Physical Geography of Assam

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Assam Valley and Environs This article discusses the geological origin, geomorphic characteristics, and climate of the northeastern Indian state of Assam. Assam, extending from 89 42 E to 96 E longitude and 24 8 N to 28 2 N latitude, has an area of 78,438 km, similar to that of Ireland or Austria.

Contents
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1 Geologic and geomorphic origin 2 Physiography 3 Mineral resources 4 Climatic characteristics 5 Biogeography and biodiversity 6 Natural disasters 7 External links

[edit] Geologic and geomorphic origin

Plate Movements and Rise of the Himalayas Geologically, as per the plate techtonics, Assam is in the eastern most projection of the Indian Plate, where it thrusts underneath the Eurasian Plate creating a subduction zone. It is postulated that due to the northeasterly movement of the Indian plate, the sedimentary layers of an ancient geocyncline called the Tethys (in between Indian and Eurasian Plates) were pushed upward to form the Himalayas. It is estimated that the height of the Himalayas is increasing by 4 cm each year. Therefore, Assam possesses a special geomorphic environment, with large plains and dissected hills of the South Indian Plateau system abutting the Himalayas to the north, north-east and east. Geomorphic studies also conclude that the Brahmaputra is a paleo-river, older than the Himalayas, which often crosses higher altitudes in the Himalayas eroding at a greater pace than the increase in the height of the mountain range to sustain its flow. The height of the surrounding regions still increasing forming steep gorges in Arunachal.

[edit] Physiography

The Braided River Brahmaputra Entering Assam, the Brahmaputra becomes a braided river, and, along with its tributaries, creates the flood plain of the Brahmaputra Valley. The Brahmaputra Valley in Assam is approximately

80 to 100 km wide and almost 1000 km long. The width of the river itself is 16 km at many places within the valley. The hills of Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao district and those in and around Guwahati and North Guwahati (along with the Khasi and Garo Hills) are originally parts of the South Indian Plateau system. These are eroded and dissected by the numerous rivers in the region. Average height of these hills in Assam varies from 300 to 400m. The southern Barak Valley is separated by the Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills from the Brahmaputra Valley in Assam. The Barak originates from the Barail Range in the border areas of Assam, Nagaland and Manipur and flowing through the district of Cachar, it confluences with the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh. Barak Valley in Assam is a small valley with an average width and length of approximately 40 to 50 km.

[edit] Mineral resources

Assam is endowed with petroleum, natural gas, coal, limestone and many other minor minerals such as magnetic quartzite, kaolin, sillimanites, clay and feldspar. A small quantity of iron ore is also available in western parts of Assam. The Upper Assam districts are major reserves of oil and gas. Petroleum was discovered in Assam in 1889. It is estimated that Assam and surrounding region possess around 150 million tonnes of petroleum reserves. Presently, Assam is the 3rd largest producer of petroleum (crude) and natural gas in the country accounting for 16 % and 8% respectively of the total production of this mineral in the country. A Tertiary coal belt is located in Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts with an estimated reserve of 370 million tonnes. Assam coal is friable in nature and has a high sulphur content. It is mainly utilised by local railways, steamers, and hydro power stations. Low moisture, low volatile cooking coal has been discovered in the Hallidayganj Singrimari area. Assam has rich limestone reserves. The major reserves of limestone are in Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong districts. A total reserve of 97 million tonnes of limestone has been found in these two districts and almost half of the reserve is of cement grade. Moreover, there is an estimated reserve of 365 million tonnes of limestone near Umrangshu in Dima Hasao district. Among the minor minerals, there are quartzite reserves in the Nagaon district, kaolin reserves in Karbi Anglong and the Lakhimpur districts and sillimanite-bearing rocks in Karbi Anglong district.

[edit] Climatic characteristics

With the 'Tropical Monsoon Rainforest Climate', Assam is a temperate region and experiences heavy rainfall and humidity. Winter lasts from late October to late February. The minimum

temperature is 6 to 8 degrees Celsius. Nights and early mornings are foggy, and rain is scanty. Summer starts in mid May, accompanied by high humidity and rainfall. The maximum temperature is 35 to 38 degrees Celsius, but the frequent rain reduces this. The peak of the monsoons is during June. Thunderstorms known as Bordoicila are frequent during the afternoons. Spring and Autumn with moderate temperatures and modest rainfall are the most comfortable seasons.

[edit] Biogeography and biodiversity

A White-winged Wood Duck or Deuhnah

A Golden Langur Main article: Biodiversity of Assam Assam is one of the richest biodiversity zones in the world. There are a number of tropical rainforests in Assam. Moreover, there are riverine grass lands, bamboo orchards and numerous wetland ecosystems. Many of these areas have been protected by developing national parks and reserved forests. The Kaziranga and Manas are the two World Heritage Sites in the region. The Kaziranga is the home for the rare Indian Rhinoceros, while Manas is a tiger sanctuary. Apart from the rhinoceros and the tiger, the spotted deer or chital / Futukihorina (Axix axix), the swamp deer or Dolharina (Cervus duvauceli duvauceli), the clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), the hoolock gibbon or Holoubandor, pygmy hog or Nol-gahori (Sus salvanis), the wild buffalo, the hispid hare, the golden langur (Chloropsis cochinchinensis), the golden cat, the giant civet, the binturong, the hog badger, the civet cat and the porcupine are all found in the state. Moreover, there are abundant numbers of Gangetic dolphins, mongooses, giant squirrels and pythons. A few of the major birds in Assam are: the bluthroated barbet or hetuluka (Megalaima asiatica), the white-winged wood duck or deuhnah (Cairina scultulata), the ring-tailed fishing eagle or kuruwa (Haliaeetus leucorythus), the great pied hornbill or rajdhonesh (Buceros bicornis

homrai), the Himalayan golden-backed three-toed woodpecker or barhoituka (Dinopium shorii shorii), and the migratory pelican. Assam is also known for orchids and also for valuable plant species and forest products.

[edit] Natural disasters

The region is also prone to natural disasters. High rainfall, deforestation, and other factors which have resulted in annual floods. These often cause widespread loss of life, livelihood and property. The region is also prone to earthquakes: mild tremors are common, but strong earthquakes are rare. There have been three strong earthquakes: in 1869 the bank of the Barak sank by 15 ft. In 1897 there was a tremor which measured 8.1 on the Richter scale, and another in 1950 which measured 8.6.

[edit] External links

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search For the tea, see Assam tea. For the silk, see Assam silk. For the oil, see Assam oil.

Assam
State

Seal

Location of Assam in India

Map of Assam

Coordinates (Dispur): 91.77ECoordinates: Country

2608N 9146E / 26.14N 2608N 9146E / 26.14N 91.77E India

Established Capital Largest city Districts Government[*] Governor Chief Minister Legislature Parliamentary constituency High Court Area Total Area rank Population (2011) Total Rank Density Time zone ISO 3166 code HDI HDI rank Literacy Official languages Website

15 August 1947 (64 years ago) Dispur Guwahati 27 J B Patnaik Tarun Gogoi (INC) Unicameral (126 seats) 14 Gauhati High Court 78,550 km2 (30,328.3 sq mi) 16th 31,169,272 14th 396.8/km2 (1,027.7/sq mi) IST (UTC+05:30) IN-AS 0.534 (medium) 22nd (2005) 76.3% (9th) Assamese; Bodo (in Bodoland)
[1]

assam.gov.in

^[*] Assam has had a legislature since 1937 ^[*] Assam is one of the original provinces of British India

Assam (Assamese [Asom] ( listen)),[dubious discuss] also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province (British India), is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country. Assam was one of the original provinces[2] of British ruled Indian sub-continent as well as present day India[3], having a legislature that dates back to 1937. However, present day Assam has undergone numerous territory alignment changes, with its state map being altered the highest number of times when compared to any other provincial level changes that have occured in Independent India. Known for exquisite natural resources, geography and its important role in India's freedom struggle; Assam has its capital as Dispur, an especialized city circuit region located on the outskirts of its largest metropolis, Guwahati. Located south of the eastern Himalayas, Assam comprises the Brahmaputra and the Barak river valleys along with the Karbi Anglong and the Dima Hasao district with an area of 30,285 square miles (78,440 km2). Assam is surrounded by six of the other Seven Sister States: Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and

Meghalaya. These states are connected to the rest of India via a narrow strip in West Bengal called the Siliguri Corridor or "Chicken's Neck".[4] Assam also shares international borders with Bhutan and Bangladesh; and cultures, peoples and climate with South-East Asia important elements in Indias Look East policy. Assam became a part of India after the British occupied the region following the First Anglo-Burmese War of 18241826.

Known for Assam tea, large and old petroleum resources, Assam silk and for its rich biodiversity, Assam gets royalty from the government of India for its contribution to tea and other resources. However, the royalty contribution may not be in equal ratio with respect to production if compared against the recent price hikes in fuels and current market trends.[5] When comes to wildlife, Assam too has successfully conserved the one-horned Indian rhinoceros from near extinction, along with the tiger and numerous species of birds, and it provides one of the last wild habitats for the Asian elephant. It is becoming an increasingly popular destination for wildlife tourism, and Kaziranga and Manas are both World Heritage Sites.[6] Assam was also known for its Sal tree forests and forest products, much depleted now. A land of high rainfall, Assam is endowed with lush greenery and the mighty river Brahmaputra, whose tributaries and oxbow lakes provide the region with a unique hydro-geomorphic and aesthetic environment.

Contents
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1 Etymology 2 Physical geography 3 History o 3.1 Pre-history o 3.2 Ancient and medieval o 3.3 British Assam o 3.4 Post British 4 Tea history 5 Subdivisions 6 Demographics 7 Religions o 7.1 Hinduism o 7.2 Islam o 7.3 Christianity o 7.4 Sikhism o 7.5 Buddhism 8 Culture and its evolution 9 Symbolism 10 Languages 11 Festivals

12 Performing arts 13 Literature 14 Traditional crafts 15 Fine arts 16 Economy o 16.1 Macro-economy o 16.2 Agriculture o 16.3 Industry 17 Education o 17.1 Universities o 17.2 Medical Colleges o 17.3 Government Technology and Engineering College o 17.4 Law Academy 18 Places o 18.1 Cities and towns 19 Tourism o 19.1 Main destinations o 19.2 Attractive destinations 20 See also 21 Notes and references 22 Further reading 23 External links

[edit] Etymology
Main article: Etymology of Assam Assam was known as Pragjyotisha in the Mahabharata; and Kamarupa in the 1st millennium which ruled Assam for almost 800 years. The academic consensus is that the current name is associated with the Ahom rulers who reigned for nearly six hundred years, as evidenced from Satyendra Nath Sarma's quote from Banikanta Kakati:[7] "While the Shan invaders called themselves Tai, they came to be referred to as sm, sam and sometimes as Acam by the indigenous people of the country. The modern Assamese word hom by which the Tai people are known is derived from sm or sam. The epithet applied to the Shan conquerors was subsequently transferred to the country over which they ruled and thus the name Kmarpa was replaced by sm, which ultimately took the Sanskritized form Asama, meaning 'unequalled, peerless or uneven'." While a different school of thought emphasis that it derived from Sanskrit word "Asama" meaning unequal as referring to its geology which is equal mix of river valleys and hills. The British province after 1838 and the Indian state after 1947 came to be known as Assam. For the many theories on the origin of the name, see the main article Etymology of Assam.

On 27 February 2006, the Government of Assam started a process to change the name of the state to Asom or Axom,[8] a controversial move that has been opposed by the people and political organizations.[9]

[edit] Physical geography

Main article: Physical Geography of Assam See also: Biodiversity of Assam

Assam and its Environs: As per the plate tectonics, Assam is in the eastern-most projection of the Indian Plate, where the plate is thrusting underneath the Eurasian Plate creating a subduction zone and the Himalayas.[10] Therefore, Assam possesses a unique geomorphic environment, with plains, dissected hills of the South Indian Plateau system and with the Himalayas all around its north, north-east and east. Geomorphic studies conclude that the Brahmaputra, the life-line of Assam is an antecedent river, older than the Himalayas. The river with steep gorges and rapids in Arunachal Pradesh entering Assam, becomes a braided river (at times 10 mi/16 km wide) and with tributaries, creates a flood plain (Brahmaputra Valley: 5060 mi/80100 km wide, 600 mi/1000 km long).[11] The hills of Karbi Anglong, North Cachar and those in and close to Guwahati (also Khasi-Garo Hills) now eroded and dissected are originally parts of the South Indian Plateau system.[11] In the south, the Barak originating in the Barail Range (Assam-Nagaland border) flows through the Cachar district with a 2530 miles (4050 km) wide valley and enters Bangladesh with the name Surma. Assam is endowed with petroleum, natural gas, coal, limestone and other minor minerals such as magnetic quartzite, kaolin, sillimanites, clay and feldspar.[12] A small quantity of iron ore is available in western districts.[12] Discovered in 1889, all the major petroleum-gas reserves are in Upper parts. A recent USGS estimate shows 399 million barrels (63,400,000 m3) of oil, 1,178 billion cubic feet (3.341010 m3) of gas and 67 million barrels (10,700,000 m3) of natural gas liquids in the Assam Geologic Province.[13] With the Tropical Monsoon Rainforest Climate, Assam is temperate (summer max. at 95100 F or 3538 C and winter min. at 4346 F or 68 C) and experiences heavy rainfall and high humidity.[11][14] The climate is characterized by heavy monsoon downpours reducing summer temperatures and affecting foggy nights and mornings in winters. Thunderstorms known as

Bordoicila are frequent during the afternoons. Spring (MarApr) and Autumn (SeptOct) are usually pleasant with moderate rainfall and temperature. Assam is one of the richest biodiversity zones in the world and consists of tropical rainforests,[15] deciduous forests, riverine grasslands,[16] bamboo[17] orchards and numerous wetland[18] ecosystems; Many are now protected as national parks and reserved forests. The Kaziranga, home of the rare Indian Rhinoceros, and Manas are two UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Assam. The state is the last refuge for numerous other endangered species such as the Golden Langur (Presbetis geei), White-winged Wood Duck or Deohanh (Cairina scutulata), Bengal Florican, Black-breasted Parrotbill, Pygmy Hog, Greater Adjutant and so on. Some other endangered species with significant population in Assam are the tiger, elephant, Hoolock gibbon, Jerdon's Babbler and so on to name a few. For the State Bird, the White-winged Wood Duck, Assam is a globally important area.[19] Assam is also known for orchids.[20] The state has the largest population of the Wild Water Buffalo in the world.[21] The state also has the highest diversity of birds in India with around 820 species.[22] With subspecies the number is as high as 946.[23] The mammal diversity in Assam is also high with around 190 species[24] The region is prone to natural disasters with annual floods and frequent mild earthquakes. Strong earthquakes are rare; three of which were recorded in 1869, 1897 (8.1 on the Richter scale); and in 1950 (8.6).

A view of the Brahmaputra river.

An Indian Rhinoceros at Kaziranga National Park.

Areca nut or Tamul; the seed of the Areca catechu is an important element of cultural symbolism.

A Golden Langur; endangered and found in the Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary in Dhubri district and in the pea-cock island of Guwahati.

A White-winged Wood Duck or Deohanh, endangered. Mostly found in the Upper Assam Tropical Forests.

A tea garden of Assam

[edit] History
Main article: History of Assam

[edit] Pre-history

A ferocious lion excavated in Madan Kamdev close to Baihata Chariali in Assam representing the powerful Kamarupa-Palas (c. 9th10th century AD)

Assam and adjoining regions have evidences of human settlements from all the periods of the Stone ages. The hills at the height of 1,5002,000 feet (460 to 615 m) were popular habitats probably due to availability of exposed doleritic basalt useful for tool-making.[25] According to the Kalika Purana (c.17th18th AD), written in Assam, the earliest ruler of Assam was Mahiranga Danav followed by Hatak, Sambar, Ratna and Ghatak; Naraka removed this line of rulers and established his own Naraka dynasty. It mentions that the last of the Naraka-bhauma rulers, Narak, was slain by Krishna. Naraka's son Bhagadatta, mentioned in the Mahabharata, fought for the Kauravas in the battle of Kurukshetra with an army of kiratas, chinas and dwellers of the eastern coast. Later rulers of Kamarupa frequently drew their lineage from the Naraka rulers. However, there are lots of evidences to say that Mahayana Buddhism was prominent in ancient Assam. After Hi-uen Shang's visit Mahayana Buddhism came to Assam. Relics of Tezpur, Malini Than, Kamakhya and Madan Kam Dev Temple are the evidences of Mahayana Buddhism.

