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{{Short description|Former province of the Dominion of Pakistan (1947–1956)}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2025}}
{{Infobox former subdivision
| conventional_long_name = East Bengal
| native_name = {{no bold|{{native name|ur|مشرقی بنگال}}<br/>{{native name|bn|পূর্ব বাংলা}}}}
| common_name = East Pakistan
| status_text = [[Former administrative units of Pakistan|Former Province]] of Dominion of Pakistan
| flag_p1 = Flag of British Bengal.svg
| flag_p2 = British Raj Red Ensign.svg
| flag_s1 =
| p1 = Bengal Presidency{{!}}Bengal Province
| p2 = Assam Province{{!}}Assam Province
| s1 = East Pakistan
| image_map = East Pakistan (orthographic projection).svg
| map_caption = Location of Bangladesh (then East Bengal) in green and present-day Pakistan (then the Western wing of the country) in light green
| capital = [[Dacca]]
| demonym = [[Bengalis|Bengali]]
| government_type = Provincial government
| legislature = [[East Bengal Legislative Assembly|Legislative Assembly]]
| date_start = 15 August
| year_start = 1947
| event_start = [[Partition of Bengal (1947)|Second Partition of Bengal]]
| date_end = 29 February
| year_end = 1956
| event_end = [[One Unit|Renamed as East Pakistan]]
| today = {{flag|Bangladesh}}{{efn|name=IndBangla}}
| footnotes =
|stat_year1= 1955
|stat_pop1= 45767684<ref>[https://population.un.org/dataportal/data/indicators/49/locations/50/start/1950/end/2025/table/pivotbylocation?df=3c98c45a-4c34-4804-9e71-e481c75cd028 By Location {{!}} Pivot Table {{!}} Data Portal] [[United Nations]]</ref>
| image_flag =
| image_symbol = Emblem of East Bengal (1947-1956).svg
| symbol_type = Emblem
}}
{{History of Bangladesh}}
{{Former administrative units of Pakistan}}
'''East Bengal''' ({{IPAc-en|b|ɛ|n|ˈ|ɡ|ɔː|l}}; {{langx|bn|পূর্ব বাংলা/পূর্ববঙ্গ}} ''Purbô Bangla/Purbôbongo'') was the easternmost and non-contiguous province of the [[Dominion of Pakistan]], which covered the territory of modern-day [[Bangladesh]]. It consisted of the eastern portion of the British administrative [[Bengal]] province and the lion half of [[Sylhet Division|Sylhet district]] from the Assam province. East Bengal existed from 1947 until 1956, when it was re-structured as [[East Pakistan]] under the [[One Unit Scheme]] by the [[Constitution of Pakistan of 1956]]. East Bengal had a coastline along the [[Bay of Bengal]] to the south, and bordered [[India]] to the north, west, and east and shared a small border with Burma (presently known as [[Myanmar]]) to the southeast. It was situated near, but did not share a border with [[Nepal]], [[Tibet]], the [[Kingdom of Bhutan]] and the [[Kingdom of Sikkim]]. Its capital was Dacca, now known as [[Dhaka]].

The [[Partition of India]], which [[Partition of Bengal (1947)|divided Bengal]] along religious lines, established the borders of the Muslim-majority area of East Bengal. The province existed during the reign of two monarchs, [[George VI]] and [[Elizabeth II]]; and three [[Governor General of Pakistan|governors-general]], [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]], [[Khawaja Nazimuddin]] and [[Malik Ghulam Muhammad|Ghulam Muhammad]]. Its provincial governors included a British administrator and several Pakistani statesmen. Its chief ministership was held by leading Bengali politicians.

East Bengal was the most populous and cosmopolitan province in the [[Dominion of Pakistan|dominion]]. It was a hub of political movements, including the [[Bengali language movement]] and pro-democracy groups. The provincial legislature was the [[East Bengal Legislative Assembly]].

==History==
[[File:RBI 5-rupee note, overprinted Government of Pakistan, 1947, obverse.jpg|thumb|Rs. 5 banknote of [[Colonial India|colonial]] [[Reserve Bank of India|RBI]] issued under [[State Bank of Pakistan|stampage of Pakistan]]]]
{{Main|History of East Pakistan#Post-independence era, 1947–58}}

===Mandates for partition===
{{See also|Lahore Resolution|Indian provincial elections, 1946|Sylhet referendum, 1947}}
Between 1905 and 1911, a province called [[Eastern Bengal and Assam]] existed in the region as part of the [[British Indian Empire]]. The [[All India Muslim League]] was founded in the British province in 1906.

