Barak valley

The Barak Valley ( Bengali : বরাক উপত্যকা Barāk upatyakā [ ˈbɔrak ˈupɔˌt̪ːɔka ], English : Barak Valley ) is a region in the Indian state of Assam . It is named after the Barak River .

The Barak Valley is located in the south of Assam and consists of the three districts of Cachar , Karimganj and Hailakandi . The Barak River has its source in the Patkai Mountains and flows east to west through the Barak Valley. Here it splits into the two arms of the Surma and Kushiyara , both of which ultimately flow into the Meghna . The Barak Valley consists of a river plain surrounded by mountains to the north, east and south. The region is thus largely isolated from the rest of Assam and, from a geographical point of view, is a continuation of the river plains of East Bengal ( Bangladesh ).

In the three districts of the Barak valley, a total of around 3.6 million people (2011 census) live on an area of ​​almost 7,000 square kilometers. The main language is Bengali . At the district level it has an official status alongside Assamese , the official language of Assam. Of the three districts, Cachar is predominantly Hindu , while Karimganj and Hailakandi have a Muslim majority.

literature

• Ranjit Kumar De: The Barak Valley. A Survey of Documents on the Economic History, 1832-1947. 3 vols. New Delhi: Mittal Publications, 2006.
• Sujit Choudhury: Folklore and History. A Study of the Hindu Folk Cults of the Barak Valley of Northeast India. New Delhi: KK Publ., 1995.

Coordinates: 24 ° 48 '  N , 92 ° 45'  E