Tura, Meghalaya

Tura
Town
Tura Location in Meghalaya, India Show map of Meghalaya Tura Tura (India) Show map of India
Coordinates: 25°31′N 90°13′E / 25.52°N 90.22°E / 25.52; 90.22Coordinates: 25°31′N 90°13′E / 25.52°N 90.22°E / 25.52; 90.22
Country	India
State	Meghalaya
District	West Garo Hills
Autonomous Regions of India	GHADC
Elevation	349 m (1,145 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	74,858
Languages
• Local	Garo, Hajong, Bangali, English
• Official	Garo, English
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
Telephone code	03651
Vehicle registration	ML 08
Climate	Cwa

Tura (IPA: ˈtʊərə) is a hilly town and a municipality in West Garo Hills district in the Indian state of Meghalaya. One of the largest towns in Meghalaya, Tura is a valley located at the foothills of the Tura Hills and right below the Tura Peak. The climate in Tura is moderate throughout the year and has a large number of interesting and unexplored areas. The native god Durama was believed to reside in the hills.

It is 220 kilometres from the nearest city Guwahati and is also the district capital of the West Garo Hills district. It is filled with small rivulets and green valleys all around. The principal languages are Garo , Hajong and English. The city has 4 colleges and a host of good secondary schools. In 1973, the town was made the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tura.

The capital city of Shillong is 323 kilometres away and can be accessed via buses or the shuttle helicopter service. The border of Bangladesh Dalu, is situated at a proximity of 50 kilometres.

Tura is a cultural and administrative centre of the Garo tribes. To visit popular tourist destinations such as Balpakram, Nokrek and Siju Cave, one needs to pass through this town.

There are many water falls and lot of streams in Tura. Some of the water falls are Rongbangdare, Pelgadare, Gandrak Falls etc. Some of the streams are Rangolwari, Nokmawari, Ganol, Dachima etc.

Geography and climate

Tura is located at 25°31′N 90°13′E / 25.52°N 90.22°E / 25.52; 90.22.^[1] It has an average elevation of 349 metres (1145 feet).

Demographics

The population of Tura city is 75,000 according to census 2011. Garo people form the majority of Tura city population other includes Hajong people , Bangali , Nepali and Biharis. The population of Garo people in the Tura city is 54,750 which makes up 73% of the city population. As of 2011 India census,^[3] Tura had a population of 58,391. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Tura has an average literacy rate of 7%, higher than the national average of 56%: male literacy is 70%, and female literacy is 67%. In Tura, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Connectivity

Tura is situated in the western part of meghalaya which is quite close to the National Border of Bangladesh. Main mode of transport is by road, there are no railways or any scheduled flights from Tura airport. From Guwahati, it is 221 km, through the National Highway 51. Day time Sumo and overnight bus services are available from Guwahati. There is a 3-days-a-week helicopter service available from Guwahati and Shillong, run by Pawan Hans.

Society

Main Residents of Tura are the Garo tribe (Native People) and Hajong tribe . Christianity is the main religion, Almost 100% of the Garos are Christians. There are different Christian denominations like Baptist, Catholic, Seventh Day Adventist, Church of Jesus Christ (COJC), Christian Revival Church (CRC) etc. The Garos have a matrilineal society , whereas Hajongs are Hindus .

Apart from the Garos, Tura also hosts a variety of other tribes like Hajong, Koch, Rabha who are Hindu by religion. There are also considerable number of immigrants such as Bengalis, Assamese, etc.

Schools and colleges

Food and drinks

There are many varieties of food available, the common one is the traditional Garo food. Traditional Garo food includes boiled rice, different preparations of pork, beef, chicken and dry fish. Some of the delicacies of Garo Food are Na·kam Bitchi (it is dry fish curry made with chillies and soda), Gal•da Matchu (Roselle leaves boiled with beef), Gominda Wak (it is Pumpkin cooked with Pork, chillies and soda) Wak Pura (it is pork cooked with crushed rice or rice flour), Kapa (meat fried with soda and boiled with fresh garden spices) Ta'a wakgran (Yam with smoked Pork, chillies and soda), Brenga (Meat cooked inside the bamboo), We'tepa (Meat/Fish/vegetables cooked wrapped in banana leaves), Chambil Wak Pura (Pomelo cooked with Pork and crushed rice), Ta'a wak Haldi rasin (Pork cooked with yam, turmeric powder, chillies and onions), Kalai do'o (Black lentils cooked with Chicken), Me'a nakam (Bamboo shoot with dry fish), Me'a wak Pura (Bamboo Shoot with rice flour) etc.The common delicacies are rice cakes called sakkin (made with locally grown sticky rice and sesame seed)and pitta (made with crushed sticky rice and jaggery), Jakkep (made with sticky rice flour and sesame seeds). There are many variety of locally made drinks. Minil bitchi or Mi bitchi (Rice Beer) (made of fermented sticky rice or normal rice) is one of the most common drink. In fact, there are various indigenous delicacies.

Media and communications

All India Radio has a local station in Tura which transmits various programs of mass interest. Recently, daily local newspapers viz., The Tura Times, Janera and Salantini Ku·rang has been disseminating the information to the whole region of Garo Hills and also to parts of Assam (esp. two districts Kamrup and Goalpara) where the areas are populated with Garo People.

References