The All India Muslim League adopted the [[Lahore Resolution]] in 1940, which envisaged the creation of sovereign states in the Muslim-majority areas of eastern and northwestern British India. The League won elections in Bengal in 1946, receiving its largest mandate in the province.

In May 1946, [[Rohingyas|Rohingya Muslim]] leaders met with [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]], and asked for a formal annexation of the [[Mayu Frontier District|Mayu region]]. Two months later, the North Arakan Muslim League also asked [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah|Jinnah]] to annex the region.<ref name="yebaw-1">{{cite book|last=Thit Maung|first=Yebaw|title=Civil Insurgency in Burma|year=1989|publisher=[[Ministry of Information (Myanmar)]]|location=[[Yangon]]|page=30}}</ref> Jinnah refused, saying he could not interfere with Burma's internal matters. Proposals were also made to the [[Post-independence Burma, 1948–62|Burmese government]] but they were rejected.<ref name="Tinker">Hugh Tinker, ''The Union of Burma: A Study of the First Year of Independence'', ([[London]], [[New York City|New York]], and [[Toronto]]: [[Oxford University Press]]) 1957, p. 357.</ref>

The [[Sylhet Division|District of Sylhet]] in [[Assam Province]] also voted to reunite with the rest of East Bengal, and the Muslim League's campaign played a great role in facilitating this. A [[1947 Sylhet referendum|plebiscite]] was held which resulted in joining Pakistan. However, a large part of Sylhet's [[Karimganj district|Karimganj subdivision]] was barred due to [[Abdul Matlib Mazumdar]]'s delegation. The [[Chittagong Hill Tracts]], which had a 97% non-Muslim population (mostly [[Buddhism in Bangladesh|Buddhist]]), was awarded to [[Pakistan]], by the Boundary Commission, due to it being inaccessible to India and to provide a substantial rural [[buffer zone|buffer]] to support [[Chittagong]], a major city and port; advocates for Pakistan forcefully argued to the Bengal Boundary Commission that the only approach was through Chittagong.

As a result of these mandates, the [[Mountbatten Plan]] and [[Radcliffe Line]] established East Bengal as a province of the newly formed Dominion of Pakistan in August 1947.

===Nazimuddin ministry===
[[File:Governor General Khawaja Nazimuddin and Pakistan Cricket Team.jpg|thumb|Sir [[Khawaja Nazimuddin]] with the [[Pakistan cricket team]]]]
Sir [[Khawaja Nazimuddin]], a former [[prime minister of Bengal]], was the first chief minister of East Bengal after partition. Nazimuddin was a senior leader of the Muslim League and a close confidante of Pakistan's founder [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]]. Sir [[Frederick Chalmers Bourne]] was the first governor of East Bengal. Partition resulted in making many Hindus to leave East Bengal while Muslims from different parts of the Indian subcontinent migrated to East Bengal. The East–West Bengal border did not see as much violence as seen in the Punjab border between North India and Pakistan.

Jinnah made his sole visit to East Bengal as governor general in 1948. During a speech to students in [[Dacca University]], he resisted demands to make [[Bengali language|Bengali]] a federal language. His refusal sparked fierce protests among East Bengalis who comprised the majority of Pakistan's population. The proposal for Urdu as the sole national language met with strong opposition in East Bengal, where Urdu considered rather alien, especially in light in Bengali's rich literary heritage.

When Jinnah died in 1948, Nazimuddin became the governor general of Pakistan.

===Amin ministry===
[[File:21 Feb 1952 just before breaking Curfew.png|thumb|[[Language Movement Day]], 1952]]
The conservative Muslim League leader [[Nurul Amin]] succeeded Nazimuddin as chief minister. According to some sources, Amin had strained relations with the federal government, including Prime Minister [[Liaquat Ali Khan]] and Governor General Khawaja Nazimuddin. Historians have noted that Amin's government was not strong enough to administer the provincial state; it was completely under the control of the central government of Nazimuddin. His government did not enjoy enough power and lacked vision, imagination, and initiatives.

In 1949, [[Maulana Bhashani]] led left-wing elements in the Muslim League to break away and form the [[Bangladesh Awami League|Awami Muslim League]]. The new party was joined by [[Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy]], a former prime minister of British Bengal. The new party later dropped the word Muslim, fashioned itself as secular and courted votes from East Bengal's large non-Muslim minorities.

