About Bigha:
- It is a traditional unit of land measurement commonly used in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal.
- It is generally used for the measurement of agricultural land, although it may also be used for residential plots.
- Historical Context:
- The origins of Bigha trace back to ancient South Asian practices.
- It originated from the Sanskrit term ‘vigraha,’ which translates to division.
- Before the introduction of modern units like the acre or hectare, landowners and farmers relied on Bigha to calculate land for cultivation, taxation, and trade.
- Over time, it became deeply rooted in the cultural and economic fabric of these regions.
- Popular in states where farming is common, Bigha is used by farmers when measuring plots and negotiating land prices.
- This unit is most commonly used in the following Indian states: Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
- The exact measurement of bigha differs from state to state.
- There is no national standard for the size of a bigha, and it is typically smaller than an acre.
- Bigha has several subunits in different places; some common ones are:
Key Facts about Burhachapori Wildlife Sanctuary:
- It is located on the southern bank of the river Brahmaputra in the Sonitpur district, Assam.
- It is located on the north side of Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary and shares an integral transboundary landscape of the Laokhowa-Burachapori Wildlife Sanctuary ecosystem.
- Both the sanctuary was notified as a buffer zone of the Kaziranga Tiger Reserve in 2007.
- Most of the low-lying areas of the sanctuary are vulnerable to flooding during summer.
- Flora: It is enveloped and adorned by wet alluvial grasslands, riparian forests, and semi-evergreen forests.
- Fauna:
- It is a habitat of a wide range of wild animals, including tigers, elephants, wild buffalos, one-horned rhinoceros, hog deer, and wild boar.
- The avian inhabitants feature species like the Bengal florican, black-necked stork, open-billed stork, white-eyed pochard, mallard, spotbill, large whistling teal, and numerous others.