[edit] Ancient and medieval

The Ahom Kingdom, c. 1826 Ancient Assam, known as Kamarupa, was ruled by powerful dynasties: the Varmanas (c. 350 650 AD), the Salstambhas (Xalostombho, c. 655900 AD) and the Kamarupa-Palas (c. 9001100 AD). In the reign of the Varman king, Bhaskaravarman (c. 600650 AD), the Chinese traveler Xuan Zang visited the region and recorded his travels. Later, after weakening and disintegration (after the Kamarupa-Palas), the Kamarupa tradition was somewhat extended till c. 1255 AD by the Lunar I (c. 11201185 AD) and Lunar II (c. 11551255 AD) dynasties.[25] Two later dynasties, the Ahoms and the Koch left larger impacts. The Ahoms, a Tai group, ruled Assam for nearly 600 years (12281826 AD) and the Koch, a Tibeto-Burmese, established sovereignty in c. 1510 AD. The Koch kingdom in western Assam and present North Bengal was at its zenith in the early reign of Naranarayana (c. 15401587 AD). It split into two in c. 1581 AD, the western part as a Moghul vassal and the eastern as an Ahom satellite state. Since c. 13th AD, the nerve centre of Ahom polity was upper Assam; the kingdom was gradually extended till Karatoya River in the c. 17th18th AD. It was at its zenith during the reign of Sukhrungpha or Sworgodeu Rudra Simha (c. 16961714 AD). Among other dynasties, the Sutiya Kingdom ruled north-eastern Assam and parts of present Arunachal Pradesh and the Kacharis ruled from Dikhow River to central and southern Assam. With expansion of Ahom kingdom, by c. 1520 AD the Sutiyas areas were annexed and since c. 1536 AD Kacharis

remained only in Cachar and North Cachar more as an Ahom ally then a competing force. Despite numerous invasions, mostly by the Muslim rulers, no western power ruled Assam until the arrival of the British. Though the Mughals made seventeen attempts to invade they were not successful. The most successful invader Mir Jumla, a governor of Aurangzeb, briefly occupied Garhgaon (c. 166263 AD), the then capital, but found it difficult to control people making guerrilla attacks on his forces, forcing them to leave. The decisive victory of the Assamese led by the great general Lachit Borphukan on the Mughals, then under command of Raja Ram Singha at Saraighat (1671) had almost ended Mughal ambitions in this region. Mughals were finally expelled in c. 1682 AD from lower Assam.

[edit] British Assam

A map of the British Indian Empire in 1909 during the partition of Bengal (19051911), showing British India in two shades of pink (coral and pale) and the princely states in yellow. The Assam Province (initially as the Province of Eastern Bengal and Assam) can be seen towards the northeastern side of India. Ahom palace intrigue and political turmoil due to the Moamoria rebellion aided the Burmese to invade Assam and install Chandra Kanta Singh as a puppet king in 1817. In 1821, Singh switched his allegiance to the British, leading the Burmese to invade again. The Burmese defeated the Assamese army in 1822, and made Assam a Burmese province under a military governor-general.[26][27] With the Burmese having reached the East India Companys borders, the First Anglo-Burmese War ensued in 1824. The war ended under the Treaty of Yandabo[28] in 1826, with the Company taking control of Lower Assam and installing Purander Singh as king of Upper Assam in 1833. The arrangement lasted till 1838 and thereafter the British gradually annexed the entire region. Initially Assam was made a part of the Bengal Presidency, then in 1906 it was a part of Eastern Bengal and Assam province, and in 1912 it was reconstituted into a Chief Commissioners' province. In 1913, a Legislative Council and in 1937 the Assam Legislative Assembly were formed in Shillong, the erstwhile capital of the region. The British tea planters imported labour from central India adding to the demographic canvas. After few initial unsuccessful attempts to free Assam during the 1850s, the Assamese since early 20th century joined and actively supported the Indian National Congress against the British. At the turn of the 20th century, British India consisted of eight provinces that were administered either by a Governor or a Lieutenant-Governor. The Assam Province was one amongst those

major eight provinces of British India. The following table lists their areas and populations (but does not include those of the dependent Native States): [29] During the partition of Bengal (19051911), a new province, Assam and East Bengal, was created as a Lieutenant-Governorship. In 1911, East Bengal was reunited with Bengal, and the new provinces in the east became: Assam, Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.[29] Table hereafter shows the major original provinces during British India that includes the Assam Province: Province of British Area (in thousands of Population (in millions of India[29] square miles) inhabitants) Burma 170 9 Bengal 151 75 Madras 142 38 Bombay 123 19 United Provinces 107 48 Central Provinces 104 13 and Berar Punjab 97 20 Assam 49 6 Chief Administrative Officer Lieutenant-Governor Lieutenant-Governor Governor-in-Council Governor-in-Council Lieutenant-Governor Chief Commissioner Lieutenant-Governor Chief Commissioner

In 1947, Assam including the present Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya became a state of the Union of India (princely states, Manipur and Tripura became Group C provinces) and a district of Assam, Sylhet, chose to join Pakistan.

[edit] Post British

Assam till 1950s; The new states of Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram formed in the 1960-70s. From Shillong, the capital of Assam was shifted to Dispur, now a part of Guwahati. After the Indo-China war in 1962, Arunachal Pradesh was also separated out. Since 1947, with increasing economic problems in the region, separatist groups began forming along ethnic lines, and demands for autonomy and sovereignty grew, resulting into fragmentation of Assam. Since the mid-20th century, people from present Bangladesh have been migrating to Assam. In 1961, the Government of Assam passed a legislation making use of Assamese language compulsory. It had to be withdrawn later under pressure from Bengali speaking people in Cachar. In the 1980s the Brahmaputra valley saw a six-year Assam Agitation[30] triggered by the discovery of a sudden rise in registered voters on electoral rolls. It tried to force the government to identify and deport foreigners illegally migrating from neighboring Bangladesh and changing the demographics. The agitation ended after an accord between its leaders and the Union Government, which remained unimplemented, causing simmering discontent.[31] The post 1970s experienced the growth of armed separatist groups like United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA)[30] and National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB). In November 1990, the Government of India deployed the Indian army, after which low-intensity military conflicts and political homicides have been continuing for more than a decade. In recent times, ethnicity based militant groups (UPDS, HPDC etc.) have also mushroomed. Regional autonomy has been ensured for Bodo-kacahri community in Bodoland Territorial Council Areas (BTC) and for the Karbis in Karbi Anglong after agitation of the communities due to sluggish rate of development and general apathy of successive state governments towards indigenous communities.

A typical octagonal Ahom coin of Ahom Dynasty.

Rang Ghar, a pavilion built by Sunenphaa Pramatta Singha (17441751) in Ahom capital Rongpur, now Sibsagar; the Rang Ghar is one of the earliest pavilions of outdoor stadia in South Asia.

[edit] Tea history

Main article: Assam tea

This 1850 engraving shows the different stages in the process of making tea in Assam

Tea leaves Assam produces a significant portion of the world's tea After discovery of Camellia sinensis (1834) in Assam followed by its tests in 183637 in London, the British allowed companies to rent land since 1839. Thereafter tea plantations mushroomed in Upper Assam, where the soil and the climate were most suitable. Problems with the imported laborers from China and hostilities of native Assamese resulted into migration of forced laborers from central-eastern parts of India. After initial trial and error with planting the Chinese and the Assamese-Chinese hybrid varieties, the planters later accepted the local Camellia assamica as the most suitable one for Assam. By 1850s, the industry started seeing some profits. Industry saw initial growth, when in 1861, investors were allowed to own land in Assam and it saw substantial progress with invention of new technologies and machinery for preparing processed tea during 1870s. The cost of Assam tea was lowered down many folds and became more competitive than its Chinese variant. Despite the commercial success, tea laborers continued to be exploited, working and living under poor conditions. Fearful of greater government interference, the tea growers formed the Indian Tea Association in 1888 to lobby to retain the status quo. The organization was very successful in this, and even after Indias independence conditions of the laborers have improved very little.
[32]

[edit] Subdivisions

Districts of Assam. Note that since 2001, four new districts have been created: Baksa, Chirang, Udalguri and Kamrup (metropolitan); and Kamrup has been renamed Kamrup (rural) Main article: Districts of Assam Assam is divided into 27 administrative districts.[33] More than half of these districts were carved out during 80s and 90s from original 1. Lakhimpur, 2. Jorhat, 3. Karbi Anglong, 4. Darrang, 5. Nagaon, 6. Kamrup, 7. Goalpara, 8. North Cachar and 9. Cachar districts, delineated by the British. Earlier, during 70s, Dibrugarh was separated out from original Lakhimpur district. These districts are further sub-divided into 49 Sub-divisions or Mohkuma.[33] Every district is administered from a district head quarter with the office of the District Collector, District Magistrate, Office of the District Panchayat and usually with a district court. The districts are delineated on the basis of the features such as the rivers, hills, forests, etc. and majority of the newly constituted districts are sub-divisions of the earlier districts. For the present districts of Assam and their location, refer the attached map. The local governance system is organised under the jila-parishad (District Panchayat) for a district, panchayat for group of or individual rural areas and under the urban local bodies for the towns and cities. Presently there are 2489 village panchayats covering 26247 villages in Assam. [34] The 'town-committee' or nagar-somiti for small towns, 'municipal board' or pouro-sobha for medium towns and municipal corporation or pouro-nigom for the cities consist of the urban local bodies. For the revenue purposes, the districts are divided into revenue circles and mouzas; for the development projects, the districts are divided into 219 'development-blocks' and for law and order these are divided into 206 police stations or thana.[34]

[edit] Demographics
Main article: People of Assam

Woman teaworker plucking tea leaves in a tea garden of Assam

District-wise Demographic Characteristics in 2001

[show]Population Growth
Total population of Assam was 26.66 million with 4.91 million households in 2001.[36] Higher population concentration was recorded in the districts of Kamrup, Nagaon, Sonitpur, Barpeta, Dhubri, Darang and Cachar. Assam's population was estimated at 28.67 million in 2006 and at 30.57 million by 2011, 34.18 million by 2021 and 35.60 million by 2026.[37] In 2001, the census recorded literacy in Assam at 63.3% with male literacy at 71.3% and female at 54.6%. Urbanisation rate was recorded at 12.9%.[38] Growth of population in Assam has experienced a very high trajectory since the mid-decades of the 20th century. Population grew steadily from 3.29 million in 1901 to 6.70 million in 1941, while it has increased unprecedentedly to 14.63 million in 1971 and 22.41 million in 1991 to reach the present level.[36] The growth in the western and southern districts was of extreme high in nature mostly attributable to rapid influx of population from the then East Pakistan or Bangladesh.[31] Assam has many ethnic groups and the People of India project has studied 115 of these. Out of which 79 (69%) identify themselves Template:Explanation needed regionally, 22 (19%) locally, and 3 trans-nationally. The earliest settlers were Austroasiatic, followed by Tibeto-Burman, Indo-Aryan speakers, and TaiKadai speakers.[39] Forty-five languages are spoken by different communities, including three major language families: Austroasiatic (5), Sino-Tibetan (24) and Indo-European (12). Three Template:Not making 45 in total!!! of the spoken languages do not fall in these families. There is a high degree of bilingualism. STs in Assam There are 23 notified Scheduled Tribes (ST) in Assam with the Bodos (40.9 per cent) making half of the total ST population (around 13 per cent) of the state. The other STs

(both plains and hills) include Miri, Karbi, Rabha, Kachari, Lalung, Barman in Cachar, Borokachar, Deori, Hajai, Mech, Dimasa, Hajong, Singhphho, Khampti and Garo, Chakma, Hmar, Khasi, Jaintia, Synteng, Pnar, War, Bhoi, Lyngngam, and Kuki.

[edit] Religions
According to the 2001 census, there were 17,296,455 Hindus, 8,240,611 Muslims, 986,589 Christians, 22,519 Sikhs, 51,029 Buddhists, 23,957 Jains and 22,999 belonging to other religious communities.[40] The latter includes Animism (Khamti, Phake, Aiton etc. communities).

[edit] Hinduism

Kamakhya Temple The Hindus of Assam perform several dances to practice their devotion to their Gods. One category of them is the Sattriya Dances. Kamakhya, dedicated to Goddess Durga is the eastern-most pilgrimage of Hinduism. Popular forms of God in Assam are Durga, Shiva, Krishna and Narayana, although several tribes practice devotion to local deities as well. Well known saints and philosophers from Assam include Gurudev Kalicharan, Madhab, Mahadeb, and very likely Kumarila Bhatta. Brahmo Samaj: Assam is the home of Kalicharan Mech, a Bodo Hindu who stopped the British Christian missionaries, spread ahimsa and vegetarianism. He was deeply influenced by the Brahmo Samaj.[41] He later became known as "Gurudev Kalicharan Brahmachari"[42] or "Guru Brahma". His principles were established as the Brahma Dharma. Perhaps his teachings can be

summarized by his given phrase, "Chandrama Surya Narayans Jyoti", meaning, "the light (jyoti) from the sun is capable from dispelling darkness and taking people to Brahma (Narayans)."[43] From the teachings of Guru Brahma, the "Bodo-Brahmas" (the Bodos of this sect) have boycotted alcohol, heavy dowry as well as meat-eating. This sect is written by scholars to be Vedic and Upanishadic.[44] As per Vedic rituals, the priests perform Horn Yajna, which was begun by Guru Brahma to organize the Bodos.[45] While the Bodo Christians today are laying stress on adopting a Roman script for the Bodo community, the Bodo-Brahmas prefer the traditional Bengali-Ahomi script. Out of the 3,308,570 Assamese tribals reported in the 2001 Census, 90.7% were Hindus and 8.8% were Christians. There were also 6,267 Muslims, 5,153 Budhists and 3,574 Animists.[46]

[edit] Islam
Muslims constitute the second largest religious group in Assam with about 10,240,611 persons, 34.7%(2011 census) of the Assam population. Amongst Indian provinces, Assam has the third largest proportion of Muslims only the Union Territory of Lakshaweep Islands and Jammu and Kashmir have a higher proportion. The history of the indigenous Muslims of Assam is a long one, though many details are obscure, especially for the Assamese Muslims. A Brahmin priest from Kamrup (near the geographical middle of Assam) was reported to have converted to Islam around the 13th century. Later in the 16th century, an Islamic saint Ajan Fakir Shah Miran and also known as Ghiyasuddin Auliya came from Baghdad to Assam to preach Islam in the area. The Masjid constructed by him is known as, The Pao Mecca mosque, Pao Mecca literally means one-fourth of Mecca. It is believed that the foundation of the mosque was laid upon a handful of earth brought from Mecca. The Pao-Mecca mosque was partially destroyed by a strong earthquake that occurred in 1897 and the dargah on the 750 ft (229 m). high Gaurachol hills is of Ghiyasuddin Auliya Ajan Fakir was buried on the hills of Gaurachol and hence the tomb on the hill is related to him, are considered sacrosanct not only by the Muslims but by people of other faiths as well.
[47]

Panchpeer Dargaha, Dhurbi District, Assam: It is Mazar Sharif of five Sufi Saints who accompanied Raja Ram Singh during his time of invasion to Assam.Immigration from Bangladesh has increased the number of Muslims significantly in some areas.

