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The Marma people are the second-largest ethnic community/ indigenous minority group in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts, primarily residing in the Bandarban, Khagrachari and Rangamati Hill Districts. Some Marmas live in Chittagong border area of CHT like Rangunia and Fatikchari as well as Some Marmas live in Bangladesh's coastal districts of Cox's Bazar and Patuakhali, while others live in State of Tripura, India and Myanmar. They are living both in the plain and hill areas. There are over 210,000 Marmas living in Bangladesh. Since the 16th century, the Marma have considered the Chittagong Hill Tracts their home, where they have established the Bohmong and Mong Circles (chiefdoms).

There has been a long-standing desire to learn about the history and culture of the Marma people, but this has not been possible due to the lack of written books or documents on the subject. When I studied history at the University of Chittagong, I felt terrible for knowing about the history of the Marma community. Because we can learn about the ancient civilizations of different nations and community about their social, cultural, economic and religious activities from different history books. But it was not possible to know about the ancient civilization of the Marma people as there was no written history book of the history of the Marma people. I completed BA Honors and Masters in History from Chittagong University in 2004, then wanted to study Marma history with a higher degree. It was no longer possible due to family financial difficulties. I have been involved with various NGOs, INGOs and UN agencies for almost 12 years. Today the corona virus suddenly came and the whole world came to a standstill, all the offices were closed and locked down. During these three months of lockdown, there has been an opportunity to conduct fact-finding research on the history of the Marmas by collecting data from accessible history books and online. I have tried to write the history of the Marma people by incorporating the knowledge and information gained from this online based research. It is difficult to write detailed research in a short time. If the history of the Marma people revealed in this study is of any use to anyone, it is the result of my three months of untiring work and hard work. Hopefully, those who are interested in learning about the Marma people or the Marma tribes will find this information very useful. If I have the opportunity to do research on the Marma community in the future, I will probably try to write more detailed data. This research work focusing on the historical, cultural, and social history of the Marma people in Bangladesh.


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