Barisal (/ˌbʌr əˈsɑːl/ or /ˈbær əˌsɔːl/; Bengali: বরিশাল, pronounced [boɾiʃal]),[a] officially known as Barishal,[4] is a major city that lies on the banks of the Kirtankhola river in south-central Bangladesh.

[6] Barisal municipality was established in 1876 during the British rule in India and upgraded to City Corporation on 25 July 2002.

The region was ruled by Khadga, Pala, Chandra, Sena and Deva dynasty in the mediaeval period.

After the decline of the Suri Empire, the territory became a semi-independent area in the Mughal period because of heavy fighting between the Muslims and Hindu chiefs, although most parts of the city were totally under the control of the governors of the proto-industrialised Bengal Subah.

Raja Ramranjan Chakravarty was put as a de jure king during the Bengal Presidency of the British, later passed to East Pakistan at independence and finally Bangladesh.

The houses are very fair and high built, the streets large, and people naked, except a little cloth about their waist.

[citation needed] "Barisal guns" is a natural phenomenon named after Barisal; it is kind of a booming sound heard near lakes and rivers which is due to seismic activity under water, first heard in this region by the British in the 19th century.

Apart from them, the city population is composed of people from neighboring upazilas and districts (Patuakhali, Bhola, Pirojpur, Jhalakati, Barguna).

[citation needed]The majority of Barisal's people are Muslims (90.36%), mainly Sunni Islam of the Hanafi school.

Several rivers flow across Barisal including the Kirtankhola, Arial Khan, Khoyrabad, Kalijira and Sandha.

[citation needed] Lakhutia: located approximately 8 km from Barisal's central business district, the Roy family estate is known as 'Lakhutia' (note: there are several variations of the spelling of this word, including 'Lakutia' and 'Lakhotia').

The Lakhutia mansion – including the Roy family's personal property, was effectively destroyed during the 1950 East Pakistan Riots, and then again later during the 1971 Bangladesh genocide.

Barisal's buildings are too diverse to be characterised by any particular architectural style, and have been built over a long period of time.

Notable players from Barisal who have played for the national team include Shahriar Nafees, Sohag Gazi, Kamrul Islam Rabbi and Fazle Mahmud.

[citation needed] There is a regional sports training centre under Bangladesh Krira Shiksha Pratisthan (BKSP) situated at Rahamatpur in Barisal[20] Barisal is also home to the Bangladesh Premier League franchise Fortune Barishal.

[citation needed] Major institutions include: Barisal is a center for the newspaper, periodical and book publishers.