[edit] Christianity
The Bible was translated into Assamese in the year of 1819. In 1827, an attempt was made to start a Baptist church in Guwahati, but it made no permanent converts in the area. Later the American Baptist Foreign Missionary Society was able to make some headway in Guwahati. Although these earliest Christian missionary endeavors which were focused in the north-east of

India, were in Modern Assam, the great success of Protestant missionaries in North-East India which they achieved in late 19th and the 20th Centuries, was primarily in areas such as Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya which are not part of Assam anymore. As of 1991 only Tripura of the seven eastern states of India had a lower percentage of Christians than Assam. There were more Christians in Assam than in Mizoram even though Mizoram was the second most Christian state in India at the time.[48] Besides the Protestants there are also Catholics. There is a Roman Catholic Archdiocese in Shillong. According to the 2001 Census, there are a total of 986,589 Christians in Assam.[49] Out of this, 291,000 (29.5%) are tribals.[46]

[edit] Sikhism

Gurdwara Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib main building The first Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Nanak Dev had visited Kamrup (Assam) in the 1505 as recorded in the his first visit in Purantan Janam Sakhi (the historical papers related to the visits and daily recorded activities of the Guru). Guru Nanak had met Srimanta Shankardeva (the founder of the Mahapuruxiya Dharma) as the Guru travelled from Dhaka to Assam. But no sangat or historical shrine dedicated to him survives as to date. Ninth Guru of Sikhs Guru Tegh Bahadur visited Assam in 1668. This place is also famous for the Sikh Gurdwara Thara Sahib or Gurdwara Damdama Sahib which was constructed in memory atop the hillock place of meditation of the Guru in Dhubri, Kamrup. The historical site and places of interest of the Gurdwara are many times referred to as Gurdwara Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib situated in Dhubri (Assam) by the banks of the Brahmaputra .[50] The grateful Ahom King invited Guruji to the Kamakhya shrine, where he was honoured with great respect. In the year 1820, few hundred Sikh soldiers went to Assam at the initiative of Maharaja Ranjit Singh to help Ahom rulers in a war. Their descendants are mostly concentrated in Lanka in Nagaon district of Assam.[51] Sikhs have been living in Assam for approximately two hundred years.[52]

[edit] Buddhism
The religion is practised by 51,029 persons in Assam. Among them are the Chakma and Boruas. The Chakmas of Assam are loacted mostly in Chachar and Karbi Anglong with very lesser presence in Nagaon district. Guwahati has lots of Buddhist temples, the most prominent being the Bamunimaidan Buddhist temple. The Indigenous Tai tribes like Tai Phake, Tai Aiton, Khamyang, Turung, Singpho and Khampti are also buddhist by religion. They mainly inhabit Upper Assam and also Karbi Anglong. There is also a small Bhutanese and Tibetan population in Assam.

[edit] Culture and its evolution

Main article: Culture of Assam See also: Bihu, Music of Assam, Assamese literature, Assamese cinema, and Fine Arts of Assam Assamese culture is traditionally a hybrid one developed due to assimilation of ethno-cultural groups in the past. Therefore, both local elements or the local elements in Sanskritised forms are distinctly found.[53] The major milestones in evolution of Assamese culture are:

Assimilation in the Kamarupa Kingdom for almost 700 years (under the Varmans for 300 years, Salastambhas and Palas for each 200 years).[25] Establishment of the Ahom dynasty in the 13th century AD and assimilation for next 600 years.[25] Assimilation in the Koch Kingdom (15th16th century AD) of western Assam and Kachari Kingdom (12th18th century AD) of central and southern Assam.[25]

Dakhinpat Satra of Majuli

Presenting 'Gayan Bayan' in Majuli, the Neo-Vaishnavite Cultural heritage of Assam

Vaishnava Movement led by Srimanta Shankardeva (Sonkordeu) and its contribution and cultural changes.Vaishanav Movement, the 15th century religio-cultural movement under the leadership of great Srimanta Sankardeva (Sonkordeu) and his disciples have provided another dimension to Assamese culture. A renewed Hinduisation in local forms took place, which was initially greatly supported by the Koch and later by the Ahom Kingdoms. The resultant social institutions such as namghar and sattra (the Vaishnav Monasteries) have become part of Assamese way life. The movement contributed greatly towards language, literature and performing and fine arts. It is also noticed that many a times, Vaishnav Movement attempted to introduce alien cultural attributes and modify the way of life of common people. Brajavali a language specially created by introducing words from other Indian languages had failed as a language but left its traces on the Assamese language. Moreover, new alien rules were also introduced changing people's food habits and other aspects of cultural life. This had a greater impact on alienation of many local ethno-cultural and political groups in the later periods.

Historically, it is not difficult to understand that on one hand, during the strong politicoeconomic systems under stronger dynasties, greater cultural assimilations created common attributes of Assamese culture, while on the other during smaller politico-economic systems or during political disintegration, more localised attributes were created with spatial differentiation. Time-factor for such integrations and differentiations has also played extremely important role along with the position of individual events in the entire series of sequential events. With rich traditions, the modern culture is greatly influenced by events in the British and the Post-British Era. The language was standardised by the American Baptist Missionaries such as Nathan Brown, Dr. Miles Bronson and local pundits such as Hemchandra Barua with the form available in the Sibsagar (Sivasagar) District (the ex-nerve centre of the Ahom Kingdom). A renewed Sanskritisation was increasingly adopted for developing Assamese language and grammar. A new wave of Western and northern Indian influence was apparent in the performing arts and literature. Increasing efforts of standardisation in the 20th century alienated the localised forms present in different areas and with the less-assimilated ethno-cultural groups (many source-cultures). However, Assamese culture in its hybrid form and nature is one of the richest, still developing and in true sense is a 'cultural system' with sub-systems. It is interesting that many sourcecultures of Assamese cultural-system are still surviving either as sub-systems or as sister entities, for e.g. Bodo or Karbi or Mishing. It is important to keep the broader system closer to its roots and at the same time to focus on development of the sub-systems. Some of the common and unique cultural traits in the region are peoples' respect towards arecanut and betel leaves, symbolic (Gamosa, Arnai, etc.), traditional silk garments and towards forefathers and elderly. Moreover, great hospitality and Bamboo culture are common.

[edit] Symbolism
File:Tamulpanor Sorai Assam.JPG A pair of areca nuts, betel leaves and a Gamosa in a Sorai; this represents cultural symbolism of respect towards the recipient by the person presenting it

A decorative Assamese Jaapi laid over a Gamosa Symbolism is an ancient cultural practice in Assam and is still a very important part of Assamese way of life. Various elements are being used to represent beliefs, feelings, pride, identity, etc. Tamulpan, Sorai and Gamosa are three important symbolic elements in Assamese culture. Tamulpan (the areca nut and betel leaves) or guapan (gua from kwa) are considered along with the Gamosa (a typical woven cotton or silk cloth with embroidery) as the offers of devotion, respect and friendship. The Tamulpan-tradition is an ancient one and is being followed since time-immemorial with roots in the aboriginal Austro-Asiatic culture. Sorai is a traditionally manufactured bell-metal article of great respect and is used as a container-medium while performing respectful offers. Moreover, symbolically many ethno-cultural groups use specific clothes to portray respect and pride. There were many other symbolic elements and designs, but are now only found in literature, art, sculpture, architecture, etc. or in use today for only religious purposes. The typical designs of assamese-lion, dragon, flying-lion, etc. were used for symbolising various purposes and occasions. The archaeological sites such as the Madan Kamdev (c. 9th10th AD) exhibits massscale use of lions, dragon-lions and many other figures of demons to show case power and prosperity. The Vaishnava monasteries and many other architectural sites of late medieval period also showcase use of lions and dragons for symbolic effects.

[edit] Languages
See also: Assamese language, Assamese literature, Bodo language, Sylheti language, and Bishnupriya Manipuri language

Languages of Assam in 2001[54] Assamese (57.81%) Bengali (21.67%) Bodo (5.28%) Nepali (4.62%) Mishing, Karbi, Dimasa (3.66%) Other (6.96%) Assamese and Bodo are the major indigenous and official languages while Bengali holds official status in the three districts in the Barak Valley and is the second most widely spoken language of the state (27%).[55] Traditionally Assamese was the language of the commons (of mixed origin Austroasiatic, Tibeto-Burman, Prakrit) in the ancient Kamarupa and in the medieval kingdoms of Kamatapur, Kachari, Sutiya kingdom, Borahi, Ahom and Koch. Traces of the language is found in many poems by Luipa, Sarahapa, etc. in Charyapada (c.7th8th AD). Modern dialects Kamrupi, Goalpariya, etc. are the remnant of this language. Moreover, Assamese in its traditional form was used by the ethno-cultural groups in the region as lingua-franca, which spread during the stronger kingdoms and was required for needed economic integration. Localised forms of the language still exist in Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh. The form used in the upper Assam was enriched by the advent of Tai-Shans in the 13th century. Linguistically modern Assamese traces its roots to the version developed by the American Missionaries based on the local form in practice near Sibsagar (Siwoxagor) district. Assamese (Osomeeya) is a rich language due to its hybrid nature with its unique characteristics of pronunciation and softness. Assamese literature is one of the richest.

A page from Charyapada: 7th8th century specimen of Assamese literature

Dimasa is a one of the oldest language spoken in North East India particularly in Assam. The word Dimasa etymologically translates to "Son of the big river " (Di- Water, ma- suffix for great, sa-sons), the river being the mighty Brahmaputra. The Dimasa word "Di" for water forms the root word for many of the major rivers of Assam and the North East India like Dikrang which means green river, Dikhow which means "fetched water", Diyung ( huge river) etc. The mighty river Brahmaputra is known as Dilao (long river) among the Dimasas even now. Many of the important towns and cities in Assam and Nagaland found their names from the Dimasa word such as Diphu, Dimapur (a capital of Dimasa Kingdom), Dispur,Hojai, Khaspur, etc. In fact, Dimasa language is one of the last languages of the North East India which still has undiluted rich vocabularies. Bodo is an ancient language of Assam. Spatial distribution patterns of the ethno-cultural groups, cultural traits and the phenomenon of naming all the major rivers in the North East Region with Bodo-Kachari words (e.g. Dihing, Dibru, Dihong, D/Tista, Dikrai, etc.) reveal that it was the most important language in the ancient times. Bodo is presently spoken largely in the Lower Assam (Bodo Territorial Council area). After years of neglect, now Bodo language is getting attention and its literature is developing. Other native languages of Tibeto-Burman origin and related to Bodo-Kachari are DEORI Mishing, Karbi, Rabha, Tiwa, etc. Rajbongshi also known as Kamatapuri/Goalpariya is also widely spoken by the people of western Assam. Nepali is also spoken in almost all parts of the state. There are approximately thirty lakhs of Nepali speakers spreading over the area of all the district of Assam. Assamese language being the main language, they are well versed in it. Assamese language is the main medium in educational institutions but Nepali language is also taught as a major Indian language. In Guwahati and Digboi, many Jr. basic School and Jr. high School are Nepali medium where all the teachers are Nepali. As a major Indian language, Nepali is included by Assam State Secondary Board, Assam Higher Secondary Council and Gauhati University in their HSCL, higher secondary and graduation level respectively, in some junior basic and higher secondary schools and colleges, Nepali teachers and lecturers are also appointed. In these institutions, Nepali and literature are taught. There are also speakers of Tai languages in Assam. A total of six Tai language were spoken in Assam, although two are now extinct.[56]

Tai Phake Tai Aiton Khamti Khamyang (critically endangered) Ahom (extinct) Turung (extinct)

The Tai Ahom language (brought by Sukaphaa and his followers), is no longer a spoken language today, but is receiving increased attention for research after centuries of long care and preservation by the Bailungs (traditional priests). There are also small groups of people speaking Manipuri, Khasi, Garo, Hmar, Kuki, Zeme Naga etc. in different parts.

Bengali is the official language in Barak Valley and the widely spoken language there is Sylheti, a dialect of Bengali. Bengali is also largely spoken in the western districts of Dhubri, Barpeta and Goalpara. Santali or Santhali is also spoken widely by the tribal population in the tea garden districts of Assam. these people who were initially brought as tea estate labourers by the British to Assam have now made it their home state. Bishnupriya Manipuri language is also spoken by a small minority of people in Barak Valley.

[edit] Festivals

A Bihu dancer blowing a pepa (horn)

An Assamese woman in Pat Silk performing Sattriya dance

There are diversified important traditional festivals in Assam. Bihu is the most important and common and celebrated all over Assam. Durga Puja is another festival celebrated with great enthusiasm. Muslims celebrate two Eids (Eid ul-Fitr and Eid al-Adha) with much eagerness all over Assam. Bihu is a series of three prominent festivals. Primarily a non-religious festival celebrated to mark the seasons and the significant points of a cultivator's life over a yearly cycle. Three Bihus, rongali or bohag, celebrated with the coming of spring and the beginning of the sowing season; kongali or kati, the barren bihu when the fields are lush but the barns are empty; and the bhogali or magh, the thanksgiving when the crops have been harvested and the barns are full. Bihu songs and Bihu dance are associated to rongali bihu. The day before the each bihu is known as 'uruka'. The first day of 'rongali bihu' is called 'Goru bihu' (the bihu of the cows), when the cows are taken to the nearby rivers or ponds to be bathed with special care. In recent times the form and nature of celebration has changed with the growth of urban centres. Bushu Dima or simply Bushu is a major harvest festival of the Dimasa people. This festival is celebrated during the end of January. Officially January 27 has been declared as the day of Bushu Dima festival.The Dimasa people celebrate their festival by playing musical instrumentskhram (a type of drum), muri ( a kind of huge long flute). The people dances to the different tunes called "murithai" and each dance has got its name, the prominent being the "Baidima" There are three types of Bushu celebrated among the Dimasas Jidap, Surem and Hangsou. Moreover, there are other important traditional festivals being celebrated every year on different occasions at different places. Many of these are celebrated by different ethno-cultural groups (sub and sister cultures). Some of these are:

Me-dam-me-phi Ali-Aye-Ligang Kherai Garja Hapsa Hatarnai Awnkham Gwrlwi Janai

Chojun/Swarak Rongker Sokk-erroi Hacha-kekan Porag Karbi Youth Festival

[edit] Performing arts

See also: Music of Assam Assam has rich tradition of performing arts. Ankiya Nat (Onkeeya Naat) is a traditional Vaishnav dance-drama (Bhaona) form popular since 15th century AD It makes use of large masks of gods, goddesses, demons and animals and in between the plays a Sutradhar (Xutrodhar) keeps on telling the story. The Bihu dance and Hucory performed during the Bohag Bihu, Kushan nritra of Rajbongshi's, Bagurumba and Bordoicikhla dance of Bodos, Mishing Bihu, Banjar Kekan performed during Chomangkan by Karbis are some of the major folk dances. Sattriya (Sotriya) dance related to Vaishnav tradition is a classical form of dance.

Moreover, there are several other age-old dance-forms such as Barpetas Bhortal Nritya, Deodhoni Nritya, Oja Paali, Beula Dance, Ka Shad Inglong Kardom, Nimso Kerung, etc. The tradition of modern moving theatres is typical of Assam with immense popularity of many large theatre groups such as Kohinoor, Srimanta Sankardev, Abahan, Bhagyadevi, Hengul, Rajmahal, Itihas etc.

Jyoti Prasad Agarwala At the same time musical tradition is also rich. Folk songs and music related to Bihu and other festivals dates back to time-immemorial. Borgeet, the popular Vaishnav songs are written and composed in 15th century. Assam has large numbers of traditional musical instruments including several types of drums, string instruments, flutes, cymbals, pipes, etc. The indigenous folk music has substantially influenced the growth of a modern idiom, that finds expression in the music of such artists like Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, Bishnuprasad Rabha, Parvati Prasad Baruwa, Bhupen Hazarika, Pratima Barua Pandey, Anima Choudhury, Luit Konwar Rudra Baruah, Jayanta Hazarika, Khagen Mahanta, Deepali Borthakur, "Ganashilpi" Dilip Sarma, Sudakshina Sarma among many others. Among the new generation, Zubeen Garg, Jitul Sonowal, Angaraag Mahanta and Joi Barua have a great fan following. There is an award given in the honour of Bishnuprasad Rabha for achievements in the cultural/music world of Assam by the State Government

[edit] Literature
See also: Assamese literature Noted writers:

Dr. Mamoni Raisom Goswami Bhabendra Nath Saikia Lakshminath Bezbaruah Hem Barua Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya Hiren Bhattacharyya

[edit] Traditional crafts

Main article: Traditional crafts of Assam See also: Assam silk

Bell metal made sorai and sophura are important parts of culture; offerings with respect are made using these during festivals and religious ceremonies and are seen as respectable items

A traditional brass dish from Assam

A page of manuscript painting from Assam; The medieval painters used locally manufactured painting materials such as the colours of hangool and haital and papers manufactured from aloewood bark Assam has a rich tradition of crafts; presently, Cane and bamboo craft, bell metal and brass craft, silk and cotton weaving, toy and mask making, pottery and terracotta work, wood craft, jewellery making, musical instruments making, etc. remained as major traditions.[57] Historically, Assam also excelled in making boats, traditional guns and gunpowder, ivory crafts, colours and paints, articles of lac, agarwood products, traditional building materials, utilities from iron, etc. Cane and bamboo craft provide the most commonly used utilities in daily life, ranging from household utilities, weaving accessories, fishing accessories, furniture, musical instruments, construction materials, etc. Utilities and symbolic articles such as Sorai and Bota made from bell

metal and brass are found in every Assamese household.[58][59] Hajo and Sarthebari (Sorthebaary) are the most important centres of traditional bell-metal and brass crafts. Assam is the home of several types of silks, the most prestigious are: Muga the natural golden silk, Pat a creamybright-silver coloured silk and Eri a variety used for manufacturing warm clothes for winter. Apart from Sualkuchi (Xualkuchi), the centre for the traditional silk industry, in almost every parts of the Brahmaputra Valley, rural households produce silk and silk garments with excellent embroidery designs. Moreover, various ethno-cultural groups in Assam make different types of cotton garments with unique embroidery designs and wonderful colour combinations. Moreover, Assam possesses unique crafts of toy and mask making mostly concentrated in the Vaishnav Monasteries, pottery and terracotta work in lower Assam districts and wood craft, iron craft, jewellery, etc. in many places across the region.