The [[Bengali Language Movement|language movement]] reached a climax in 1952. During the unrest, the police shot dead four student activists. This raised more opposition in the region to the Muslim League.<ref>{{cite book |last=Mahmood |first=Safdar |year=1997 |title=Pakistan: Rule of Muslim League and Inception of Democracy (1947-54) |location=[[Lahore]] |publisher=Jang Publications |page=116 |oclc=39399433 |quote=Agitation started in 1952 as a reaction against Nazimiid-Din's announcement in Dacca that only Urdu would be the national language. Police opened fire on the demonstrating students, killing four of them. The incident left deep scars on the body politic ... and sealed the fate of the Muslim League in East Pakistan.}}</ref> Leading politicians in West and East Pakistan called for Amin's resignation. In subsequent provincial elections, Amin lost his seat in the legislative assembly.

===Huq ministry===
{{Further|Third Huq ministry}}
[[File:A k fazlul hoque.jpg|thumb|[[A. K. Fazlul Huq]]]]
In the 1954, the [[United Front (East Pakistan)|United Front]] coalition resoundingly defeated the Muslim League with a landslide majority. The coalition included the Awami League, the [[Krishak Praja Party]], the Democracy Party and [[Nizam-e-Islam]]. The esteemed lawyer [[A. K. Fazlul Huq]], popularly known as the Sher-e-Bangla (Lion of Bengal), became chief minister. Huq established the [[Bangla Academy (Bangladesh)|Bangla Academy]] and called for greater provincial autonomy. He wanted the federal government's responsibilities limited to only foreign affairs and defense.

[[King Saud]] of Saudi Arabia sent a plane to bring Huq to a meeting with the monarch.<ref>Chronology January 1, 1954 – December 31, 1954 Pakistan Horizon Vol. 7, No. 4 (December, 1954), pp. 238-246</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' published an article claiming Huq wanted independence for East Bengal. While visiting Calcutta and New Delhi, Huq was received by Indian leaders. Barely a few months into office, Huq was dismissed by Governor General Ghulam Muhammad due to allegations against of Huq of inciting secession.

===Sarkar ministry===
After [[Governor General of Pakistan|Governor General's rule]] was withdrawn in 1954, [[Abu Hussain Sarkar]] briefly served as chief minister, before Governor General's rule was again imposed.<ref>{{Cite Banglapedia|article=Sarkar, Abu Hossain}}</ref> He started the construction of [[Shaheed Minar, Dhaka|Central Shaheed Minar]].

===Khan ministry===
Governor General's rule was withdrawn in June 1955. [[Ataur Rahman Khan]] of the Krishak Sramik Party was the last chief minister. His government declared 21 February, the anniversary of the language movement, a public holiday. He later resigned on 30 August 1956 over inflation of food grains and subsequent food shortages.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sengupta |first=Nitish K. |year=2011 |title=Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal from the Mahabharata to Mujib |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kVSh_TyJ0YoC |publisher=[[Penguin Books India]] |page=516 |isbn=978-0-14-341678-4|language=en}}</ref>

===The One Unit Scheme===
{{main|One Unit Scheme}}
As part of the reform and reorganization policies of [[Prime Minister of Pakistan]] [[Mohammad Ali of Bogra]], East Bengal was renamed as [[East Pakistan]] by the [[Constitution of Pakistan of 1956|Constitution of Pakistan]] adopted on February 29, 1956.

== Administration==
There were 3 administrative divisions in the province, including the Chittagong Division, Dacca Divisionand Rajshahi Division. There were a total of 17 districts.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:auto;"
|-
! style="background:#9cf;" rowspan="1"| Division
! style="background:#9cf;" rowspan="1"| Divisional Headquarters
! style="background:#9cf;" rowspan="1"|Districts
|-
| [[Chittagong Division]]
| [[Chittagong]]
| [[Sylhet Division|Sylhet]], [[Comilla Division|Tippera]], [[Noakhali District|Noakhali]], [[Chittagong Division|Chittagong]] and the [[Hill Tracts]]
|-
|[[Dhaka Division|Dacca Division]]
| [[Dhaka|Dacca]]
| [[Dhaka Division|Dacca]], [[Mymensingh Division|Mymensingh]], [[Faridpur Division|Faridpur]] and [[Barisal Division|Backergunge]]
|-
| [[Rajshahi Division]]
| [[Rajshahi]]
| [[Dinajpur District, Bangladesh#British Colonial Period|Dinajpur]], [[Jessore District|Jessore]], [[Rangpur Division|Rangpur]], [[Bogra District|Bogra]], [[Pabna District|Pabna]], [[Khulna division|Khulna]], [[Kushtia District|Kushtia]]
|-
|}

