Rajshahi
r bōä´lēä), city (1991 pop. 318,000), W central Bangladesh, on the Ganges River. It is the administrative center for a district that produces practically all of the country's silk. In the town are oil-pressing plants, match factories, and sawmills. Rajshahi also houses the Varendra Research Museum, a silk institute, and a university (founded 1953) with eight affiliated colleges.