Para (Bengali)

Para is a Bengali word (পাড়া) which means a neighbourhood or locality, usually characterised by a strong sense of community.^[1] The names of several localities in cities and villages of West Bengal, Bangladesh and Tripura end with the suffix para. Historically, paras often consisted of people of similar livelihood; for example, muchipara means a para where most of the people are Muchis (cobblers). Again, some paras were based on caste; for example, Bamunpara means a para where Brahmins live. However, with the decline of caste-based segregation in India, this form of para has lost much of its significance.

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