[edit] Fine arts

Main article: Fine Arts of Assam See also: Culture of Assam The archaic Mauryan Stupas discovered in and around Goalpara district are the earliest examples (c. 300 BC to c. 100 AD) of ancient art and architectural works. The remains discovered in Daparvatiya (Doporboteeya) archaeological site with a beautiful doorframe in Tezpur are identified as the best examples of art works in ancient Assam with influence of Sarnath School of Art of the late Gupta period. Many other sites also exhibit development of local art forms with local motifs and sometimes with similarities with those in the Southeast Asia. There are currently more than forty discovered ancient archaeological sites across Assam with numerous sculptural and architectural remains. Moreover, there are examples of several Late-Middle Age art and architectural works including hundreds of sculptures and motifs along with many remaining temples, palaces and other buildings. The motifs available on the walls of the buildings such as Rang Ghar, Joydoul, etc. are remarkable examples of art works. Painting is an ancient tradition of Assam. Xuanzang (7th century AD) mentions that among the Kamarupa king Bhaskaravarma's gifts to Harshavardhana there were paintings and painted objects, some of which were on Assamese silk. Many of the manuscripts such as Hastividyarnava (A Treatise on Elephants), the Chitra Bhagawata and in the Gita Govinda from the Middle Ages bear excellent examples of traditional paintings. The medieval Assamese literature also refers to chitrakars and patuas. There are several renowned contemporary artists in Assam. The Guwahati Art College is a government institution for tertiary education. Moreover, there are several art-societies and nongovernment initiatives across the state and the Guwahati Artists Guild is a front-runner organisation based in Guwahati.

[edit] Economy
Main article: Economy of Assam

In the 1950s, per capita income in Assam was little higher than that in India. In 200001, in Assam it was INR 6,157 at constant prices (199394) and INR 10,198 at current prices; almost 40% lower than that in India.[60] According to the recent estimates,[61] per capita income in Assam has reached INR 6756 (199394 constant prices) in 200405, which is still much lower than India's.

A tea garden in Assam: tea is grown at elevations near sea level, giving it a malty sweetness and an earthy flavor, as opposed to the more floral aroma of highland (e.g. Darjeeling, Taiwanese) teas

[edit] Macro-economy
Economy of Assam today represents a unique juxtaposition of backwardness amidst plenty.[62] Despite its rich natural resources, and supplying of up to 25% of India's petroleum needs, growth rate of Assams income has not kept pace with that of Indias; differences increased rapidly since

1970s.[63] Indian economy grew at 6% per annum over the period of 1981 to 2000, the same of Assam was only 3.3%.[64] In the Sixth Plan period Assam experienced a negative growth rate of 3.78% when India's was positive at 6%.[63] In the post-liberalised era (after 1991), the differences widened further. According to recent analysis, Assams economy is showing signs of improvement. In 200102, the economy grew (at 199394 constant prices) at 4.5%, to fall to 3.4% in the next financial year. [65] During 200304 and 200405, the economy grew (at 199394 constant prices) more satisfactorily at 5.5% and 5.3% respectively.[65] The advanced estimates placed the growth rate for 200506 at above 6%.[61] Assam's GDP in 2004 is estimated at $13 billion in current prices. Sectoral analysis again exhibits a dismal picture. The average annual growth rate of agriculture, which was only 2.6% per annum over 1980s has unfortunately fallen to 1.6% in the 1990s.[66] Manufacturing sector has shown some improvement in the 1990s with a growth rate of 3.4% per annum than 2.4% in the 1980s.[66] Since past five decades, the tertiary sector has registered the highest growth rates than the other sectors, which even has slowed down in the 1990s than in 1980s.[66]

[edit] Agriculture
Accounts for more than a third of Assams income and employs 69% of workforce.[67] Assam's biggest contribution to the world is tea. It produces some of the finest and expensive teas and has its own variety Camellia assamica. Assam also accounts for fair share of Indias production of rice, rapeseed, mustard seed, jute, potato, sweet potato, banana, papaya, areca nut and turmeric. It is also a home of large varieties of citrus fruits, leaf vegetables, vegetables, useful grasses, herbs, spices, etc. Assams agriculture is yet to experience modernisation in real sense. With implications to food security, per capita food grain production has declined in past five decades.[68] Productivity has increased marginally; but still lower comparing to highly productive regions. For instance, yield of rice (staple food of Assam) was just 1531 kg per hectare against Indias 1927 kg per hectare in 200001[68] (which itself is much lower than Egypts 9283, USs 7279, South Koreas 6838, Japans 6635 and Chinas 6131 kg per hectare in 2001[69]). On the other hand, after having strong domestic demand, 1.5 million hectares of inland water bodies, numerous rivers and 165 varieties of fishes,[70] fishing is still in its traditional form and production is not self-sufficient.[71] The Assam Agriculture University is located at Jorhat, Assam. It is the only agricultural university for the Seven Sisters.

[edit] Industry
Apart from tea and petroleum refineries, Assam has few industries of significance. Industrial development is inhibited by its physical and political isolation from neighbouring countries such as Burma, China and Bangladesh and from other growing Southeast Asian economies; ultimately leading to neglect by the federal government in regards to development a key motivation for separatist groups.[72] The region is landlocked, situated in the eastern periphery of India and is linked to the mainland by a flood and cyclone prone narrow corridor, known as the Siliguri

Corridor or Chicken's Neck, with weak transport infrastructure that have remained undeveloped since independence. The international airport in Guwahati is yet to find providing direct international . The Brahmaputra suitable for navigation does not possess sufficient infrastructure for international trade and success of such a navigable trade route will be dependent on proper channel maintenance and diplomatic and trade relationships with Bangladesh.

Processed Assam tea Assam is a major producer of crude oil and it accounts for about 15% of India's crude output,[73] exploited by the Assam Oil Company Ltd., and natural gas in India and is the second place in the world (after Titusville in the United States) where petroleum was discovered. Asias first successful mechanically drilled oil well was drilled in Makum (Assam) way back in 1867. Most of the oilfields are located in the Upper Assam region. Assam has four oil refineries located in Guwahati, Digboi, Golaghat (Numaligarh) and Bongaigaon with a total capacity of 7 million metric tonnes (7.7 million short tons) per annum. It is worth mentioning here that Asia's first refinery was set up at Digboi and discoverer of Digboi oilfield was the Assam Railways & Trading Company Limited (AR&T Co. Ltd.), a registered company of London in 1881.[74] Despite its richness in natural resources, the benefits have yet to improve the lives of the people of Assam. Although having a poor overall industrial performance, several other industries have nevertheless been started, including a chemical fertiliser plan at Namrup, petrochemical industries at Namrup and Bongaigaon, paper mills at Jagiroad, Panchgram and Jogighopa, sugar mills at Barua Bamun Gaon, Chargola, Kampur, cement plant at Bokajan & Badarpur, cosmetics plant (HLL) at Doom Dooma, etc. Moreover, there are other industries such as jute mill, textile and yarn mills, silk mill, etc. Unfortunately many of these industries are facing loss and closure due to lack of infrastructure and improper management practices.[75]

[edit] Education
Main article: Education in Assam See also: List of educational institutions in Assam

Cotton College in Guwahati initiated modern tertiary education and research in Assam and has been continuing classical and high-educational standards for more than hundred years; many of the buildings in the college are excellent examples of Assamese architecture with colonial flavours

Academic complex of IIT Guwahati Assam boasts of the most wide-ranging networks of higher educational institutions in the whole of North-Eastern region of India. Assam has developed into a top educational destination at the state as well as at the national level. To enhance the status of Assam education, the state government has introduced many innovative education polices. Its capital city; Guwahati is a key destination for higher education for students of the whole of north-eastern region. One of India's best boarding schools The Assam Valley School is located at Balipara in the Sonitpur(Tezpur) District of Assam. It is a co-educational residential school. It is an ICSE school. This article offers an understanding of Assam Education system.Assam has several institutions for tertiary education and research. The major institutions are:

[edit] Universities

Gauhati University Dibrugarh University Tezpur University Assam University, Silchar Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat Don Bosco University, (private) Assam Down Town University, (private)

[edit] Medical Colleges

Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, Guwahati Silchar Medical College and Hospital, Silchar Jorhat Medical College, Jorhat Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Medical College, Barpeta Dr. J. K. Saikia Homeopathic Medical College, Jorhat Assam Govt. Ayurvedic College, Guwahati

[edit] Government Technology and Engineering College

Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology,Sibsagar Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati Assam Engineering College, Guwahati Jorhat Engineering College, Jorhat National Institute of Technology, Silchar

[edit] Law Academy

National Law School and Judicial Academy, Guwahati

The National Law School & Judicial Academy, Assam (NLSJAA) promises to be an exciting new development in the field of legal education in North Eastern India. The institution is in the process of setting up its premises at Amingaon near Guwahati a city dating back to over a thousand years, and also boasting a rich legal heritage not only is the Gauhati High Court situated here, but also some of the finest lawyers and judges of the country trace their roots back to this city. Nevertheless, the functions of the institute have already started from its temporary office at Ujan Bazar, Guwahati, and all the necessary arrangements are being made for commencement of its first academic session from August 2011. The National Law School and Judicial Academy, Assam has been established as a torchbearer in the field of education in the country. The institution has been established by The National Law School & Judicial Academy, Assam Act, that is Assam Act XXV of 2009. The Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court is the President (Chancellor) of the Law School. The National Law School and Judiciary Academy, Assam is located in the capital city of Assam, Guwahati, with its permanent hitech campus coming up at Agiyathuri, on the Northern bank of the Brahmaputra. Nestled in the midst of greenery with a campus area covering 21 acres (8 ha), the Academy will offer the right atmosphere for educational pursuits and excellence. The area is likely to increase to 47 acres (19 ha) in the near future. Recent times have seen an upsurge in the choice of law as a career and consequently enrollment to law courses. The National Law School and Judicial Academy, Assam has been established at an opportune time and is poised to make great strides in legal education in the state of Assam in particular and the country as a whole.

The Academy will initially constitute a Faculty of Law, Faculty of Social Sciences and Language. With a strict admission and evaluation process, highly evolved curriculum and the best in the field to impart knowledge, the Academy will ensure that it delivers only the best legal talent to the system. Campus The permanent campus is being constructed at Agiyathuri, on the Northern bank of the mighty Brahmaputra. It is located in close proximity to the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, the Gauhati University and the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati. The campus will be fully equipped to create a vibrant learning environment. At present the institution is functioning from a temporary office at Uzan Bazar, Guwahati with a handful of staff during the initial phase of establishment. Classes in graduation level are expected to commence from September 2011. For this purpuse, a temporary campus is being up at NEJOTI (North East Judicial Officers' Training Institute) Campus in Ulubari area of Guwahati which can easily accommodate 60 students in class as well as in hostels. Necessary facilities like Library, Computer Centre, Video Conferencing Hall, Faculty Common Room etc. are being set up in the same campus. The institution is expected to move to its permanent location at Amingaon (Agiathuri) in about two years' time.

[edit] Places
[edit] Cities and towns
History of urban development goes back to almost two thousand years in the region. Existence of ancient urban areas such as Pragjyotishapura (Guwahati), Hatapesvara (Tezpur), Durjaya, etc. and medieval towns such as Charaideu, Garhgaon, Rongpur, Jorhat, Khaspur, Guwahati, etc. are well recorded.[25]

A view of Guwahati; an city in Lower Assammknown as Pragjyotishapura (city of eastern light) in the ancient times has a past extended to more than two thousand years.

Jorhat, a city in Upper - Assam. Guwahati is the largest urban centre and a million plus city in Assam. The city has experienced multifold growth during past three decades to grow as the primate city in the region; the city's population was approximately 900,000 (considering GMDA area) during the census of 2001. One of the oldest and culturally richest city of Assam is Jorhat, which is considered to be a good place for modern education. North of the city the river Brahmaputra forms the largest riverine island of the world Majuli. Jorhat was the last capital of the Ahom Kingdom. In The Barak Valley of Assam Silchar is the economic gateway to the state of Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura. The town of Silchar has tremendous commercial importance. It consequently, witnesses the settlement of a sizeable population of traders from distant parts of India. The other important urban areas are Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Tinsukia (Tinicukiya), Sibsagar (Sivasagar), Tezpur, Nagaon, North Lakhimpur, Bongaigaon, etc. Nalbari, Rangia, Mangaldoi, Karimganj, Hailakandi, Barpeta, Kokrajhar, Goalpara, Diphu, Dhubri (Dhubury), Haflong etc. are other towns and district head quarters. On the other hand Duliajan, Digboi, Namrup, Moran, Bongaigaon, Numaligarh, Jogighopa, Rangia, etc. are major industrial towns. Currently, there are around 125 total urban centres in the state.

Growth Dynamism in Major Urban Areas

[edit] Tourism
See also: Tourism in Assam Assam is the central state in the North-East Region of India and serves as the gateway to the rest of the Seven Sister States. For the purposes of tourism there are wildlife preserves like the Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park etc. The climate is sub-tropical. Assam experiences the Indian monsoon and has one of the highest forest densities in India. The winter months are the best time to visit. It has a rich cultural heritage going back to the Ahom Dynasty which governed the region for many centuries before the British occupation.

The famous rhinoceros of Assam grazing at Kaziranga.

Rang Ghar in Sivasagar.

Kamalabari satra of Majuli.

View of Nameri National Park of Sonitpur District.

[edit] Main destinations

Brahmaputra: The only male river in India, this is both a source of sorrow and sustenance for the people of Assam. There is cruise facility to enjoy the beauty of the river. Guwahati: One of the key urban centres of Assam and the biggest city in North-East India, this serves as the major gateway to the whole region. The notable tourist spots of the city are Kamakhya Temple, Assam State Museum, Assam State Zoo cum Botanical Garden, Shankardev Kalakshetra, Shilpagram, Umananda Temple etc.

Jorhat: Jorhat was established as the new capital in the closing years of the 18th century by the decaying and declining Tunkhungia Ahom Dynasty. Jorhat is also a major tourist spot in Assam. It has a numerous tourist spots and temples like Tokolai Tea Research center, Hatigar Dewal, Burigosani Than or Dewal, Garakhiadol Temple (Shiva Temple), Borbheti Than (Originally moneastery), Dhekiakhowa Bornamghar, NEIST, Gymkhana Club, Lachit Borphukan's Maidam, Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, The Chandrakanta Handique Bhavan of Asom Sahitya Sabha etc., Majuli: The largest river island in the world on the Brahmaputra River. Golaghat (Kaziranga National Park): This is one of the few places covered as a World Heritage Site and the main habitat of the Great Indian One-Horned Rhinoceros.[76] Also check out Orang National Park and Nameri National Park. Jatinga: The mystery of the bird suicides in Jatinga in Dima Hasao District (DHD), Dimaraji, Assam. Tezpur: Small town steeped in history and culture. Check out Usha Pahar, Agnigarh, Mahabhairav Temple, etc... Sivasagar: Seat of the Ahom Kingdom. Check out Rang Ghar, Talatal Ghar, Sivadol, Kareng Ghar of Garhgaon etc... Hajo: Hajo is a small township situated to the northwest of Guwahati across the river Brahmaputra. Hajo is a remarkable example of communal harmony. This is an ancient pilgrimage centre for three religions Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism. Dibru-Saikhowa National Park: Dibru-Saikhowa National Park is a beautiful National Park situated in Tinsukia district. There are few Eco lodges situated here to enjoy the beauty of this park. Goalpara: Goalpara is also a major tourist spot in Assam. It has a numerous tourist spots and temples like Sri Surya Pahar, Tekreshwari Pahar, Paglartek in Pancharatna, Pir Babas Mazar in Joleshwar, Naranarayan Setu (Bridge) connecting northern Assam districts like Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Dhubri etc. to Goalpara, Guwahati and major part of Meghalaya. Karbi Anglong: Assam's largest district which also has the largest forest cover in the state. It is home of several rare wild life and has five wildlife sanctuaries and two elephant reserves.[77]

[edit] Attractive destinations

Agnigarh Hill, Tezpur

Way To Majuli from Jorhat

A Crimson Sunbird at Kaziranga

Orchids are abundantly found in Assam; a variety Bhatou Phul or Vanda coerulea, the 'Blue Orchid Assam has several attractive destinations; majority of these are National Parks, Wildlife and Bird Sanctuaries,[78] areas with archaeological interests and areas with unique cultural heritage. Moreover, as a whole, the region is covered by beautiful natural landscapes.

