Baksa district | |
|---|---|
 View of Bhutan Himalayas fromManas National Park | |
.svg) Location in Assam | |
 Baksa district | |
| Coordinates: 26.6935° N, 91.5984° E | |
| Country |  India |
| State |  Assam |
| Territorial Region |  Bodoland |
| Headquarters | Mushalpur |
| Government | |
| • Lok Sabha constituencies | Kokrajhar |
| • Vidhan Sabha constituencies | Tamulpur,Barama,Chapaguri |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,573 km2 (607 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 560,925 |
| • Density | 360/km2 (920/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (Indian Standard Time) |
| Website | baksa |
Baksa district (/ˈbʌksə/ or/ˈbæksə/) is an administrative district in theBodoland Territorial Region ofAssam, one of theNorth-Eastern states ofIndia. The administrative headquarters is atMushalpur.Manas National Park is a part of this district.
The origin of the name "Baksa" is a topic of debate and speculation. One popular theory suggests that it is a misspelling of theDzonkha word "Bangsa," which means a farmhouse and corridor. This is because the Bhutanese king and his subjects used this area for trade and passage to the plains. Historically, this region was known as BanskaDooar by theBhutias.[1]
According to a Bodo source, the name "Baksa" originated from a type of rice grain known as "Bagsa." This rice grain is a kind of broken and uncleaned product that is obtained after milling rice.[1]
Baksa district falls underKamrup Duars which includes the region between theManas river and theBarnadi river. The two Dooars under Baksa district are Banska Dooar and Kamrup Bijni Dooar.[2]
During the mid-17th century, theBhutan kingdom took advantage of the political instability caused by theAhom-Mughal conflict and seized control of these Dooars, south of their hills up to theGohain Kamal Ali.[3] In the mid-19th century, the British East India Company eliminated Bhutanese influence from these Dooars and annexed Banska Dooar and Kamrup Bijni Dooar, in addition to other Kamrup and Darrang Duars.[2]
Baksa was notified as one of the districts ofBodoland Territorial Council in October 2003 while it started functioning from 1 June 2004[4] when naturalist-bureaucrat Dr Anwaruddin Choudhury of the Assam Civil Service took charge as its foundingDeputy Commissioner[citation needed]. It started working from PWD Inspection Bungalow ofBarama beside theNH 31 until it was shifted toMushalpur in late 2010[vague]. It was created from parts ofBarpeta,Nalbari andKamrup districts.[4] On 23 January 2022,Tamulpur district was created by separating Tamulpur sub-division of Baksa district.[5]
This district is bounded byBhutan in the north,Udalguri district in the east,Barpeta,Nalbari andKamrup districts in the south andChirang district in the west. Area of the district is 2,400 km2 (930 sq mi).[6]
Mushalpur town is the headquarters of the district.
The district has three sub-divisions:Mushalpur,Salbari andTamulpur. These sub-divisions are further divided into 13 revenue circles: Baksa,Barama,Tamulpur,Goreswar,Baganpara,Ghograpar,Barnagar,Bajali,Jalah,Patharighat,Rangia,Sarupeta andTihu.
Three Vidhan Sabha constituencies of this district areTamulpur,Barama andChapaguri. All of these are part ofKokrajhar Lok Sabha constituency.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 71,620 | — |
| 1911 | 81,666 | +1.32% |
| 1921 | 95,160 | +1.54% |
| 1931 | 127,011 | +2.93% |
| 1941 | 167,589 | +2.81% |
| 1951 | 197,889 | +1.68% |
| 1961 | 309,224 | +4.56% |
| 1971 | 476,655 | +4.42% |
| 1991 | 769,402 | +2.42% |
| 2001 | 857,947 | +1.10% |
| 2011 | 950,075 | +1.03% |
| source:[7] | ||
| Religions in residual Baksa district (2011)[8] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Religion | Percent | |||
| Hinduism | 82.40% | |||
| Islam | 14.29% | |||
| Christianity | 2.85% | |||
| Other or not stated | 0.47% | |||
Followers ofBathouism are counted underHindus , there is no official data confirming their exact number. According to the2011 census Baksa district has apopulation of 950,075.[9] This gives it a ranking of 458th in India (out of a total of640).[9] The district has a population density of 475 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,230/sq mi).[9] Itspopulation growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 11.17%.[9] Baksa has asex ratio of 967females for every 1000 males,[9] and aliteracy rate of 70.53%.
The residual Baksa district has a population of 560,925, of which 6,611 (1.18%) live in urban areas. The residual district has a sex ratio of 977 females per 1000 males. Scheduled Castes and Tribes made up 30,837 (5.50%) and 209,686 (37.38%) of the population respectively.[9]
According to the 2011 census, 38.34% of the population spokeAssamese, 36.33%Boro, 17.69%Bengali, 2.42%Nepali, 1.61%Sadri and 1.47%Kurukh as their first language.[10]
Major educational institutions of Baksa district include:
A major part of the world-famousManas National Park is located in this district. The park is well known for its tigers,greater one-horned rhinoceros,wild water buffaloes andgolden langurs.[11] Bogamati, Bhutan chowki[12] and Daragaon[13] are the famous picnic spot with picturesque beauties is located in Baksa.Bhangtar is the other scenic location situated close toBhutan border.
Places adjacent to Baksa district | |
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26°34′51″N91°25′13″E / 26.58083°N 91.42028°E /26.58083; 91.42028
