Badgam (Kashmir)
‘Large Village’ [Badgom, Budgam] City/District, Jammu & Kashmir
From Skt: bṛhat, ‘large’, ‘great’; and grāma, ‘village’.
There are two other possibilities:
(i) Buddhagrama [from Buddha and Skt: grāma, ‘village’].
(ii) ‘Windy Village’ [from Per: bād, ‘wind’ and Skt: grāma, ‘village’].
Badgam was an important town during Kashmir’s Buddhist and Hindu periods and the archaeological recordcontains many important stupas and temples.
The district is home to Dhoodpathri and Yusmarg, two picturesque meadows that were first mentioned in historical texts and even today are renowned for their beauty.
In the medieval period, Islam spread to the region, and Badgam became an important center for Sufi traditions and the district’s mosques and Sufi shrines are important sites for the region’s Muslim population.
For related place names see Indian Place names and Jammu & Kashmir place names.
