Dhanmondi Thana

Dhanmondi ধানমন্ডি
Thana
Country	Bangladesh
Division	Dhaka Division
District	Dhaka District
Area
• Total	9.74 km2 (3.76 sq mi)
Population  (1991)
• Total	201,529
• Density	20,691/km2 (53,590/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+6 (BST)
Website	Official Map of the Dhanmondi Upazila

Dhanmondi (Bengali: ধানমন্ডি) is one of the most crowded planned areas in Dhaka city. Its origins can be traced back to the late 1950s, beginning as an affluent residential area, and over the decades evolving into a miniature city, where one can find everything from hospitals to malls, schools, banks, offices and universities.

Geography

Dhanmondi is located in the Dhaka District of Bangladesh. It has 33451 houses and a total area of 9.74 km².

History

Dhanmondi has been traditionally known as an upmarket, affluent residential area. After the liberation war, it primarily consisted of two storied houses and fostered a quiet neighborhood environment. More recently, migration issues, aggressive real estate business policies, and increasing numbers of schools and shopping malls have transformed its quiet residential status to that of a more congested, commercial area.

It is in Dhanmondi where the founding father of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, lived and was assassinated, along with most of his family, in 1975.

Features

Dhanmondi nowadays is more of a commercial area than a residential area. Although there is a growing number of apartment complexes replacing the original two-storied houses, there are many non-residential establishments on almost every street, most of which are schools, universities, hospitals, restaurants and shopping centers.

The increasing number of commercial establishments, coupled with the lack of adequate parking facilities, has given rise to a tremendous amount of traffic congestion, especially during the mornings and afternoons when children are dropped off and picked up from school, and during the evenings when shoppers from all over Dhaka throng the various shopping centers.

Dhanmondi is well known for its lake. The lakeside walkway is one of the most popular destinations in Dhaka and is usually crowded with people during the evenings. One of the more prominent features of the lakeside walkway is the Rabindra Sharabar, an open air amphitheater near the Road 8 bridge, where dramas, concerts, and various cultural programs are held from time to time by both amateur and well-known artistes, especially during major festivals and holidays.

Local Stores
Food: American Burger • BFC • Helvatia • Dhanshiri • Dominous Pizza • Midnight Sun • VOOT • kasturi
Clothes: Aarong • Khan Brother's • Kay Kraft • Grameen Check
Others: etc. stores •gyankosh • ecstasy ltd. • Time Zone (Watches)

Snack stalls along the lakeside, particularly on Road 2 (opposite the entrance to Bangladesh Rifles), Road 5 (on an island accessible only by foot bridges from two sides), Road 8 (near the amphitheater) and Road 32 (opposite the residence of Sheikh Mujibir Rahman), offer a variety of tasty and low-cost snacks and beverages, and attract thousands of city dwellers every day.

During festivals such as Pohela Baishaki, Independence Day and Eid, moving around Dhanmondi turns out to be nearly impossible as scores of people crowd the area.

INGO

UK based Practical action Bangladesh office at Road#04, House#12/B

Banks

Almost every bank operating in the country has an outlet in Dhanmondi. Foreign banks such as Citi, HSBC and Standard Chartered also have branches here, with HSBC and Standard Chartered having multiple ATM booths within the area.

Real Estate

Real Estate in Dhanmodi have seen a tornado of soaring prices over the last 20 years.The growth rate of the price is 331%, the highest in dhaka since 1995.An average acre of land in Dhanmodi will cost about 3,400 crore taka,(450 million usd) according to the 2010 property records and public records information by Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh.

Education

Over the last fifteen years a large number of schools, colleges and private universities have been developed around the area. Many of the well-known English medium schools in the country, such as Oxford International School, South Breeze, Sunbeams, Mastermind, Maple Leaf, Marie Curie, Scholastica (Junior Section), Dhanmondi Tutorial, Sunnydale, and European Standard School (ESS) are located in Dhanmondi. Colleges Dhaka City College Among the universities, the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, United International University, Eastern University, The People's University Of Bangladesh, Stamford University, the University of Asia Pacific and Best Link Future Development Foundation (Head Campus) (Computer Education) are the most well known.There are also pupil make their coaching for O' levels and A'levels .

Restaurants

They are all over the locality be it small or big. As of recently, hookah bars are being attached to most restaurants to draw in young crowds. Some prominent restaurants which include hookah bars are Decagon Cafe, B151 Leisure Lounge, D Pavement, H2O. All established local and international fast food chains in the country have outlets in Dhanmondi.

Gallery

• 
  A Nando's outlet on Road 27
• 
  A house beside the Dhanmondi Lake.
• 
  A co-branded Coffee World Pizza Corner outlet on Road 4A
• 
  Pizza Hut on Road 15 (opposite Abahani of field).

See also

• Upazilas of Bangladesh
• Districts of Bangladesh
• Divisions of Bangladesh

References

• http://www.banglapedia.org/HT/D_0186.HTM
• http://www.in2bangla.com/indexUpazila.php?id=133