Baglung District, a part of Gandaki Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Baglung as its district headquarters, covers an area of 1,784 km2 and has a population (2011) of 268,613.

Introduction

Baglung is surrounded by Parbat, Myagdi, Rukum, Rolpa, Pyuthan and Gulmi districts. It has 59 Village Development Committees and one Municipality. Baglung has the moniker "District of suspension bridges" as there are numerous suspension bridges. It is a hilly district, and most of the population settled on the sides of the rivers. Fertile plains situated on either side of the rivers are used for farming. The headquarters of Baglung District is Baglung Municipality which is located on a plateau overlooking the holy Kali Gandaki. Like Nepal, Baglung is also diverse in religion, culture, ethnicity, altitude, temperature etc. Hinduism and Buddhism are the major religions. Baglung is rich in herbal medicinal plants. Rice, Corn, Millet, Wheat and Potato are the major crops of Baglung. Small scale mining mostly for Iron and Copper was a major activity in Baglung in the past. However, due to the economics of operating small mines most have closed since. Slate mining remains the most widespread form of mining in present times. Baglung Municipality, Hatiya- Galkot and Burtibang are the main trading centers of Baglung. Galkot, Kusma and Burtibang are connected by roads with the district headquarters Baglung Bazaar. Baglung is served by the Nepal Electricity Authority and various small local hydropower plants. Recently, the telephone has been accessible in almost all villages in Baglung. Baglung is considered to be one of the politically most conscious districts and it plays a significant role in Nepali politics.

Geography and climate

The highest temperature at the lowest elevation of Baglung rises up to about 37.5 degrees Celsius in summer and the lowest temperature at Dhorpatan falls up to about −15 degrees Celsius in winter. The elevation of Baglung varies from about 650 meters at Kharbang to about 4,300 meters in Dhorpatan.

Demographics

According to the 2021 Nepal census, Baglung District had a population of 249,211 of which 46.6% male and 53.4% female. Religion: 91.3% were Hindu, 4.9% Buddhist, 2.2% Prakriti, 1.2% Christian, 0.3% Muslim and 0.1% others. Ethnicity/caste: 30% were Magar, 18.1% Chhetri, 17.9% Vishwakarma, 15.3% Hill Brahmin, 6% Mijar, 4.8% Pariyar, 1.6% Thakuri, 1.3% Chhantyal, 1.04% Newar, 0.7% Kumal people and 3.26% others. As their first language, 94.2% spoke Nepali, 2.3% Magar, 1.8% Kham, 0.4% Chhantyal, 0.4% Newar, 0.2% Tamang, 0.2% Bhojpuri, 0.1% Gurung, 0.1% Tharu and 0.3% other languages. Literacy: 80% could read and write, 1.07% could only read and 18.9% could neither read nor write.

Administration

The district consists of 10 Municipalities, out of which four are urban municipalities and six are rural municipalities. These are as follows:

Former Village Development Committees

Prior to the restructuring of the district, Baglung consisted of the following municipalities and Village development committees:

2015 Nepal earthquake

The district was moderately affected by an April 2015 Nepal earthquake. Many old buildings sustained damages and a few collapsed. Since then many of the buildings have been rebuilt by the owners.