==Federal law and East Bengal==
[[File:TamizuddinKhan.jpg|200px|thumb|[[Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan]], Speaker of the [[Constituent Assembly of Pakistan]]]]
[[File:Begum Shaista Suhrawardy.jpg|thumb|[[Begum Shaista Suhrawardy Ikramullah]], one of the first female lawmakers from East Bengal]]
East Bengal existed when Pakistan did not have a written constitution. Instead, the Pakistani courts relied on [[English common law]] and the [[Objectives Resolution]].

===Constitutional coup===
{{See also|1953 Pakistani constitutional coup}}
In 1953, Prime Minister Khawaja Nazimuddin's government was dismissed by Governor General Ghulam Muhammad, in spite of enjoying the confidence of a majority in the [[Constituent Assembly of Pakistan]]. The governor general later dissolved the constituent assembly itself.
In the case of ''Federation of Pakistan v. [[Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan]]'', the speaker of the dissolved constituent assembly challenged the governor general's decision in the Sindh High Court. The case proceeded to the apex court- the Federal Court of Pakistan- where Justice M. Munir ruled in favour of the governor general. Justice [[A. R. Cornelius]] expressed dissent and supported Speaker Khan. The dismissal of the prime minister and assembly was one of the first major blows to democracy and the rule of law in the Pakistani Union.

===Reform demands===
Begum [[Shaista Suhrawardy Ikramullah]] called for Pakistan's constituent assembly to convene in Dacca as East Bengal was home to the majority of Pakistan's population.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.piia.org.pk/about-us/down-memory-lane/item/41-shaista-s-ikramullah |title=International relations, Foreign Affairs & policy, Benazir Bhutto - PIIA |access-date=2 July 2018 |archive-date=18 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118122800/http://www.piia.org.pk/about-us/down-memory-lane/item/41-shaista-s-ikramullah |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Governors and chief ministers==
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!Tenure||Governor of East Bengal<ref name="worldstatesmen">[http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Bangladesh.html 'Statesmen of Bangladesh'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304111011/http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Bangladesh.html |date=4 March 2012 }} Retrieved 18 April 2009.</ref>
|-
|15 August 1947 – 31 March 1950||[[Frederick Chalmers Bourne|Sir Frederick Chalmers Bourne]]
|-
|31 March 1950 – 31 March 1953||[[Feroz Khan Noon|Sir Feroz Khan Noon]]
|-
|31 March 1953 – 29 May 1954||[[Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman]]
|-
|29 May 1954 – May 1955||[[Iskandar Ali Mirza]]
|-
|May 1955 – June 1955||[[Muhammad Shahabuddin]] (acting)
|-
|June 1955 – 29 February 1956||[[Amiruddin Ahmad]]
|-
|29 February 1956||Province of East Bengal renamed as East Pakistan
|}

{|class="wikitable"
|-
!Tenure||Chief Minister of East Bengal<ref name="worldstatesmen" />||Political Party
|-
|15 August 1947 – 14 September 1948||[[Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin]]||[[Muslim League (Pakistan)|Muslim League]]
|-
|14 September 1948 – 3 April 1954||[[Nurul Amin]]||Muslim League
|-
|3 April 1954 – 29 May 1954||[[A. K. Fazlul Huq]]||United Front
|-
|29 May 1954 – August 1955||Governor's Rule||
|-
|20 June 1955 – 29 February 1956||[[Abu Hussain Sarkar]]||Krishak Sramik Party
|-
|29 February 1956||Province of East Bengal renamed as East Pakistan||
|}

==Economy, culture, religion and military==

=== Industry and culture ===
[[File:DSTunitedOAK (4412476240).jpg|thumb|A [[Douglas DC-3]], seen here, belonging to United Air Lines, was also used by [[Orient Airways]] for flights between [[Dhaka|Dacca]] and [[Karachi]].]]
[[Orient Airways]], owned by an East Bengal-based industrialist, launched the first flights between [[Karachi]] and [[Dacca]]. The airline later evolved into [[Pakistan International Airlines]].

The [[Chittagong Tea Auction]] was established in 1949.

