Para (Bengali)

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Para is a Bengali word which means a neighbourhood or locality, usually characterised by a strong sense of community. The names of several localities in the cities and villages of West Bengal, Bangladesh and Tripura end with the suffix Para. Historically, paras often consisred of people from similar livelyhood, for example, muchipara meaning a para where most of the people are muchi (cobbler). Again, some para were based on the caste of the people living there. For example, Bamunpara meaning a para where mostly Brahmins live. However, these days paras have lost this significance.

In cities, a person may refer to his neighbourhood as his "para".