Kaziranga National Park Manas National Park Nameri National Park Dibru-Saikhowa National Park[79] Orang National Park Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary Garampani Wildlife Sanctuary Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary Burasapori Wildlife Sanctuary Bornodi Wildlife Sanctuary

Sonai-rupai Wildlife Sanctuary Nambor Wildlife Sanctuary Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary Bherjan Borajan Podumani Wildlife Sanctuary Pani-Dihing Bird Sanctuary Deepor Beel Sanctuary Majuli Barpeta Sualkuchi Sarthebari Jorhat Gymkhana Club Bogamati Digboi oil town[80] Ledo and Stilwell Road Haflong, Maibong and Jatinga Bongaigaon Umrangshu hotwater spring Chandubi lake Hajo archaeological region Madan Kamdev archaeological region Sareswar beel Sibsagar archaeological region Charaideo Surya Pahar Goalpara archaeological region Tezpur archaeological region Kapili Valley archaeological region Dhansiri/Dhonxiri Valley archaeological region Karbi Anglong Mayong Bordua Chapanalla Waterfall

[edit] See also

Geography portal Asia portal South Asia portal India portal

List of Assam state symbols 1897 Assam earthquake 1950 Assam earthquake Ahom Dynasty Ahom Kingdom Assam agitation

Assamese Associations Assamese people Assamese Brahmins Assam Rifles Assamese cinema Assamese cuisine Assamese language Asom Sahitya Sabha Baruah Bihu Biodiversity of Assam Bodo language Bodo people Charyapada Culture of Assam Districts of Assam Etymology of Assam Fine Arts of Assam Greater Assam History of Assam Kalitas of Assam Kamarupa Kamrupi Kamrupi Brahmins Kamarupa Anusandhan Samiti Kamrupi Lokgeet Karbi Lower Assam Mishing Mishing language Music of Assam People of Assam Physical Geography of Assam Political parties in Assam State Anthem of Assam Tourism in Assam Traditional crafts of Assam Textiles and dresses of Assam Varman Dynasty WikiProject Assam

[edit] Notes and references

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http://web.archive.org/web/20071008113359/http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/35.htm . Retrieved 1/12/2010. 2. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_India#Major_provinces 3. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_Reorganization_Act#Three types of states 4. ^ Dixit, K. M. (August 2002). "Chicken's Neck (Editorial)" ( Scholar search). Himal South Asian. http://www.himalmag.com/2002/august/lastpage.htm.[dead link] 5. ^ "Assam seeks more royalty on crude, excise relief". The Times Of India. 4 January 2002. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2002-0104/india/27111544_1_digboi-indian-oil-higher-royalty. 6. ^ World Heritage Centre, UNESCO. "World Heritage List". http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31. 7. ^ Sarma, Satyendra Nath (1976) Assamese Literature, Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden. 8. ^ "Assam to fall off the map, turn Asom". The Times of India. 28 February 2006. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1431357.cms. 9. ^ Editorial (6 January 2007). "Assam or Asom?". The Assam Tribune. 10. ^ Wandrey 2004, pp. 38 11. ^ a b c Singh, R. L. (1993), India, A Regional Geography, Varanasi, India: National Geographical Society of India 12. ^ a b NEDFi & NIC-Assam. "North East India Databank". http://nerdatabank.nic.in/as_minerals.htm. 13. ^ Wandrey 2004, p. 17 14. ^ Purdue University. "The Kppen Classification of Climates". http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/tropical/lecture_04/lec_04.html. Retrieved 25 May 2007. 15. ^ Borthakur, Ahir Bhairab (15 January 2002), "Call of the wild", Down to Earth, http://www.downtoearth.org.in/full6.asp? foldername=20020115&filename=gra&sec_id=11&sid=1.[dead link] 16. ^ Birdlife International, UK. "Indo-Gangetic Grasslands". http://www.birdlife.org/action/science/species/asia_strategy/pdf_downloads/grasslandsG O2.pdf. 17. ^ National Mission on Bamboo Applications 2004 18. ^ Sharma, Pradip (AprilJune 2003), "An Overview on Wetlands in Assam", ENVIS Assam, Assam Science Technology and Environment Council 2: 7, http://www.envisassam.org/VOL2_2.pdf.[dead link] 19. ^ Choudhury, A.U.(1996) Survey of the white-winged wood duck and the Bengal florican in Tinsukia district & adjacent areas of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The Rhino Foundation for Nature in North East India,Guwahati, India. 82pp+ 20. ^ ENVIS Assam (AprilJune 2003), "Endemic Orchids of Assam", ENVIS Assam, Assam Science Technology and Environment Council 2: 8, http://www.envisassam.org/VOL2_2.pdf. 21. ^ Choudhury, A.U. (2010)The vanishing herds : the wild water buffalo. Gibbon Books, Rhino Foundation, CEPF & COA, Taiwan, Guwahati, India 22. ^ Choudhury, A.U. (2000)The birds of Assam. Gibbon Books & WWF-India, Guwahati, India 23. ^ Choudhury, A.U. (1990). Checklist of the birds of Assam. Sofia Press & Publishers Pvt. Ltd., Guwahati, India. 72 pp+

^ Choudhury, A.U. (1997)The check list of the mammals of Assam. Gibbon Books & ASTEC, Guwahati, India 25. ^ a b c d e f Barpujari, H. K. (ed.) (1990), The Comprehensive History of Assam, 1st edition, Guwahati, India: Assam Publication Board 26. ^ Lt. Gen. Sir Arthur P. Phayre (1967), History of Burma (2 ed.), London: Susil Gupta, pp. 233234 27. ^ Thant Myint-U (2006), The River of Lost FootstepsHistories of Burma, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, pp. 111112, ISBN 978-0-374-16342-6, 0-374-16342-1 28. ^ Aitchison, C. U. ed (1931), [http://projectsouthasia.sdstate.edu/Docs/history/primarydocs/Treaties/Burma/002.htm The Treaty of Yandaboo, A Collection of Treaties, Engagements and Sanads: Relating to India and Neighbouring Countries. Vol. XII.], Calcutta: Government of India Central Publication Branch, pp. 230233, http://projectsouthasia.sdstate.edu/ 29. ^ a b c Imperial Gazetteer of India vol. IV 1907, p. 46 30. ^ a b Hazarika, Sanjoy (2003), Strangers of the Mist, Penguin Books Australia Ltd., ISBN 0140240527 31. ^ a b Governor of Assam (8 November 1998). "Report on Illegal Migration into Assam". http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/states/assam/documents/papers/illegal_mig ration_in_assam.htm. Retrieved 26 May 2007. 32. ^ MacFarlane, Alan; MacFarlane, Iris (2003), Green Gold, The Empire of Tea, Ch. 611, Random House, London 33. ^ a b Revenue Department, Government of Assam 34. ^ a b Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Government of Assam. "Area of the National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries in Assam, 2002". http://janasanyogassam.nic.in/assamataglance.htm. Retrieved 29 May 2006. 35. ^ "Census Population" (PDF), Census of India (Ministry of Finance India), http://indiabudget.nic.in/es2006-07/chapt2007/tab97.pdf, retrieved 18 December 2008 36. ^ a b Government of Assam 200203. "Statistics of Assam". http://www.assamgov.org/generalinformation/assamstatistics.html. Retrieved 3 June 2007. 37. ^ National Commission on Population, Census of India (2006). "Population Projections for India and States 20012026". http://www.censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 15 May 2007. 38. ^ Director of Census Operations, Census of India 2001 39. ^ Taher, Mohammad (1993) The Peopling of Assam and contemporary social structure in Ahmad, Aijazuddin (ed) Social Structure and Regional Development, Rawat Publications, New Delhi 40. ^ Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner (2001). "Census of India 2001: Population by religious communities". Government of India. http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_data_finder/C_Series/Population_b y_religious_communities.htm. Retrieved 3 January 2010. 41. ^ Bodo History 42. ^ P. 624 ANTHROPOLOGY THE STUDY OF MAN By DR.(MRS.)INDRANI BASU ROY
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^ P. 60 The Eastern anthropologist By Ethnographic and Folk-Culture Society (Uttar Pradesh, India) 44. ^ P. 347 Proceedings of North East India History Association By North East India History Association Session, North East India History Association, Session 45. ^ P. 249 Proceedings of North East India History Association By North East India History Association Session, North East India History Association, Session 46. ^ a b http://censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/dh_st_assam.pdf 47. ^ http://www.radianceweekly.com/98/1739/pakistan-islam-remains-5th-wheel-ofthe-coach/2008-03-02/history-speaks/story-detail/pao-mecca-mosque-in-assam.html 48. ^ Amri Kumar Goldsmith. Christianity in North-east India in a Historical Persepctive. 49. ^ http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_data_finder/C_Series/Populat ion_by_religious_communities.htm 50. ^ "Historical Sikh Gurdawaras in Assam India". Gurbaani.com. http://www.gurbaani.com/gurd/gurdawaras5.htm. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 51. ^ "WSN-Punjab News-Assamese Sikhs trace their Punjabi roots". Worldsikhnews.com. 18 March 2009. http://worldsikhnews.com/18%20March %202009/Assamese%20Sikhs%20trace%20their%20Punjabi%20roots.htm. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 52. ^ Puneet Singh Lamba (25 August 2003). "News and Analysis The Sikhs of Assam". The Sikh Times. http://www.sikhtimes.com/news_082503a.html. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 53. ^ Kakati, Banikanta (1962), Assamese, Its Formation and Development, 2nd edition, Guwahati, India: Lawyer's Book Stall 54. ^ "Commissioner Linguistic Minorities (originally from Indian Census, 2001)". Archived from the original on 8 October 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20071008113359/http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/35.htm . 55. ^ "Census of India Distribution of 10,000 persons by language India, States and Union Territories-2001". http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/Statement3. htm. 56. ^ Morey, Stephen. 2005. The Tai languages of Assam: a grammar and texts. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. 57. ^ Assam Tourism 2002, Government of Assam. "Arts and Crafts of Assam in About Assam". Archived from the original on 7 April 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070407040421/http://www.assamtourism.org/arts.htm. Retrieved 3 June 2007. 58. ^ Ranjan, M.P.; Iyer, Nilam; Pandya, Ghanshyam, Bamboo and Cane Crafts of Northeast India, National Institute of Design 59. ^ Nath, T.K., Bamboo Cane and Assam, Guwahati, India: Industrial Development Bank of India, Small Industries Development Bank of India 60. ^ Government of Assam. "Economic Survey of Assam 20012002 in Assam Human Development Report, 2003" (PDF). p. 25. http://planassam.org/reports/hdr_2003/HRD.htm. Retrieved 6 June 2007.[dead link]
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^ a b Government of Assam. "Economic Survey of Assam 20052006 in NEDFi, Assam Profile, NER Databank". http://databank.nedfi.com/index.php? module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=4. Retrieved 6 June 2007.[dead link] 62. ^ National Commission for Women 2004 63. ^ a b UNDP 2004, pp. 2223 64. ^ UNDP 2004, p. 22 65. ^ a b Government of Assam (2006). "Economic Survey of Assam 20042005 in NEDFi, Assam Profile, NER Databank". http://databank.nedfi.com/index.php? module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=4. Retrieved 6 June 2007. 66. ^ a b c UNDP 2004, pp. 2425 67. ^ Government of Assam. Chapter 2, Income, Employment and Poverty "Economic Survey of Assam 20012002 in Assam Human Development Report, 2003" (PDF). p. 32. http://planassam.org/reports/hdr_2003/HRD.htm Chapter 2, Income, Employment and Poverty. Retrieved 6 June 2007.[dead link] 68. ^ a b UNDP 2004, p. 33 69. ^ FAO Statistics Division, 2007, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. "Faostat" ( Scholar search). Archived from the original on 14 November 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20061114202949/http://faostat.fao.org/site/340/DesktopDefau lt.aspx?PageID=340. Retrieved 5 June 2006.[dead link] 70. ^ Assam Small Farmers Agri-business Consortium. "Fish Species of Assam". http://www.assamagribusiness.nic.in/2ndoct/fishspeciesofAssam.pdf. Retrieved 5 June 2006. 71. ^ UNDP 2004, p. 37 72. ^ "MAR | Data | Assessment for Assamese in India". Cidcm.umd.edu. 31 December 2006. http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/mar/assessment.asp?groupId=75015. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 73. ^ Government of Assam (18 February 2007). "Available Resources in Assam". Government of Assam. http://assamgovt.nic.in/business/resources.asp. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 74. ^ http://investinassam.com/overview.html 75. ^ "Assam Economy Economy of Assam, Business & Economy of Assam India". iloveindia.com. http://www.iloveindia.com/states/assam/economy.html. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 76. ^ Choudhury, A. U. (2004) Kaziranga: wildlife in Assam. Rupa & Co., New Delhi 77. ^ Choudhury, A. U. (2009) A naturalist in Karbi Anglong. Revised 2nd edn. Gibbon Books, Guwahati, India. 78. ^ Directorate of Information and Public Relations 2002 79. ^ Dibru-Saikhowa National Park 80. ^ Digboi Oil Town
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Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Government of Assam, Assam at a Glance, http://janasanyogassam.nic.in/assamataglance.htm, retrieved 25 May 2007

National Commission for Women (2004) (PDF), Situational Analysis of Women in Assam, http://www.ncw.nic.in/pdfreports/Gender%20Profile-Assam.pdf, retrieved 5 July 2006. National Mission on Bamboo Applications, Assam, State Profile, http://www.bambootech.org/subsubTOP.asp?subsubid=101&subid=37&sname=STATE, retrieved 25 May 2007 Revenue Department, Government of Assam, Revenue Administration Districts and Subdivisions, http://revenueassam.nic.in/, retrieved 25 May 2007 Singh, K. S (ed) (2003) People of India: Assam Vol XV Parts I and II, Anthropological Survey of India, Seagull Books, Calcutta UNDP (2004), Chapter 2, Income, Employment and Poverty in Assam Human Development Report, 2003[dead link]PDF, Government of Assam Wandrey, C. J. (2004), "Sylhet-Kopili/Barail-Tipam Composite Total Petroleum System, Assam Geologic Province, India", U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2208-D, http://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/2208/D/b2208-d.pdf

[edit] Further reading

Online Books and material

A statistical account of Assam (1879) by WW Hunter Assam Attitude to Federalism (1984)by Girin Phukon A Glimpse of Assam (1884) by Susan Ward A history of Assam (1906) by Edward Gait Physical and political geography of the province of Assam (1896) by Assam Secretariat Printing Office Outline Grammar of the Kachri (Br) Language as Spoken in District Darrang, Assam (1884) by Sidney Endle An outline grammar of the Deori Chutiya language spoken in upper Assam (1895) by William Barclay Brown Travels and adventures in the province of Assam, during a residence of fourteen years (1855) by John Butler

Language and literature

Bara, Mahendra (1981), The Evolution of the Assamese Script, Jorhat, Assam: Asam Sahitya Sabha Barpujari, H. K. (1983), Amerikan Michanerisakal aru Unabimsa Satikar Asam, Jorhat, Assam: Asam Sahitya Sabha Barua, Birinchi Kumar (1965), History of Assamese Literature, Guwahati: East-West Centre Press Barua, Hem (1965), Assamese Literature, New Delhi: National Book Trust Brown, William Barclay (1895), An Outline Grammar of the Deori Chutiya Language Spoken in Upper Assam with an Introduction, Illustrative Sentences, and Short Vocabulary, Shillong: The Assam Secretariat Printing Office Deka, Bhabananda (1961), Industrialisation of Assam, Guwahati: Gopal Das