As a result of the Bengali language movement, East Bengal was a center of Bengali cultural activities.

The [[University of Dacca]] was a hotspot of political thought.

=== Military ===
The [[East Bengal Regiment]] was formed on 15 February 1948 following Pakistan's independence and transition from post British rule. The infantry of the new [[Pakistan Army]] was made up exclusively of men from the [[West Pakistan|western part of the country]]. It was consequently necessary to raise a regiment in the East. A total of eight battalions were raised.
[[Paramilitary forces]] like the [[Border Guard Bangladesh|East Pakistan Rifles]] and [[Bangladesh Ansar|East Pakistan Ansars]] were established, Ansars were deployed to the border areas in 1948 during the [[Indo-Pakistani war of 1947–1948]] to prevent crimes and smuggling.<ref>{{Cite Banglapedia|article=Ansar and Village Defence Party}}</ref> In the wake of [[communism]] rising and beginning of the [[Nachole Uprising|Nachole uprising]] at [[Rajshahi Division|Rajshahi]] division, army troops were used to tackle and successfully suppress the movement in 1949-1950.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Remembering Ila Mitra, Nacholer Rani |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/394458/remembering-ila-mitra-nacholer-rani |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260103151036/https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/394458/remembering-ila-mitra-nacholer-rani |archive-date=2026-01-03 |access-date=2026-03-02 |work=Dhaka Tribune |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ila Mitra's 87th birth anniversary observed in Chapainawabganj {{!}} The Daily Star |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-254749 |access-date=2026-03-02 |website=www.thedailystar.net |language=en}}</ref> The military conducted anti-smuggling operation called "''Operation JUTE"'' to aid the civil power from 3 September 1952 to 25 December 1952.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1952.02.04 আজাদ (With Watermark).pdf |url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xfUEdnhzv-Yb6GczzTZePrBcrMkSdGPi/view?usp=embed_facebook |access-date=2026-03-02 |website=Google Docs}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Chattha |first=Ilyas |date=2025-10-15 |title=Border Bureaucracy and Discourses: Demarcation and Surveillance of the Punjab Border in the Wake of 1947 Partition |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/critical-pakistan-studies/article/border-bureaucracy-and-discourses-demarcation-and-surveillance-of-the-punjab-border-in-the-wake-of-1947-partition/93B96A6D638BB5B7F80482D11C1D82F5 |journal=Critical Pakistan Studies |language=en |pages=1–20 |doi=10.1017/cps.2025.10007 |issn=2753-2712|doi-access=free }}</ref>Personals again started an anti-smuggling operation in 1958 called "''Operation Close Door''"<ref>{{Cite web |title=From RAT to RAB: What next? |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/2004/03/01/d403011501106.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260302204411/https://www.thedailystar.net/2004/03/01/d403011501106.html |archive-date=2026-03-02 |access-date=2026-03-02 |website=The Daily Star |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Moore |first=Raymond A. |date=1969 |title=Military Nation-Building in Pakistan and India |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/20671117 |journal=World Affairs |volume=132 |issue=3 |pages=219–234 |issn=0043-8200 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260306055110/https://www.jstor.org/stable/20671117 |archive-date=6 March 2026}}</ref>. In 1954, military was deployed during the [[Adamjee Jute Mills]] riots to de-escalate the bizzare situation.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1954-05-16 |title=PAKISTAN RIOT KILLS 90; 250 Injured in Labor Groups' Clash at Jute Mills (Published 1954) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1954/05/16/archives/pakistan-riot-kills-90-250-injured-in-labor-groups-clash-at-jute.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250126131042/https://www.nytimes.com/1954/05/16/archives/pakistan-riot-kills-90-250-injured-in-labor-groups-clash-at-jute.html |archive-date=2025-01-26 |access-date=2026-03-02 |language=en}}</ref>

