As of 2017, Bubak has a population of 5,563, in 1,152 households,[2] while the total population of the Bubak union council is 28,776.[3] It is the seat of a tappedar circle, which also includes the villages of Jaffarabad and Jaheja.[2]
Name
The name "Bubak" is alternately derived from its supposed Jamot founder or from a plant that grows near the town.[4] Historically, Bubak was also known as Bubakan.[6]
The trematodeParamonostomum bubaki is named after Bubak, as it was originally discovered in the waters of nearby Lake Manchar in 2006.[7]
History
During the reign of the Samma dynasty ruler Jam Nizamuddin II, aka Jam Nindo, the peasants of Bubak constructed a massive dam south of Lake Machar under the supervision of Darya Khan, the Jam's commander-in-chief.[8]
Under the Mughal Empire, Bubak (or Bubakan) was the seat of a pargana; its inhabitants were considered relatively recent converts to Islam.[9] Later, during the era of the Talpur dynasty, the madrasa at Bubak was one of the most prominent in Sindh.[6]
Bubak was made a municipality in July 1854.[4] It was hit hard by an outbreak of cholera in 1869.[4]
Around 1874, Bubak's population was estimated at 4,234 people, including 4,120 Hindus and 114 Muslims.[4] The Muslims mainly belonged to the Kori, Chaki, Jamot, and Machhi tribes, while the Hindus were mainly Brahmins and Lohanos.[4] The population was mainly employed in agriculture and trade.[4] At the time, Bubak was surrounded by a large moat which was intended to protect against inundation from the waters of Lake Manchar; such inundation had already claimed some of the best farmland outside the town, leading to the financial decline of the zamindars.[4] Bubak was then well known for its carpets and bhang, although it was not a significant commercial centre in its own right.[4] It had a government vernacular school, a police outpost with three officers, and a cattle pound at the time.[4]
