Ramna Thana

This article is about thethanain Dhaka. For the Romanian commune, seeRamna, Caraş-Severin.

"Ramna" redirects here. Not to be confused withRanma.

Ramna Thana রমনা থানা
Thana
Bengali New Year celebrations in Ramna Park
Expandable map of vicinity of Ramna Thana
Ramna Thana Location of Ramna Thana within Dhaka Ramna Thana Location of Ramna Thana within Dhaka Division Ramna Thana Location of Ramna Thana within Bangladesh
Coordinates:23.73965°N 90.40226°E/23.73965; 90.40226
Country	Bangladesh
Division	Dhaka Division
District	Dhaka District
Formed	1921
Area
• Total	3.84 km2(1.48 sq mi)
Elevation	23 m (75 ft)
Population (2022)
• Total	200,436
Time zone	UTC+6(BST)

Ramna(Bengali:রমনা) is athana(precinct) in centralDhakaand a historic colonial neighbourhood. Once the site ofMughalgardens, it developed into an institutional area duringBritish rulein the late 19th century. It became a focal point for Dhaka's modernisation in the 1960s. It was the scene of many tumultuous events that ushered the independence of Bangladesh in 1971. Ramna Thana falls under the jurisdiction ofDhaka South City Corporation.

Ramna Thana hosts theRamna Park(also known as Ramna Green), which is the most popular park in Dhaka. The annual parades and concerts of theBengali New Yeartake place in Ramna Thana.

Ramna Thana is also home to the official residences of the Bangladeshi ministers and official state guest houses, including other important establishments such as theDhaka Club.

History

Further information:Ramna Park § History

The history of Ramna can be traced back to theMughal period.In the 18th century, this area, situated on the northern outskirts of Dhaka, housed a garden known asBagh-e-Badshahi,meaning King's Garden. Located near the residential areas of Sujatpur and Chistia, the garden stretched from the present-dayOld High Court Buildingarea to the Sarak Bhaban (Roads and Highways Department). The name Ramna was commonly used to refer to the open grassy area between the garden and the residential areas. Notable Mughal-era landmarks, such as the High Court Mazar (shrine) andShahbaz Khan Mosque,were built in 1679 and still exist today.

During theBritish era,neglect caused the Mughal-built areas to fall into ruins and become almost uninhabited, althoughBagh-e-Badshahiremained somewhat intact. By the early 19th century, Dhaka further declined and became sparsely populated. In 1819,magistrateCharles Dawes, considered the father of modern Dhaka, was granted authority to renovate the northern parts of the city, including the Ramna area. Dawes cleared the area, improved roads, and built ahorse-racing trackin 1825, establishing the famous racecourse of Dhaka, nowSuhrawardy Udyan,inBagh-e-Badshahi.Dawes also dug a large lake in the middle of the open space in Ramna. However, development of the city halted in 1829, causing Ramna to lose its allure until a municipal committee redeveloped the area in 1840. According to an 1859 map of Dhaka, Ramna was seen divided into two distinct parts: the racecourse, and a vast open space known as Ramna Plains.

When Dhaka became the capital of the province ofEastern Bengal and Assamin 1905, the Ramna area was chosen to establish a new civil station. The government acquired land and constructed various buildings, including the Governor's House, and Ramna Park (also Ramna Green),designed by R.L. Proudlock from London'sKew Botanical Gardensin Ramna Plains. Several still-existing roads were built, namely Minto Road, Hare Road, and Fuller Road. Ramna was divided into three areas: Ramna Civil Station, Ramna Racecourse, and Ramna Park.

In 1911,Dhaka Clubwas established north of the racecourse, primarily for Europeans.DhakaandJagannathcolleges were provided parts of the renovated areas and buildings in Ramna between 1912 and 1920. Parts of Ramna was acquired by theEast Pakistangovernment afterpartition,leading to various developments.

After independence, the Ramna area underwent further developments, including the construction of memorials andShishu Park,transforming it into a beautiful area in the city.

According toBanglapedia(2012),Ramna Thana was formed in 1921,while theEncyclopedia of Dhaka (2012)mentions that it was formed in 1976.In 2006 and 2018, Ramna Thana was split to formShahbagandHatirjheelthanas respectively.

Geography

As of 2012, Ramna Thana covers 3.84 square kilometres (1.48 sq mi),bordered byTejgaon Industrial AreaandRampurathanas to the north,Shahbagh Thanato the south,Rampura,Motijheel,andPaltanthanas to the east, andKalabagan,New Market,andTejgaonthanas to the west.

Notable institutes

Ramna Thana accommodates numerous residences of ministers on Minto Road and theChief Justice's residence on Hare Road,in addition to some important establishments:

• Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General
• Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment
• Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limitedheadquarters
• Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training(BMET)
• Foreign Service Academy
• Dhaka Metropolitan PoliceHQ
• Holy Family Red Crescent Medical College Hospital
• Bangladesh Tennis Federation

Demographics

According to the2022 Bangladeshi census,Ramna Thana had a total population of 200,436 and 54,050 houses. TheDhaka Southsection had 56,759 residents, while theDhaka Northsection accommodated 143,677 people.

At the2011 census,Ramna Thana had a population of 200,973 with average household size of 4.8 members, and an average literacy rate of 78.3% vs national average of 51.8% literacy.

Namesakes

InIslamabad,Pakistan, the term 'Ramna' denotes the areas encompassed by the G-seriessectors.This nomenclature originates from the neighbourhood in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and was adopted during the period when East Pakistan was a part of Pakistan. It was intended to acknowledge the significance of Dhaka's Ramna area toWest Pakistan.

See also

• Thanas of Bangladesh