===Religion===
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Religions in East Bengal (1800 AD before partition)<ref name="hinduismtoday.com">{{cite web | url=https://www.hinduismtoday.com/magazine/february-2000/2000-02-a-bleak-future-for-bangladesh-hindu-s/ | title=A Bleak Future for Bangladesh Hindu's | date=February 2000 | access-date=31 December 2022 | archive-date=31 December 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221231051433/https://www.hinduismtoday.com/magazine/february-2000/2000-02-a-bleak-future-for-bangladesh-hindu-s/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/1066829/population-bangladesh-historical/#:~:text=In%201800%2C%20the%20population%20of,over%2026%20million%20by%201900. | title=Population of Bangladesh 1800-2020 | access-date=31 December 2022 | archive-date=31 December 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221231051428/https://www.statista.com/statistics/1066829/population-bangladesh-historical/#:~:text=In%201800%2C%20the%20population%20of,over%2026%20million%20by%201900. | url-status=live }}</ref>
|label1 = [[Hinduism]]
|value1 = 56.4
|color1 = Orange
|label2 = [[Islam]]
|value2 = 41.9
|color2 = Green
|label3 = Others
|value3 = 1.7
|color3 = Brown}}
East Bengal (present-day Bangladesh) had a population of 19 million people in the year 1800 A.D,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/1066829/population-bangladesh-historical/#:~:text=In%201800%2C%20the%20population%20of,over%2026%20million%20by%201900. | title=Population of Bangladesh 1800-2020 | access-date=31 December 2022 | archive-date=31 December 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221231051428/https://www.statista.com/statistics/1066829/population-bangladesh-historical/#:~:text=In%201800%2C%20the%20population%20of,over%2026%20million%20by%201900. | url-status=live }}</ref> of which 10.716 million people were followers of [[Hinduism]] representing a majority of about 56.4% of the region's population,<ref name="hinduismtoday.com">{{cite web | url=https://www.hinduismtoday.com/magazine/february-2000/2000-02-a-bleak-future-for-bangladesh-hindu-s/ | title=A Bleak Future for Bangladesh Hindu's | date=February 2000 | access-date=31 December 2022 | archive-date=31 December 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221231051433/https://www.hinduismtoday.com/magazine/february-2000/2000-02-a-bleak-future-for-bangladesh-hindu-s/ | url-status=live }}</ref> while 7.961 million adhered to the [[Muslim]] faith, constituting 41.9% of the region's population as 2nd largest community.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/Outraged/truth-half-truth-and-statistics/ | title=Truth, half-truth and statistics | newspaper=[[The Times of India]] | last1=Raghunathan | first1=V. | access-date=7 May 2021 | archive-date=7 May 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507180010/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/Outraged/truth-half-truth-and-statistics/ | url-status=live }}</ref> The smaller number of 323,000 people followed [[Buddhism]], [[Animism]] and [[Christianity]], together presenting around 1.7% of the region's population.

The spread of Islam in East Bengal was more the result of conversion than conquest; dissatisfied with Buddhism and opposed to Hinduism, which put the majority of the population of East Bengal into the lower caste, vast numbers of Bengalis were attracted by the Islamic doctrine of the equality of all men before God. But they retained many of their old rituals and incorporated them into their new faith.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Bangladesh: A Handbook |date=November 1982 |publisher=CIA |pages=8 |language=}}</ref>

Bangladesh's capital [[Dhaka]] city name is said to have been derived from [[Dhakeshwari Temple|Dhakeshwari]] the patron goddess of the city, whose shrine is located in [[Ramna Thana|Ramna]] of Dhaka city.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Dhaka |title=Dhaka |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=2 January 2023 |archive-date=10 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010143325/https://www.britannica.com/place/Dhaka |url-status=live }}</ref> In Bangladesh, there's exist a blending culture of Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, folk religion, deities and practices. Worship exchanges takes place at temples and mosques and religious folk music gatherings (especially at Vaishnavite gatherings and among Muslim Sufis). Folk deities recognized by both Hindus and Muslim have included [[Shitala]], the goddess of small pox, [[Oladevi]], goddess of cholera, [[Manasa]], goddess of snakes and are recognised by Hindus and Muslims of Bangladesh both alike.

==See also==
* [[Administrative units of Pakistan|Provinces of Pakistan]]
* [[East Pakistan]]
* [[Bangladesh]]
* [[Dominion of Pakistan]]
* [[West Pakistan]]

==Notes==
{{notelist|refs=
{{efn|name=IndBangla|See territorial exchanges between India and Bangladesh ([[India–Bangladesh enclaves]]).}}
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Pakistan Movement}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|25.2192|N|90.9889|E|source:wikidata|display=title}}

== External links ==
{{wikiquote}}

[[Category:East Pakistan| ]]
[[Category:Former provinces of Pakistan]]
[[Category:1947 establishments in East Bengal]]
[[Category:1956 disestablishments in Pakistan]]

East Bengal - Revision history

Antiexsolutions at 04:57, 6 May 2026