Baghmara (IPA: ˌbægˈmɑ:rə) is the headquarters of the South Garo Hills district in the state of

Meghalaya Meghalaya (; "the abode of clouds") is a states and union territories of India, state in northeast India. Its capital is Shillong. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the Assam: the United Khasi Hills an ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. The place is bordered by the

Mymensingh Division Mymensingh Division (; ) is one of the eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh. It has an area of and a population of 12,225,498 as of the 2022 census. It was formed in 2015 from districts previously composing the northern part of Dhaka Div ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

and is about 113 km from Tura, 248 km from

Guwahati Guwahati () the largest 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 seat of the Government of Assam. Th ...

, and 287 km from state capital

Shillong Shillong (, ) is a hill station and the capital of Meghalaya, a Indian state, state in northeastern India. It is the headquarters of the East Khasi Hills district. Shillong is the list of most populous cities in India, 330th most populous city ...

. It has the famous river, Someshwari, also known as the Simsang in the Garo 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 many 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 is about 45 km away and to get to Siju, one needs to go through Baghmara. The famous Balphakram National Park 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 the 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 carnivorous plants known as pitfall traps—a prey-trapping mechanism featuring a deep cavity filled with digestive liquid. The traps of pitcher plant are considered to be "true" pitcher plants and are formed by specialized ...

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 and the nominate tiger subspecies. It ranks among the largest wild cats alive today. It is estimated to have been present in the Indian subcontinent since the Late ...

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 (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

, 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 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