Totopara name comes from the Toto tribes. The majority people lived in Totopara belong to the Toto community. Some Nepalese are also there, but it is very minimum populous. The total area of Totopara is nearly 8 square kilometres, which is located on the northern fringe of Jaldapara National Park (formerly Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary), one of the famous wildlife in Dooars and Southern area of the indo-Bhutan borderline for the largest population of the Indian One-Horned Rhinoceros in West Bengal.
There is a river Torsha flowing to the east of the village. Totopara divided into six small parts or sectors; they called it Gram or Gaon (Villages) namely, Panchayatgaon, Mandolgaon, Subbagaon, Mitranggaon, Pujagaon and Dumchigaon. Subbagaon is a Nepali-speaking dominated village and the people belong to the Limbu community of Gorkha. A primary school, a High School with hostel facilities and a primary Health Centre are there in Totopara. Total numbers of 1,184 Totos (according to with 2001 census) live in nearly 200 houses in Totopara. As on 2013, the numbers of Totos had increased to 1,346 (unauthorised source) and all of them lived in Totopara.
Toto people belong in the Indo-Bhutanese tribal community. It is a very primitive inheritance, considered as Mongoloid people. Now a day's all Toto people concentrate in Totopara, 22 km away from Madarihat, Alipurduar District. They have flat nose, small eye, broad and square cheeks, thick lips and black iris.
Toto tribes believed in joint family system as like as other Indian communities people, but nuclear family are also available. Monogamy is common form of marriage among the Toto but polygamy is not prohibited. Among the Totos love marriage is also acceptable. But divorce system is not accepted by them. One can remarry after one year of his or her spouse’s death. A man can marry his deceased wife's sister but a woman must not marry her deceased husband’s brother. Totos are very much conscious and conservative about their tribal identity, and marriage with other community people is not acceptable. In general four types of marriage are available in Toto community - marriage by negotiation (Thulbehoea), marriage by escape (Chor-behoea), marriage by capture (Sambehoea) and love marriage (Lamalami).
A traditional Toto house builds with bamboo, straw and clay. These are hut with four folded roof make with straw, and all roofs are joined at the top elevation and decline towards the side wall. Kitchen and cattle-and-poultry house remain separate from the main living house.