Dhekial Phukan, Anandaram 18291859 (1977), Anandaram Dhekiyal Phukanar Racana Samgrah, Guwahati: Lawyer's Book Stall Endle, Sidney (1884), Outline of the Kachari (Baro) Language as Spoken in District Darrang, Assam, Shillong: Assam Secretariat Press Gogoi, Lila (1972), Sahitya-Samskriti-Buranji, Dibrugarh: New Book Stall Gogoi, Lila (1986), The Buranjis, Historical Literature of Assam, New Delhi: Omsons Publications Goswami, Praphulladatta (1954), Folk-Literature of Assam, Guwahati: Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies in Assam Gurdon, Philip Richard Thornhagh (1896), Some Assamese Proverbs, Shillong: The Assam Secretariat Printing Office, ISBN 1104306336 Kakati, Banikanta (1959), Aspects of Early Assamese Literature, Guwahati: Gauhati University Kay, S. P. (1904), An English-Mikir Vocabulary, Shillong: The Assam Secretariat Printing Office Medhi, Kaliram (1988), Assamese Grammar and Origin of the Assamese Language, Guwahati: Assam Publication Board Miles, Bronson (1867), A Dictionary in Assamese and English, Sibsagar, Assam: American Baptist Mission Press Morey, Stephen (2005), The Tai languages of Assam : a grammar and texts, Canberra: Pacific Linguistics, ISBN 0858835495

History

Antrobus, H. (1957), A History of the Assam Company, Edinburgh: Private Printing by T. and A. Constable Barabaruwa, Hiteswara 18761939 (1981), Ahomar Din, Guwahati: Assam Publication Board Barooah, Nirode K. (1970), David Scott In North-East India, 18021831, New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Barua, Harakanta 18131900 (1962), Asama Buranji, Guwahati: Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies, Assam Barpujari, H. K. (1963), Assam in the Days of the Company, 18261858, Guwahati: Lawyer's Book Stall Barpujari, H. K. (1977), Political History of Assam. Department for the Preparation of Political History of Assam, Guwahati: Government of Assam Barua, Kanak Lal, An Early History of Kamarupa, From the Earliest Time to the Sixteenth Century, Guwahati: Lawyers Book Stall Barua, Kanak Lal, Studies in the Early History of Assam, Jorhat, Assam: Asam Sahitya Sabha Baruah, Swarna Lata (1993), Last days of Ahom monarchy : a history of Assam from 17691826, New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Bhuyan, Suryya Kumar (1949), Anglo-Assamese Relations, 17711826, Guwahati: Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies in Assam Bhuyan, Suryya Kumar (1947), Annals of the Delhi Badshahate, Guwahati: Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies, Government of Assam

Bhuyan, Suryya Kumar (1957), Atan Buragohain and His Times, Guwahati: Lawyer's Book Stall Bhuyan, Suryya Kumar (1962), Deodhai Asam Buranji, Guwahati: Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies Bhuyan, Suryya Kumar (1928), Early British Relations with Assam, Shillong: Assam Secretariat Press Bhuyan, Suryya Kumar (1947), Lachit Barphukan and His Times, Guwahati: Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies, Government of Assam Bhuyan, Suryya Kumar (1964), Satasari Asama Buranji, Guwahati: Gauhati University Bhuyan, Suryya Kumar (1975), Swargadew Rajeswarasimha, Guwahati: Assam Publication Board Buchanan, Francis Hamilton 17621829 (1963), An Account of Assam, Guwahati: Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies Duara Barbarua, Srinath (1933), Tungkhungia Buranji, Bombay: H. Milford, Oxford University Press Gait, Edward Albert 18631950 (1926), A History of Assam, Calcutta: Thacker, Spink & Co. Gogoi, Padmeswar (1968), The Tai and the Tai Kingdoms, Guwahati: Gauhati University Guha, Amalendu (1983), The Ahom Political System, Calcutta: Centre for Studies in Social Sciences Hunter, William Wilson 18401900 (1879), A Statistical Account of Assam, London: Trubner & Co.

Tradition and Culture

Barkath, Sukumar (1976), Hastibidyarnnara Sarasamgraha (English & Assamese), 18th Century, Guwahati: Assam Publication Board Barua, Birinchi Kumar (1969), A Cultural History of Assam, Guwahati: Lawyer's Book Stall Barua, Birinchi Kumar (1960), Sankardeva, Guwahati: Assam Academy for Cultural Relations Gandhiya, Jayakanta (1988), Huncari, Mukali Bihu, aru Bihunac, Dibrugarh Goswami, Praphulladatta (1960), Ballads and Tales of Assam, Guwahati: Gauhati University Goswami, Praphulladatta (1988), Bohag Bihu of Assam and Bihu Songs, Guwahati: Assam Publication Board Mahanta, Pona (1985), Western Influence on Modern Assamese Drama, Delhi: Mittal Publications Medhi, Kaliram (1978), Studies in the Vaisnava Literature and Culture of Assam, Jorhat, Assam: Asam Sahitya Sabha

[edit] External links

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search For the tea, see Assam tea. For the silk, see Assam silk. For the oil, see Assam oil.

Assam
State

Seal

Location of Assam in India

Map of Assam

Coordinates (Dispur):

2608N 9146E / 26.14N

91.77ECoordinates: Country Established Capital Largest city Districts Government[*] Governor Chief Minister Legislature Parliamentary constituency High Court Area Total Area rank Population (2011) Total Rank Density Time zone ISO 3166 code HDI HDI rank Literacy Official languages Website

2608N 9146E / 26.14N 91.77E India 15 August 1947 (64 years ago) Dispur Guwahati 27 J B Patnaik Tarun Gogoi (INC) Unicameral (126 seats) 14 Gauhati High Court 78,550 km2 (30,328.3 sq mi) 16th 31,169,272 14th 396.8/km2 (1,027.7/sq mi) IST (UTC+05:30) IN-AS 0.534 (medium) 22nd (2005) 76.3% (9th) Assamese; Bodo (in Bodoland)
[1]

assam.gov.in

^[*] Assam has had a legislature since 1937 ^[*] Assam is one of the original provinces of British India

Assam (Assamese [Asom] ( listen)),[dubious discuss] also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province (British India), is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country. Assam was one of the original provinces[2] of British ruled Indian sub-continent as well as present day India[3], having a legislature that dates back to 1937. However, present day Assam has undergone numerous territory alignment changes, with its state map being altered the highest number of times when compared to any other provincial level changes that have occured in Independent India. Known for exquisite natural resources, geography and its important role in India's freedom struggle; Assam has its capital as Dispur, an especialized city circuit region located on the outskirts of its

largest metropolis, Guwahati. Located south of the eastern Himalayas, Assam comprises the Brahmaputra and the Barak river valleys along with the Karbi Anglong and the Dima Hasao district with an area of 30,285 square miles (78,440 km2). Assam is surrounded by six of the other Seven Sister States: Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya. These states are connected to the rest of India via a narrow strip in West Bengal called the Siliguri Corridor or "Chicken's Neck".[4] Assam also shares international borders with Bhutan and Bangladesh; and cultures, peoples and climate with South-East Asia important elements in Indias Look East policy. Assam became a part of India after the British occupied the region following the First Anglo-Burmese War of 18241826.

Known for Assam tea, large and old petroleum resources, Assam silk and for its rich biodiversity, Assam gets royalty from the government of India for its contribution to tea and other resources. However, the royalty contribution may not be in equal ratio with respect to production if compared against the recent price hikes in fuels and current market trends.[5] When comes to wildlife, Assam too has successfully conserved the one-horned Indian rhinoceros from near extinction, along with the tiger and numerous species of birds, and it provides one of the last wild habitats for the Asian elephant. It is becoming an increasingly popular destination for wildlife tourism, and Kaziranga and Manas are both World Heritage Sites.[6] Assam was also known for its Sal tree forests and forest products, much depleted now. A land of high rainfall, Assam is endowed with lush greenery and the mighty river Brahmaputra, whose tributaries and oxbow lakes provide the region with a unique hydro-geomorphic and aesthetic environment.

Contents
[hide]

1 Etymology 2 Physical geography 3 History o 3.1 Pre-history o 3.2 Ancient and medieval o 3.3 British Assam o 3.4 Post British 4 Tea history 5 Subdivisions 6 Demographics 7 Religions o 7.1 Hinduism o 7.2 Islam o 7.3 Christianity o 7.4 Sikhism o 7.5 Buddhism

8 Culture and its evolution 9 Symbolism 10 Languages 11 Festivals 12 Performing arts 13 Literature 14 Traditional crafts 15 Fine arts 16 Economy o 16.1 Macro-economy o 16.2 Agriculture o 16.3 Industry 17 Education o 17.1 Universities o 17.2 Medical Colleges o 17.3 Government Technology and Engineering College o 17.4 Law Academy 18 Places o 18.1 Cities and towns 19 Tourism o 19.1 Main destinations o 19.2 Attractive destinations 20 See also 21 Notes and references 22 Further reading 23 External links

[edit] Etymology
Main article: Etymology of Assam Assam was known as Pragjyotisha in the Mahabharata; and Kamarupa in the 1st millennium which ruled Assam for almost 800 years. The academic consensus is that the current name is associated with the Ahom rulers who reigned for nearly six hundred years, as evidenced from Satyendra Nath Sarma's quote from Banikanta Kakati:[7] "While the Shan invaders called themselves Tai, they came to be referred to as sm, sam and sometimes as Acam by the indigenous people of the country. The modern Assamese word hom by which the Tai people are known is derived from sm or sam. The epithet applied to the Shan conquerors was subsequently transferred to the country over which they ruled and thus the name Kmarpa was replaced by sm, which ultimately took the Sanskritized form Asama, meaning 'unequalled, peerless or uneven'."

While a different school of thought emphasis that it derived from Sanskrit word "Asama" meaning unequal as referring to its geology which is equal mix of river valleys and hills. The British province after 1838 and the Indian state after 1947 came to be known as Assam. For the many theories on the origin of the name, see the main article Etymology of Assam. On 27 February 2006, the Government of Assam started a process to change the name of the state to Asom or Axom,[8] a controversial move that has been opposed by the people and political organizations.[9]

[edit] Physical geography

Main article: Physical Geography of Assam See also: Biodiversity of Assam

Assam and its Environs: As per the plate tectonics, Assam is in the eastern-most projection of the Indian Plate, where the plate is thrusting underneath the Eurasian Plate creating a subduction zone and the Himalayas.[10] Therefore, Assam possesses a unique geomorphic environment, with plains, dissected hills of the South Indian Plateau system and with the Himalayas all around its north, north-east and east. Geomorphic studies conclude that the Brahmaputra, the life-line of Assam is an antecedent river, older than the Himalayas. The river with steep gorges and rapids in Arunachal Pradesh entering Assam, becomes a braided river (at times 10 mi/16 km wide) and with tributaries, creates a flood plain (Brahmaputra Valley: 5060 mi/80100 km wide, 600 mi/1000 km long).[11] The hills of Karbi Anglong, North Cachar and those in and close to Guwahati (also Khasi-Garo Hills) now eroded and dissected are originally parts of the South Indian Plateau system.[11] In the south, the Barak originating in the Barail Range (Assam-Nagaland border) flows through the Cachar district with a 2530 miles (4050 km) wide valley and enters Bangladesh with the name Surma. Assam is endowed with petroleum, natural gas, coal, limestone and other minor minerals such as magnetic quartzite, kaolin, sillimanites, clay and feldspar.[12] A small quantity of iron ore is available in western districts.[12] Discovered in 1889, all the major petroleum-gas reserves are in Upper parts. A recent USGS estimate shows 399 million barrels (63,400,000 m3) of oil, 1,178 billion cubic feet (3.341010 m3) of gas and 67 million barrels (10,700,000 m3) of natural gas liquids in the Assam Geologic Province.[13]

With the Tropical Monsoon Rainforest Climate, Assam is temperate (summer max. at 95100 F or 3538 C and winter min. at 4346 F or 68 C) and experiences heavy rainfall and high humidity.[11][14] The climate is characterized by heavy monsoon downpours reducing summer temperatures and affecting foggy nights and mornings in winters. Thunderstorms known as Bordoicila are frequent during the afternoons. Spring (MarApr) and Autumn (SeptOct) are usually pleasant with moderate rainfall and temperature. Assam is one of the richest biodiversity zones in the world and consists of tropical rainforests,[15] deciduous forests, riverine grasslands,[16] bamboo[17] orchards and numerous wetland[18] ecosystems; Many are now protected as national parks and reserved forests. The Kaziranga, home of the rare Indian Rhinoceros, and Manas are two UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Assam. The state is the last refuge for numerous other endangered species such as the Golden Langur (Presbetis geei), White-winged Wood Duck or Deohanh (Cairina scutulata), Bengal Florican, Black-breasted Parrotbill, Pygmy Hog, Greater Adjutant and so on. Some other endangered species with significant population in Assam are the tiger, elephant, Hoolock gibbon, Jerdon's Babbler and so on to name a few. For the State Bird, the White-winged Wood Duck, Assam is a globally important area.[19] Assam is also known for orchids.[20] The state has the largest population of the Wild Water Buffalo in the world.[21] The state also has the highest diversity of birds in India with around 820 species.[22] With subspecies the number is as high as 946.[23] The mammal diversity in Assam is also high with around 190 species[24] The region is prone to natural disasters with annual floods and frequent mild earthquakes. Strong earthquakes are rare; three of which were recorded in 1869, 1897 (8.1 on the Richter scale); and in 1950 (8.6).

A view of the Brahmaputra river.

An Indian Rhinoceros at Kaziranga National Park.

Areca nut or Tamul; the seed of the Areca catechu is an important element of cultural symbolism.

A Golden Langur; endangered and found in the Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary in Dhubri district and in the pea-cock island of Guwahati.

A White-winged Wood Duck or Deohanh, endangered. Mostly found in the Upper Assam Tropical Forests.

A tea garden of Assam

[edit] History
Main article: History of Assam

[edit] Pre-history

A ferocious lion excavated in Madan Kamdev close to Baihata Chariali in Assam representing the powerful Kamarupa-Palas (c. 9th10th century AD) Assam and adjoining regions have evidences of human settlements from all the periods of the Stone ages. The hills at the height of 1,5002,000 feet (460 to 615 m) were popular habitats probably due to availability of exposed doleritic basalt useful for tool-making.[25] According to the Kalika Purana (c.17th18th AD), written in Assam, the earliest ruler of Assam was Mahiranga Danav followed by Hatak, Sambar, Ratna and Ghatak; Naraka removed this line of rulers and established his own Naraka dynasty. It mentions that the last of the Naraka-bhauma rulers, Narak, was slain by Krishna. Naraka's son Bhagadatta, mentioned in the Mahabharata, fought for the Kauravas in the battle of Kurukshetra with an army of kiratas, chinas and dwellers of the eastern coast. Later rulers of Kamarupa frequently drew their lineage from the Naraka rulers. However, there are lots of evidences to say that Mahayana Buddhism was prominent in ancient Assam. After Hi-uen Shang's visit Mahayana Buddhism came to Assam. Relics of Tezpur, Malini Than, Kamakhya and Madan Kam Dev Temple are the evidences of Mahayana Buddhism.

[edit] Ancient and medieval

The Ahom Kingdom, c. 1826 Ancient Assam, known as Kamarupa, was ruled by powerful dynasties: the Varmanas (c. 350 650 AD), the Salstambhas (Xalostombho, c. 655900 AD) and the Kamarupa-Palas (c. 9001100 AD). In the reign of the Varman king, Bhaskaravarman (c. 600650 AD), the Chinese traveler Xuan Zang visited the region and recorded his travels. Later, after weakening and disintegration (after the Kamarupa-Palas), the Kamarupa tradition was somewhat extended till c. 1255 AD by the Lunar I (c. 11201185 AD) and Lunar II (c. 11551255 AD) dynasties.[25]

Two later dynasties, the Ahoms and the Koch left larger impacts. The Ahoms, a Tai group, ruled Assam for nearly 600 years (12281826 AD) and the Koch, a Tibeto-Burmese, established sovereignty in c. 1510 AD. The Koch kingdom in western Assam and present North Bengal was at its zenith in the early reign of Naranarayana (c. 15401587 AD). It split into two in c. 1581 AD, the western part as a Moghul vassal and the eastern as an Ahom satellite state. Since c. 13th AD, the nerve centre of Ahom polity was upper Assam; the kingdom was gradually extended till Karatoya River in the c. 17th18th AD. It was at its zenith during the reign of Sukhrungpha or Sworgodeu Rudra Simha (c. 16961714 AD). Among other dynasties, the Sutiya Kingdom ruled north-eastern Assam and parts of present Arunachal Pradesh and the Kacharis ruled from Dikhow River to central and southern Assam. With expansion of Ahom kingdom, by c. 1520 AD the Sutiyas areas were annexed and since c. 1536 AD Kacharis remained only in Cachar and North Cachar more as an Ahom ally then a competing force. Despite numerous invasions, mostly by the Muslim rulers, no western power ruled Assam until the arrival of the British. Though the Mughals made seventeen attempts to invade they were not successful. The most successful invader Mir Jumla, a governor of Aurangzeb, briefly occupied Garhgaon (c. 166263 AD), the then capital, but found it difficult to control people making guerrilla attacks on his forces, forcing them to leave. The decisive victory of the Assamese led by the great general Lachit Borphukan on the Mughals, then under command of Raja Ram Singha at Saraighat (1671) had almost ended Mughal ambitions in this region. Mughals were finally expelled in c. 1682 AD from lower Assam.

