Barua (Bangladesh)
Encyclopedia
Barua are a Bengali
speaking Buddhist community in Bangladesh
. They mainly live in the Chittagong
region. Many moved to Kolkata
, India
after partition of India
in 1947; many also moved to England
in the 1950s and 1960s. The plain Buddhists of Bangladesh known as the Burua-Buddhist are the ancient peoples of Bangladesh who have lived here for five thousand years according to Arakanese chronology. They insist that they came from the Aryavarta or the country of the Aryans which is practically identical to the country later known as the Majjhimadesh or Madhyadesh in Pali literature. Bengali speaking Barua people of Chittagong are all Buddhist by religion, unlike Hindu Barua of Assam who are generally Brahmins
or Ahom or may belong to any other general caste in India.
All the publications and articles for the history of Barua Buddhist community are partial snap-shot of different thoughts, ideas and perhaps based on the legendary story from ancestors but a solid research work based on archeological and historical background is still pending.
speaking People who are almost exclusively Buddhist and are concentrated heavily in the Chittagong
and nearby hill tracts of Bangladesh, who migrated to Rangoon, Calcutta and many other cities during British Raj as Chefs and restaurant owners. The plain Buddhists of Bangladesh known as the Burua-Buddhist are the ancient peoples of Bangladesh who have lived here for five thousand years according to Arakanese chronology. They insist that they came from the Aryavarta or the country of the Aryans which is practically identical to the country later known as the Majjhimadesh or Madhyadesh in Pali literature http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhistworld/bangladesh-txt.htm.
Ajit K. Barua a Bangladeshi was a freedom fighter in 1971 sector-1 graduated from Dhaka university and later he came to Japan and living for the last 26 years. He is the founder Chairperson of Bangladesh Scholarship Council (BSC)recognized by the United Nations. This organization distributed more than 30 million Taka to the talented poor students throughout the country at the university level till 2008. He got married with Swapna Barua hails from Chittagong. They have two daughters Asmita Barua, Dipanita Barua and only son Bijoy Barua
Rajeev Barua Associate Professor,
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering,
University of Maryland, College Park
But not all people are from Bangladesh. Some of them are from Assam. Many centuries ago in assam 'baishnab dharma' when came into existence the people of Assam were forcefully being converted into their religion. Due to which some buddhist people (barua) ran to Bangladesh and took their shelter and became the people of Bangladesh but in the later years some of them came back to Assam via west Bengal. The bengali baruas or the buddhist baruas of Assam have a mixed similarity of traditions of ahom for e.g.: both call their god as 'gohain' but pray to different gods. Similarity among the food habits of the people of Bangladesh and west Bengal, their mother tongue similar to the people of chitagaon, their dressings similar to the people of west Bengal.
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
speaking Buddhist community in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. They mainly live in the Chittagong
Chittagong
Chittagong ) is a city in southeastern Bangladesh and the capital of an eponymous district and division. Built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the city is home to Bangladesh's busiest seaport and has a population of over 4.5 million, making it the second largest city in the country.A trading...
region. Many moved to Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
after partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
in 1947; many also moved to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in the 1950s and 1960s. The plain Buddhists of Bangladesh known as the Burua-Buddhist are the ancient peoples of Bangladesh who have lived here for five thousand years according to Arakanese chronology. They insist that they came from the Aryavarta or the country of the Aryans which is practically identical to the country later known as the Majjhimadesh or Madhyadesh in Pali literature. Bengali speaking Barua people of Chittagong are all Buddhist by religion, unlike Hindu Barua of Assam who are generally Brahmins
Assamese Brahmins
In Assam, out of many sects of Hindu people which include Brahmins , Kalitas, Ahoms amongst others; the Brahmin community is comparatively small. Brahmins are found everywhere in Assam and surrounding areas. However most predominantly in Jorhat, Nalbari, Barpeta, Goalpara and Darrang districts....
or Ahom or may belong to any other general caste in India.
All the publications and articles for the history of Barua Buddhist community are partial snap-shot of different thoughts, ideas and perhaps based on the legendary story from ancestors but a solid research work based on archeological and historical background is still pending.
In Bangladesh
Barua is the last name of BengaliBengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
speaking People who are almost exclusively Buddhist and are concentrated heavily in the Chittagong
Chittagong
Chittagong ) is a city in southeastern Bangladesh and the capital of an eponymous district and division. Built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the city is home to Bangladesh's busiest seaport and has a population of over 4.5 million, making it the second largest city in the country.A trading...
and nearby hill tracts of Bangladesh, who migrated to Rangoon, Calcutta and many other cities during British Raj as Chefs and restaurant owners. The plain Buddhists of Bangladesh known as the Burua-Buddhist are the ancient peoples of Bangladesh who have lived here for five thousand years according to Arakanese chronology. They insist that they came from the Aryavarta or the country of the Aryans which is practically identical to the country later known as the Majjhimadesh or Madhyadesh in Pali literature http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhistworld/bangladesh-txt.htm.
Ajit K. Barua a Bangladeshi was a freedom fighter in 1971 sector-1 graduated from Dhaka university and later he came to Japan and living for the last 26 years. He is the founder Chairperson of Bangladesh Scholarship Council (BSC)recognized by the United Nations. This organization distributed more than 30 million Taka to the talented poor students throughout the country at the university level till 2008. He got married with Swapna Barua hails from Chittagong. They have two daughters Asmita Barua, Dipanita Barua and only son Bijoy Barua
Rajeev Barua Associate Professor,
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering,
University of Maryland, College Park
See also
- Buddhism in BangladeshBuddhism in BangladeshBuddhism is the third largest religion in Bangladesh with about 0.7% of population adhering to Theravada Buddhism. Most of the practiconers are the tribal Jumma people who are found mainly in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, where they constitute about 45% of the area's population.- Demographic Overview...
But not all people are from Bangladesh. Some of them are from Assam. Many centuries ago in assam 'baishnab dharma' when came into existence the people of Assam were forcefully being converted into their religion. Due to which some buddhist people (barua) ran to Bangladesh and took their shelter and became the people of Bangladesh but in the later years some of them came back to Assam via west Bengal. The bengali baruas or the buddhist baruas of Assam have a mixed similarity of traditions of ahom for e.g.: both call their god as 'gohain' but pray to different gods. Similarity among the food habits of the people of Bangladesh and west Bengal, their mother tongue similar to the people of chitagaon, their dressings similar to the people of west Bengal.
External links
- Buddhists living in Chittagong
- Banglapedia: Barua, Benimadhab
- Karmayogi Kripasaran Mahathera Founder of Bengal Buddhist Association (Bauddha Dharmankur Sabha) 1892, and uniter of Bengal Barua Buddhists
- Bangladesh Indebtedness to Myanmar: A Study of Reformation Movement in the Buddhist Sangha of Bangladesh (1856-1971) by Dr. Abdul Mabud Khan
- http://video.google.com/videosearch?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=s&hl=en&source=hp&q=barua+buddhist&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=5GIIS-CDM8fRlAfkj_WEBA&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&ct=title&resnum=10&ved=0CDIQqwQwCQ#client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&channel=s&hl=en&source=hp&q=barua+buddhist&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=5GIIS-CDM8fRlAfkj_WEBA&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&ct=title&resnum=10&ved=0CDIQqwQwCQ&qvid=barua+buddhist&vid=7734093436657763562Video Results of Barua Buddhists]
- US Census Statistic on Barua
- British Gazette, Statistical Account of Bengal, Baruas of Chittagong
- A Brief Introduction to Barua Community by Ven. Upali Sramon