Baglung District, a part of Dhawalagiri Zone, is one of the seventy-five districts of Nepal, a landlocked country of South Asia. The district, with Baglung as its district headquarters, covers an area of 1,784 km² and has a population (2011) of 268,613. Baglung is surrounded by Parvat, Myagdi, Rukum, Ropla, Pyuthan and Gulmi districts. It looks like Nepal in shape. It has 59 Village Development Committees and one Municipality. It has many rivers and streams and so, many suspension bridges. Baglung is also known as the district of suspension bridges because of the large number of bridges. It is a hilly district, most of the population settled in the sides of the rivers. Fertile planes situated in the either sides of the rivers are used for farming. Headquarter of Baglung (Baglung Bazaar) is also situated in the bank of the holy river- Kaligandaki. Like Nepal, Baglung is also diverse in religion, culture, ethnicity, altitude, temperature etc. Hinduism and Buddhism are the major religions. Magar, Chhetri, Bramhan, Newar, Gurung, Chhantyal and Thakali are the main ethnic groups living in Baglung. Highest temperature in the lowest altutude 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. Altitude of Baglung varies from about 650 meters at Kharbang to about 4,300 meters in Dhorpatan.
Baglung is rich in herbal medicine plants. Rice, corn, millet, wheat and potato are the major crops of baglung.There were many mines in use in Baglung in the past; Iron and Copper mines being the most prevalent. But they are not in use for long time because of the heedlessness of the government. There are numerous slate mines in use in Baglung. These slates are excellent for roofing.
Baglung Bazaar, Hatiya- Galkot, Kushmi Sera and Burtibang are the main trading centers of Baglung. Galkot, Kushmi Sera and Burtibang are connected with the district headquarter Baglung Bazaar by raw roads. Small part of Baglung is electrified by Nepal Electricity Authority and some other parts are electrified by small local hydroplants. Recently, telephone has been accessible in almost all villages of Baglung.
The town also known as Baglung Bazar is situated on a plateau overlooking the Kali Gandaki valley. It has been a quaint trading town since ancient times frequented by traders from north and south. More recently, it is visited by tourists seeking to trek to Annapurna,Dhaulagiri, Dhorpatan and Dolpo. Baglung is connected to Beni Bazar of Myagdi to the north and Kusma Bazar of Parbat which are located 13 km to the north and 12 km to the south, respectively. A well-paved but winding highway connects the town with Pokhara, 72 km to the east. Highways to connect Jomsom, Mustang, Tibet to the north, Rukum via Burtibang and Dhorpatan to the west and Sera Bazar via airport (probably will see an extension to Palpa) to the south are under construction. Baglung airport, now defunct, is located 12 km to the south of the town. This was the only connection to the outside world before completion of the highway. Above the airport is the village of Rokas (rokapala/rokathar) and on the mountain lies the famous shrine of Lord Bhairav. The latter is a long walk up the mountain through Paiyunpata (where the High school is located) taking 4-5 hours. Once at the top one has a breathtaking view of the surrounding himalayas and Kusma Bazaar. Baglung has experienced a rapid expansion after the completion of Pokhara-Baglung Highway in the mid-90s. There is now a summer road that connects Baglung to Chaura—where the airport is located.
History of Baglung can be traced back to early 16th century. King Pratapi Nayayan of Galkot married the princess of Palpa. The king brought goddess kali along with him as dowry. Legend follows, nobody was able to carry the sword of Kali. A youth from Kunwar chhetri family was finally able to carry the sword. He was given the honorary title of Khadka (‘khadga’ meaning the sword). One night when the wedding procession reached where Baglung is today, the king had a dream. In his dream goddess Kali said she liked the place and wished to stay there. The king then built a temple in honor of goddess Kali and designated the Khadka as caretaker. This was in 1590 B.S. (1533 A.D.). Significant population of Khadka Chhetris can be found in Baglung till date. The strategic location of Baglung soon helped it to grow into a trading town. King Pratapi Narayan also started the tradition of holding an annual fair during ‘Chaitre Dashain‘. The fair is still held annually and draws thousands of visitors every year during the two day event. Baglung remained to stay a major trading point in Parvat kingdom, where merchants from south came to trade for salt brought by Traders from Tibet. Major trade was carried along the Kali Gandaki valley between India and Tibet by Thakali people. Newar merchants migrated to Baglung from Bhaktapur in 18th century. Baglung became part of Greater Nepal(बिशाल नेपाल Bishal Nepal) under unification war led by King Prithvi Narayan Shah. Under unified Nepal, several government offices were established and the town was designated as administrative headquarters of the region. Since then it has remained the most important political and economic town in the Dhaulagiri Zone.