[edit] British Assam

A map of the British Indian Empire in 1909 during the partition of Bengal (19051911), showing British India in two shades of pink (coral and pale) and the princely states in yellow. The Assam Province (initially as the Province of Eastern Bengal and Assam) can be seen towards the northeastern side of India. Ahom palace intrigue and political turmoil due to the Moamoria rebellion aided the Burmese to invade Assam and install Chandra Kanta Singh as a puppet king in 1817. In 1821, Singh switched his allegiance to the British, leading the Burmese to invade again. The Burmese defeated the Assamese army in 1822, and made Assam a Burmese province under a military governor-general.[26][27] With the Burmese having reached the East India Companys borders, the First Anglo-Burmese War ensued in 1824. The war ended under the Treaty of Yandabo[28] in 1826, with the Company taking control of Lower Assam and installing Purander Singh as king of Upper Assam in 1833. The arrangement lasted till 1838 and thereafter the British gradually

annexed the entire region. Initially Assam was made a part of the Bengal Presidency, then in 1906 it was a part of Eastern Bengal and Assam province, and in 1912 it was reconstituted into a Chief Commissioners' province. In 1913, a Legislative Council and in 1937 the Assam Legislative Assembly were formed in Shillong, the erstwhile capital of the region. The British tea planters imported labour from central India adding to the demographic canvas. After few initial unsuccessful attempts to free Assam during the 1850s, the Assamese since early 20th century joined and actively supported the Indian National Congress against the British. At the turn of the 20th century, British India consisted of eight provinces that were administered either by a Governor or a Lieutenant-Governor. The Assam Province was one amongst those major eight provinces of British India. The following table lists their areas and populations (but does not include those of the dependent Native States): [29] During the partition of Bengal (19051911), a new province, Assam and East Bengal, was created as a Lieutenant-Governorship. In 1911, East Bengal was reunited with Bengal, and the new provinces in the east became: Assam, Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.[29] Table hereafter shows the major original provinces during British India that includes the Assam Province: Province of British Area (in thousands of Population (in millions of India[29] square miles) inhabitants) Burma 170 9 Bengal 151 75 Madras 142 38 Bombay 123 19 United Provinces 107 48 Central Provinces 104 13 and Berar Punjab 97 20 Assam 49 6 Chief Administrative Officer Lieutenant-Governor Lieutenant-Governor Governor-in-Council Governor-in-Council Lieutenant-Governor Chief Commissioner Lieutenant-Governor Chief Commissioner

In 1947, Assam including the present Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya became a state of the Union of India (princely states, Manipur and Tripura became Group C provinces) and a district of Assam, Sylhet, chose to join Pakistan.

[edit] Post British

Assam till 1950s; The new states of Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram formed in the 1960-70s. From Shillong, the capital of Assam was shifted to Dispur, now a part of Guwahati. After the Indo-China war in 1962, Arunachal Pradesh was also separated out. Since 1947, with increasing economic problems in the region, separatist groups began forming along ethnic lines, and demands for autonomy and sovereignty grew, resulting into fragmentation of Assam. Since the mid-20th century, people from present Bangladesh have been migrating to Assam. In 1961, the Government of Assam passed a legislation making use of Assamese language compulsory. It had to be withdrawn later under pressure from Bengali speaking people in Cachar. In the 1980s the Brahmaputra valley saw a six-year Assam Agitation[30] triggered by the discovery of a sudden rise in registered voters on electoral rolls. It tried to force the government to identify and deport foreigners illegally migrating from neighboring Bangladesh and changing the demographics. The agitation ended after an accord between its leaders and the Union Government, which remained unimplemented, causing simmering discontent.[31] The post 1970s experienced the growth of armed separatist groups like United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA)[30] and National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB). In November 1990, the Government of India deployed the Indian army, after which low-intensity military conflicts and political homicides have been continuing for more than a decade. In recent times, ethnicity based militant groups (UPDS, HPDC etc.) have also mushroomed. Regional autonomy has been ensured for Bodo-kacahri community in Bodoland Territorial Council Areas (BTC) and for the Karbis in Karbi Anglong after agitation of the communities due to sluggish rate of development and general apathy of successive state governments towards indigenous communities.

A typical octagonal Ahom coin of Ahom Dynasty.

Rang Ghar, a pavilion built by Sunenphaa Pramatta Singha (17441751) in Ahom capital Rongpur, now Sibsagar; the Rang Ghar is one of the earliest pavilions of outdoor stadia in South Asia.

[edit] Tea history

Main article: Assam tea

This 1850 engraving shows the different stages in the process of making tea in Assam

Tea leaves Assam produces a significant portion of the world's tea

After discovery of Camellia sinensis (1834) in Assam followed by its tests in 183637 in London, the British allowed companies to rent land since 1839. Thereafter tea plantations mushroomed in Upper Assam, where the soil and the climate were most suitable. Problems with the imported laborers from China and hostilities of native Assamese resulted into migration of forced laborers from central-eastern parts of India. After initial trial and error with planting the Chinese and the Assamese-Chinese hybrid varieties, the planters later accepted the local Camellia assamica as the most suitable one for Assam. By 1850s, the industry started seeing some profits. Industry saw initial growth, when in 1861, investors were allowed to own land in Assam and it saw substantial progress with invention of new technologies and machinery for preparing processed tea during 1870s. The cost of Assam tea was lowered down many folds and became more competitive than its Chinese variant. Despite the commercial success, tea laborers continued to be exploited, working and living under poor conditions. Fearful of greater government interference, the tea growers formed the Indian Tea Association in 1888 to lobby to retain the status quo. The organization was very successful in this, and even after Indias independence conditions of the laborers have improved very little.
[32]

[edit] Subdivisions

Districts of Assam. Note that since 2001, four new districts have been created: Baksa, Chirang, Udalguri and Kamrup (metropolitan); and Kamrup has been renamed Kamrup (rural) Main article: Districts of Assam Assam is divided into 27 administrative districts.[33] More than half of these districts were carved out during 80s and 90s from original 1. Lakhimpur, 2. Jorhat, 3. Karbi Anglong, 4. Darrang, 5. Nagaon, 6. Kamrup, 7. Goalpara, 8. North Cachar and 9. Cachar districts, delineated by the British. Earlier, during 70s, Dibrugarh was separated out from original Lakhimpur district. These districts are further sub-divided into 49 Sub-divisions or Mohkuma.[33] Every district is administered from a district head quarter with the office of the District Collector, District Magistrate, Office of the District Panchayat and usually with a district court.

The districts are delineated on the basis of the features such as the rivers, hills, forests, etc. and majority of the newly constituted districts are sub-divisions of the earlier districts. For the present districts of Assam and their location, refer the attached map. The local governance system is organised under the jila-parishad (District Panchayat) for a district, panchayat for group of or individual rural areas and under the urban local bodies for the towns and cities. Presently there are 2489 village panchayats covering 26247 villages in Assam. [34] The 'town-committee' or nagar-somiti for small towns, 'municipal board' or pouro-sobha for medium towns and municipal corporation or pouro-nigom for the cities consist of the urban local bodies. For the revenue purposes, the districts are divided into revenue circles and mouzas; for the development projects, the districts are divided into 219 'development-blocks' and for law and order these are divided into 206 police stations or thana.[34]

[edit] Demographics
Main article: People of Assam

Woman teaworker plucking tea leaves in a tea garden of Assam

District-wise Demographic Characteristics in 2001

[show]Population Growth
Total population of Assam was 26.66 million with 4.91 million households in 2001.[36] Higher population concentration was recorded in the districts of Kamrup, Nagaon, Sonitpur, Barpeta, Dhubri, Darang and Cachar. Assam's population was estimated at 28.67 million in 2006 and at 30.57 million by 2011, 34.18 million by 2021 and 35.60 million by 2026.[37]

In 2001, the census recorded literacy in Assam at 63.3% with male literacy at 71.3% and female at 54.6%. Urbanisation rate was recorded at 12.9%.[38] Growth of population in Assam has experienced a very high trajectory since the mid-decades of the 20th century. Population grew steadily from 3.29 million in 1901 to 6.70 million in 1941, while it has increased unprecedentedly to 14.63 million in 1971 and 22.41 million in 1991 to reach the present level.[36] The growth in the western and southern districts was of extreme high in nature mostly attributable to rapid influx of population from the then East Pakistan or Bangladesh.[31] Assam has many ethnic groups and the People of India project has studied 115 of these. Out of which 79 (69%) identify themselves Template:Explanation needed regionally, 22 (19%) locally, and 3 trans-nationally. The earliest settlers were Austroasiatic, followed by Tibeto-Burman, Indo-Aryan speakers, and TaiKadai speakers.[39] Forty-five languages are spoken by different communities, including three major language families: Austroasiatic (5), Sino-Tibetan (24) and Indo-European (12). Three Template:Not making 45 in total!!! of the spoken languages do not fall in these families. There is a high degree of bilingualism. STs in Assam There are 23 notified Scheduled Tribes (ST) in Assam with the Bodos (40.9 per cent) making half of the total ST population (around 13 per cent) of the state. The other STs (both plains and hills) include Miri, Karbi, Rabha, Kachari, Lalung, Barman in Cachar, Borokachar, Deori, Hajai, Mech, Dimasa, Hajong, Singhphho, Khampti and Garo, Chakma, Hmar, Khasi, Jaintia, Synteng, Pnar, War, Bhoi, Lyngngam, and Kuki.

[edit] Religions
According to the 2001 census, there were 17,296,455 Hindus, 8,240,611 Muslims, 986,589 Christians, 22,519 Sikhs, 51,029 Buddhists, 23,957 Jains and 22,999 belonging to other religious communities.[40] The latter includes Animism (Khamti, Phake, Aiton etc. communities).

[edit] Hinduism

Kamakhya Temple The Hindus of Assam perform several dances to practice their devotion to their Gods. One category of them is the Sattriya Dances. Kamakhya, dedicated to Goddess Durga is the eastern-most pilgrimage of Hinduism. Popular forms of God in Assam are Durga, Shiva, Krishna and Narayana, although several tribes practice devotion to local deities as well. Well known saints and philosophers from Assam include Gurudev Kalicharan, Madhab, Mahadeb, and very likely Kumarila Bhatta. Brahmo Samaj: Assam is the home of Kalicharan Mech, a Bodo Hindu who stopped the British Christian missionaries, spread ahimsa and vegetarianism. He was deeply influenced by the Brahmo Samaj.[41] He later became known as "Gurudev Kalicharan Brahmachari"[42] or "Guru Brahma". His principles were established as the Brahma Dharma. Perhaps his teachings can be summarized by his given phrase, "Chandrama Surya Narayans Jyoti", meaning, "the light (jyoti) from the sun is capable from dispelling darkness and taking people to Brahma (Narayans)."[43] From the teachings of Guru Brahma, the "Bodo-Brahmas" (the Bodos of this sect) have boycotted alcohol, heavy dowry as well as meat-eating. This sect is written by scholars to be Vedic and Upanishadic.[44] As per Vedic rituals, the priests perform Horn Yajna, which was begun by Guru Brahma to organize the Bodos.[45] While the Bodo Christians today are laying stress on adopting a Roman script for the Bodo community, the Bodo-Brahmas prefer the traditional Bengali-Ahomi script.

Out of the 3,308,570 Assamese tribals reported in the 2001 Census, 90.7% were Hindus and 8.8% were Christians. There were also 6,267 Muslims, 5,153 Budhists and 3,574 Animists.[46]

[edit] Islam
Muslims constitute the second largest religious group in Assam with about 10,240,611 persons, 34.7%(2011 census) of the Assam population. Amongst Indian provinces, Assam has the third largest proportion of Muslims only the Union Territory of Lakshaweep Islands and Jammu and Kashmir have a higher proportion. The history of the indigenous Muslims of Assam is a long one, though many details are obscure, especially for the Assamese Muslims. A Brahmin priest from Kamrup (near the geographical middle of Assam) was reported to have converted to Islam around the 13th century. Later in the 16th century, an Islamic saint Ajan Fakir Shah Miran and also known as Ghiyasuddin Auliya came from Baghdad to Assam to preach Islam in the area. The Masjid constructed by him is known as, The Pao Mecca mosque, Pao Mecca literally means one-fourth of Mecca. It is believed that the foundation of the mosque was laid upon a handful of earth brought from Mecca. The Pao-Mecca mosque was partially destroyed by a strong earthquake that occurred in 1897 and the dargah on the 750 ft (229 m). high Gaurachol hills is of Ghiyasuddin Auliya Ajan Fakir was buried on the hills of Gaurachol and hence the tomb on the hill is related to him, are considered sacrosanct not only by the Muslims but by people of other faiths as well.
[47]

Panchpeer Dargaha, Dhurbi District, Assam: It is Mazar Sharif of five Sufi Saints who accompanied Raja Ram Singh during his time of invasion to Assam.Immigration from Bangladesh has increased the number of Muslims significantly in some areas.

[edit] Christianity
The Bible was translated into Assamese in the year of 1819. In 1827, an attempt was made to start a Baptist church in Guwahati, but it made no permanent converts in the area. Later the American Baptist Foreign Missionary Society was able to make some headway in Guwahati. Although these earliest Christian missionary endeavors which were focused in the north-east of India, were in Modern Assam, the great success of Protestant missionaries in North-East India which they achieved in late 19th and the 20th Centuries, was primarily in areas such as Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya which are not part of Assam anymore. As of 1991 only Tripura of the seven eastern states of India had a lower percentage of Christians than Assam. There were more Christians in Assam than in Mizoram even though Mizoram was the second most Christian state in India at the time.[48] Besides the Protestants there are also Catholics. There is a Roman Catholic Archdiocese in Shillong.

According to the 2001 Census, there are a total of 986,589 Christians in Assam.[49] Out of this, 291,000 (29.5%) are tribals.[46]

[edit] Sikhism

Gurdwara Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib main building The first Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Nanak Dev had visited Kamrup (Assam) in the 1505 as recorded in the his first visit in Purantan Janam Sakhi (the historical papers related to the visits and daily recorded activities of the Guru). Guru Nanak had met Srimanta Shankardeva (the founder of the Mahapuruxiya Dharma) as the Guru travelled from Dhaka to Assam. But no sangat or historical shrine dedicated to him survives as to date. Ninth Guru of Sikhs Guru Tegh Bahadur visited Assam in 1668. This place is also famous for the Sikh Gurdwara Thara Sahib or Gurdwara Damdama Sahib which was constructed in memory atop the hillock place of meditation of the Guru in Dhubri, Kamrup. The historical site and places of interest of the Gurdwara are many times referred to as Gurdwara Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib situated in Dhubri (Assam) by the banks of the Brahmaputra .[50] The grateful Ahom King invited Guruji to the Kamakhya shrine, where he was honoured with great respect. In the year 1820, few hundred Sikh soldiers went to Assam at the initiative of Maharaja Ranjit Singh to help Ahom rulers in a war. Their descendants are mostly concentrated in Lanka in Nagaon district of Assam.[51] Sikhs have been living in Assam for approximately two hundred years.[52]

[edit] Buddhism
The religion is practised by 51,029 persons in Assam. Among them are the Chakma and Boruas. The Chakmas of Assam are loacted mostly in Chachar and Karbi Anglong with very lesser presence in Nagaon district. Guwahati has lots of Buddhist temples, the most prominent being the Bamunimaidan Buddhist temple. The Indigenous Tai tribes like Tai Phake, Tai Aiton, Khamyang, Turung, Singpho and Khampti are also buddhist by religion. They mainly inhabit Upper Assam and also Karbi Anglong. There is also a small Bhutanese and Tibetan population in Assam.

