Baghmara (IPA: ˌbægˈmɑ:rə) is the headquarters of

South Garo Hills South Garo Hills is an administrative district in the state of Meghalaya in India. As of 2011 it is the least populous district of Meghalaya (out of 7). The district was established in 1992. Geography The district headquarters are located at ...

district in the state of

Meghalaya Meghalaya (, or , meaning "abode of clouds"; from Sanskrit , "cloud" + , "abode") is a states and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the state of As ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. The place is bordered by

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

and is about 113 km from Tura; 248 km from

Guwahati Guwahati (, ; formerly rendered Gauhati, ) is the biggest city of the Indian state of Assam and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the ...

; and 287 km from state capital

Shillong Shillong () is a hill station and the capital of Meghalaya, a Indian state, state in northeastern India, which means "The Abode of Clouds". It is the headquarters of the East Khasi Hills district. Shillong is the list of most populous cities in ...

. It has the famous river, Someshwari, also known as Simsang in Garo tribal language, flowing through its expanse and is also covered in hills and tracts along the way. This southern part of the Garo Hills region has lots of tourist spots compared to other districts and is a popular tourist destination for both domestic and international tourists when it comes to tourism in Western Meghalaya. The famous

Siju Cave Siju Cave, also known as Bat Cave in English, is located in the North East Indian state of Meghalaya near the Napak Lake and Simsang River game reserve. It is a limestone cave and is famous for its stalagmites and stalactites. The Siju ca ...

is about 45 km away and to get to Siju one needs to go through Baghmara. The famous

Balphakram National Park Balpakram National Park is a national park to the south of Garo Hills in Meghalaya, India, located at an altitude of about close to the international border with Bangladesh. It was inaugurated in December 1987 and provides habitat for barkin ...

is 66 km away and one needs to pass through this town to get there. The modes of transport is limited to buses and jeeps. This place is famous for its tasty fish and has a historical sea trading connection with Bangladesh. It is also a native place of the first Chief Minister of Meghalaya Captain Williamson Sangma and he always represented Baghmara constituency. This place is home to the carnivorous

pitcher plant Pitcher plants are several different carnivorous plants which have modified leaves known as pitfall traps—a prey-trapping mechanism featuring a deep cavity filled with digestive liquid. The traps of what are considered to be "true" pitcher p ...

and has the Pitcher plant sanctuary located at Dilsa Hill colony of Baghmara.

History

The name “Baghmara" derived from the fight that took place between Bong Lasker and a wild

Bengal tiger The Bengal tiger is a population of the ''Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies. It ranks among the biggest wild cats alive today. It is considered to belong to the world's charismatic megafauna. The tiger is estimated to have been present in ...

where he killed the tiger by crushing the jaws. Hence, the name Baghmara, where, ''bagh'' means "tiger" and ''mara'' means "died". To remember Bong Lasker, a tomb was built in the heart of Baghmara town. This place was previously known as "Barokar", which means 12 streams. Here " Baro" or "বারো" meaning 12 is also a বাংলা word and "kar" or কার meaning stream in Bangla.

Demographics

India

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

, Baghmara had a population of 8643. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Baghmara has an average literacy rate of 70%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 55% of the males and 45% of females literate. 16% of the population is under 6 years of age. AS per

2011 Census of India The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing and population enumeration. The House listing phase began on 1 April 2010 and involved the collection of information about all buildings. Information ...

, the population of Baghmara municipality has increased to 13,131 persons.

Localities

Baghmara is the headquarters of Baghmara block in South Garo Hills district. Populated places within the block include: * Malikona * Bolsalgre * Rangdokram * Konagittim * Bolsal A·ding * A·sim Chiring * Do·pa Grang

References

3. https://www.incredibleindia.org/content/incredibleindia/en/destinations/baghmara.html

External links

{{Meghalaya * https://www.incredibleindia.org/content/incredibleindia/en/destinations/baghmara.html Geography of Meghalaya Cities and towns in South Garo Hills district