NARAYANGANJ

city, east-central Bangladesh, situated along both banks of the Lakhya River at its confluence with the Dhaleswari. The chief river port for nearby Dhaka, the city also has steamer connections with major inland ports and Chittagong. Narayanganj is the busiest trade market in the country, a collection centre for hides and skins, and a terminal market for jute. Together with Dhaka, it also forms the largest industrial region of Bangladesh, with the largest number of jute presses and jute and cotton mills. Other industries include ship repair and varied manufactures. Constituted a municipality in 1876, Narayanganj houses a college, a hospital, and a library. Historic buildings include Kadam Rasul (1801), a shrine built by Ghulam Muhammad of Tippera; a 16th-century fort of the Bara Bhaiyas (12 landlords of Bengal); and the 12th-century temple of Laksmi-Narayana, after which the town is named. Pop. (1981) 196,233.