Culture, A history of caste and clan in Middle-Period Bengal, Ronald B. Inden (1976), University of California Press, Berkely

External links

[1] Indian princely states website

[2] Fotos of Ulpur

[3] Basu Roy Chowdhury of Ulpur webpage

[4] article on Sarbari Roy Chowdhury