[edit] Culture and its evolution

Main article: Culture of Assam See also: Bihu, Music of Assam, Assamese literature, Assamese cinema, and Fine Arts of Assam Assamese culture is traditionally a hybrid one developed due to assimilation of ethno-cultural groups in the past. Therefore, both local elements or the local elements in Sanskritised forms are distinctly found.[53] The major milestones in evolution of Assamese culture are:

Assimilation in the Kamarupa Kingdom for almost 700 years (under the Varmans for 300 years, Salastambhas and Palas for each 200 years).[25] Establishment of the Ahom dynasty in the 13th century AD and assimilation for next 600 years.[25] Assimilation in the Koch Kingdom (15th16th century AD) of western Assam and Kachari Kingdom (12th18th century AD) of central and southern Assam.[25]

Dakhinpat Satra of Majuli

Presenting 'Gayan Bayan' in Majuli, the Neo-Vaishnavite Cultural heritage of Assam

Vaishnava Movement led by Srimanta Shankardeva (Sonkordeu) and its contribution and cultural changes.Vaishanav Movement, the 15th century religio-cultural movement under the leadership of great Srimanta Sankardeva (Sonkordeu) and his disciples have provided another dimension to Assamese culture. A renewed Hinduisation in local forms took place, which was initially greatly supported by the Koch and later by the Ahom Kingdoms. The resultant social institutions such as namghar and sattra (the Vaishnav Monasteries) have become part of Assamese way life. The movement contributed greatly towards language, literature and performing and fine arts. It is also noticed that many a times, Vaishnav Movement attempted to introduce alien cultural attributes and modify the way of life of common people. Brajavali a language specially created by introducing

words from other Indian languages had failed as a language but left its traces on the Assamese language. Moreover, new alien rules were also introduced changing people's food habits and other aspects of cultural life. This had a greater impact on alienation of many local ethno-cultural and political groups in the later periods. Historically, it is not difficult to understand that on one hand, during the strong politicoeconomic systems under stronger dynasties, greater cultural assimilations created common attributes of Assamese culture, while on the other during smaller politico-economic systems or during political disintegration, more localised attributes were created with spatial differentiation. Time-factor for such integrations and differentiations has also played extremely important role along with the position of individual events in the entire series of sequential events. With rich traditions, the modern culture is greatly influenced by events in the British and the Post-British Era. The language was standardised by the American Baptist Missionaries such as Nathan Brown, Dr. Miles Bronson and local pundits such as Hemchandra Barua with the form available in the Sibsagar (Sivasagar) District (the ex-nerve centre of the Ahom Kingdom). A renewed Sanskritisation was increasingly adopted for developing Assamese language and grammar. A new wave of Western and northern Indian influence was apparent in the performing arts and literature. Increasing efforts of standardisation in the 20th century alienated the localised forms present in different areas and with the less-assimilated ethno-cultural groups (many source-cultures). However, Assamese culture in its hybrid form and nature is one of the richest, still developing and in true sense is a 'cultural system' with sub-systems. It is interesting that many sourcecultures of Assamese cultural-system are still surviving either as sub-systems or as sister entities, for e.g. Bodo or Karbi or Mishing. It is important to keep the broader system closer to its roots and at the same time to focus on development of the sub-systems. Some of the common and unique cultural traits in the region are peoples' respect towards arecanut and betel leaves, symbolic (Gamosa, Arnai, etc.), traditional silk garments and towards forefathers and elderly. Moreover, great hospitality and Bamboo culture are common.

[edit] Symbolism
File:Tamulpanor Sorai Assam.JPG A pair of areca nuts, betel leaves and a Gamosa in a Sorai; this represents cultural symbolism of respect towards the recipient by the person presenting it

A decorative Assamese Jaapi laid over a Gamosa Symbolism is an ancient cultural practice in Assam and is still a very important part of Assamese way of life. Various elements are being used to represent beliefs, feelings, pride, identity, etc. Tamulpan, Sorai and Gamosa are three important symbolic elements in Assamese culture. Tamulpan (the areca nut and betel leaves) or guapan (gua from kwa) are considered along with the Gamosa (a typical woven cotton or silk cloth with embroidery) as the offers of devotion, respect and friendship. The Tamulpan-tradition is an ancient one and is being followed since time-immemorial with roots in the aboriginal Austro-Asiatic culture. Sorai is a traditionally manufactured bell-metal article of great respect and is used as a container-medium while performing respectful offers. Moreover, symbolically many ethno-cultural groups use specific clothes to portray respect and pride. There were many other symbolic elements and designs, but are now only found in literature, art, sculpture, architecture, etc. or in use today for only religious purposes. The typical designs of assamese-lion, dragon, flying-lion, etc. were used for symbolising various purposes and occasions. The archaeological sites such as the Madan Kamdev (c. 9th10th AD) exhibits massscale use of lions, dragon-lions and many other figures of demons to show case power and prosperity. The Vaishnava monasteries and many other architectural sites of late medieval period also showcase use of lions and dragons for symbolic effects.

[edit] Languages
See also: Assamese language, Assamese literature, Bodo language, Sylheti language, and Bishnupriya Manipuri language

Languages of Assam in 2001[54] Assamese (57.81%) Bengali (21.67%) Bodo (5.28%) Nepali (4.62%) Mishing, Karbi, Dimasa (3.66%) Other (6.96%) Assamese and Bodo are the major indigenous and official languages while Bengali holds official status in the three districts in the Barak Valley and is the second most widely spoken language of the state (27%).[55] Traditionally Assamese was the language of the commons (of mixed origin Austroasiatic, Tibeto-Burman, Prakrit) in the ancient Kamarupa and in the medieval kingdoms of Kamatapur, Kachari, Sutiya kingdom, Borahi, Ahom and Koch. Traces of the language is found in many poems by Luipa, Sarahapa, etc. in Charyapada (c.7th8th AD). Modern dialects Kamrupi, Goalpariya, etc. are the remnant of this language. Moreover, Assamese in its traditional form was used by the ethno-cultural groups in the region as lingua-franca, which spread during the stronger kingdoms and was required for needed economic integration. Localised forms of the language still exist in Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh. The form used in the upper Assam was enriched by the advent of Tai-Shans in the 13th century. Linguistically modern Assamese traces its roots to the version developed by the American Missionaries based on the local form in practice near Sibsagar (Siwoxagor) district. Assamese (Osomeeya) is a rich language due to its hybrid nature with its unique characteristics of pronunciation and softness. Assamese literature is one of the richest.

A page from Charyapada: 7th8th century specimen of Assamese literature

Dimasa is a one of the oldest language spoken in North East India particularly in Assam. The word Dimasa etymologically translates to "Son of the big river " (Di- Water, ma- suffix for great, sa-sons), the river being the mighty Brahmaputra. The Dimasa word "Di" for water forms the root word for many of the major rivers of Assam and the North East India like Dikrang which means green river, Dikhow which means "fetched water", Diyung ( huge river) etc. The mighty river Brahmaputra is known as Dilao (long river) among the Dimasas even now. Many of the important towns and cities in Assam and Nagaland found their names from the Dimasa word such as Diphu, Dimapur (a capital of Dimasa Kingdom), Dispur,Hojai, Khaspur, etc. In fact, Dimasa language is one of the last languages of the North East India which still has undiluted rich vocabularies. Bodo is an ancient language of Assam. Spatial distribution patterns of the ethno-cultural groups, cultural traits and the phenomenon of naming all the major rivers in the North East Region with Bodo-Kachari words (e.g. Dihing, Dibru, Dihong, D/Tista, Dikrai, etc.) reveal that it was the most important language in the ancient times. Bodo is presently spoken largely in the Lower Assam (Bodo Territorial Council area). After years of neglect, now Bodo language is getting attention and its literature is developing. Other native languages of Tibeto-Burman origin and related to Bodo-Kachari are DEORI Mishing, Karbi, Rabha, Tiwa, etc. Rajbongshi also known as Kamatapuri/Goalpariya is also widely spoken by the people of western Assam. Nepali is also spoken in almost all parts of the state. There are approximately thirty lakhs of Nepali speakers spreading over the area of all the district of Assam. Assamese language being the main language, they are well versed in it. Assamese language is the main medium in educational institutions but Nepali language is also taught as a major Indian language. In Guwahati and Digboi, many Jr. basic School and Jr. high School are Nepali medium where all the teachers are Nepali. As a major Indian language, Nepali is included by Assam State Secondary Board, Assam Higher Secondary Council and Gauhati University in their HSCL, higher secondary and graduation level respectively, in some junior basic and higher secondary schools and colleges, Nepali teachers and lecturers are also appointed. In these institutions, Nepali and literature are taught. There are also speakers of Tai languages in Assam. A total of six Tai language were spoken in Assam, although two are now extinct.[56]

Tai Phake Tai Aiton Khamti Khamyang (critically endangered) Ahom (extinct) Turung (extinct)

The Tai Ahom language (brought by Sukaphaa and his followers), is no longer a spoken language today, but is receiving increased attention for research after centuries of long care and preservation by the Bailungs (traditional priests). There are also small groups of people speaking Manipuri, Khasi, Garo, Hmar, Kuki, Zeme Naga etc. in different parts.

Bengali is the official language in Barak Valley and the widely spoken language there is Sylheti, a dialect of Bengali. Bengali is also largely spoken in the western districts of Dhubri, Barpeta and Goalpara. Santali or Santhali is also spoken widely by the tribal population in the tea garden districts of Assam. these people who were initially brought as tea estate labourers by the British to Assam have now made it their home state. Bishnupriya Manipuri language is also spoken by a small minority of people in Barak Valley.

[edit] Festivals

A Bihu dancer blowing a pepa (horn)

An Assamese woman in Pat Silk performing Sattriya dance

There are diversified important traditional festivals in Assam. Bihu is the most important and common and celebrated all over Assam. Durga Puja is another festival celebrated with great enthusiasm. Muslims celebrate two Eids (Eid ul-Fitr and Eid al-Adha) with much eagerness all over Assam. Bihu is a series of three prominent festivals. Primarily a non-religious festival celebrated to mark the seasons and the significant points of a cultivator's life over a yearly cycle. Three Bihus, rongali or bohag, celebrated with the coming of spring and the beginning of the sowing season; kongali or kati, the barren bihu when the fields are lush but the barns are empty; and the bhogali or magh, the thanksgiving when the crops have been harvested and the barns are full. Bihu songs and Bihu dance are associated to rongali bihu. The day before the each bihu is known as 'uruka'. The first day of 'rongali bihu' is called 'Goru bihu' (the bihu of the cows), when the cows are taken to the nearby rivers or ponds to be bathed with special care. In recent times the form and nature of celebration has changed with the growth of urban centres. Bushu Dima or simply Bushu is a major harvest festival of the Dimasa people. This festival is celebrated during the end of January. Officially January 27 has been declared as the day of Bushu Dima festival.The Dimasa people celebrate their festival by playing musical instrumentskhram (a type of drum), muri ( a kind of huge long flute). The people dances to the different tunes called "murithai" and each dance has got its name, the prominent being the "Baidima" There are three types of Bushu celebrated among the Dimasas Jidap, Surem and Hangsou. Moreover, there are other important traditional festivals being celebrated every year on different occasions at different places. Many of these are celebrated by different ethno-cultural groups (sub and sister cultures). Some of these are:

Me-dam-me-phi Ali-Aye-Ligang Kherai Garja Hapsa Hatarnai Awnkham Gwrlwi Janai

Chojun/Swarak Rongker Sokk-erroi Hacha-kekan Porag Karbi Youth Festival

[edit] Performing arts

See also: Music of Assam Assam has rich tradition of performing arts. Ankiya Nat (Onkeeya Naat) is a traditional Vaishnav dance-drama (Bhaona) form popular since 15th century AD It makes use of large masks of gods, goddesses, demons and animals and in between the plays a Sutradhar (Xutrodhar) keeps on telling the story. The Bihu dance and Hucory performed during the Bohag Bihu, Kushan nritra of Rajbongshi's, Bagurumba and Bordoicikhla dance of Bodos, Mishing Bihu, Banjar Kekan performed during Chomangkan by Karbis are some of the major folk dances. Sattriya (Sotriya) dance related to Vaishnav tradition is a classical form of dance.

Moreover, there are several other age-old dance-forms such as Barpetas Bhortal Nritya, Deodhoni Nritya, Oja Paali, Beula Dance, Ka Shad Inglong Kardom, Nimso Kerung, etc. The tradition of modern moving theatres is typical of Assam with immense popularity of many large theatre groups such as Kohinoor, Srimanta Sankardev, Abahan, Bhagyadevi, Hengul, Rajmahal, Itihas etc.

Jyoti Prasad Agarwala At the same time musical tradition is also rich. Folk songs and music related to Bihu and other festivals dates back to time-immemorial. Borgeet, the popular Vaishnav songs are written and composed in 15th century. Assam has large numbers of traditional musical instruments including several types of drums, string instruments, flutes, cymbals, pipes, etc. The indigenous folk music has substantially influenced the growth of a modern idiom, that finds expression in the music of such artists like Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, Bishnuprasad Rabha, Parvati Prasad Baruwa, Bhupen Hazarika, Pratima Barua Pandey, Anima Choudhury, Luit Konwar Rudra Baruah, Jayanta Hazarika, Khagen Mahanta, Deepali Borthakur, "Ganashilpi" Dilip Sarma, Sudakshina Sarma among many others. Among the new generation, Zubeen Garg, Jitul Sonowal, Angaraag Mahanta and Joi Barua have a great fan following. There is an award given in the honour of Bishnuprasad Rabha for achievements in the cultural/music world of Assam by the State Government

[edit] Literature
See also: Assamese literature Noted writers:

Dr. Mamoni Raisom Goswami Bhabendra Nath Saikia Lakshminath Bezbaruah Hem Barua Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya Hiren Bhattacharyya

[edit] Traditional crafts

Main article: Traditional crafts of Assam See also: Assam silk

Bell metal made sorai and sophura are important parts of culture; offerings with respect are made using these during festivals and religious ceremonies and are seen as respectable items

A traditional brass dish from Assam

A page of manuscript painting from Assam; The medieval painters used locally manufactured painting materials such as the colours of hangool and haital and papers manufactured from aloewood bark Assam has a rich tradition of crafts; presently, Cane and bamboo craft, bell metal and brass craft, silk and cotton weaving, toy and mask making, pottery and terracotta work, wood craft, jewellery making, musical instruments making, etc. remained as major traditions.[57] Historically, Assam also excelled in making boats, traditional guns and gunpowder, ivory crafts, colours and paints, articles of lac, agarwood products, traditional building materials, utilities from iron, etc. Cane and bamboo craft provide the most commonly used utilities in daily life, ranging from household utilities, weaving accessories, fishing accessories, furniture, musical instruments, construction materials, etc. Utilities and symbolic articles such as Sorai and Bota made from bell

metal and brass are found in every Assamese household.[58][59] Hajo and Sarthebari (Sorthebaary) are the most important centres of traditional bell-metal and brass crafts. Assam is the home of several types of silks, the most prestigious are: Muga the natural golden silk, Pat a creamybright-silver coloured silk and Eri a variety used for manufacturing warm clothes for winter. Apart from Sualkuchi (Xualkuchi), the centre for the traditional silk industry, in almost every parts of the Brahmaputra Valley, rural households produce silk and silk garments with excellent embroidery designs. Moreover, various ethno-cultural groups in Assam make different types of cotton garments with unique embroidery designs and wonderful colour combinations. Moreover, Assam possesses unique crafts of toy and mask making mostly concentrated in the Vaishnav Monasteries, pottery and terracotta work in lower Assam districts and wood craft, iron craft, jewellery, etc. in many places across the region.

[edit] Fine arts

Main article: Fine Arts of Assam See also: Culture of Assam The archaic Mauryan Stupas discovered in and around Goalpara district are the earliest examples (c. 300 BC to c. 100 AD) of ancient art and architectural works. The remains discovered in Daparvatiya (Doporboteeya) archaeological site with a beautiful doorframe in Tezpur are identified as the best examples of art works in ancient Assam with influence of Sarnath School of Art of the late Gupta period. Many other sites also exhibit development of local art forms with local motifs and sometimes with similarities with those in the Southeast Asia. There are currently more than forty discovered ancient archaeological sites across Assam with numerous sculptural and architectural remains. Moreover, there are examples of several Late-Middle Age art and architectural works including hundreds of sculptures and motifs along with many remaining temples, palaces and other buildings. The motifs available on the walls of the buildings such as Rang Ghar, Joydoul, etc. are remarkable examples of art works. Painting is an ancient tradition of Assam. Xuanzang (7th century AD) mentions that among the Kamarupa king Bhaskaravarma's gifts to Harshavardhana there were paintings and painted objects, some of which were on Assamese silk. Many of the manuscripts such as Hastividyarnava (A Treatise on Elephants), the Chitra Bhagawata and in the Gita Govinda from the Middle Ages bear excellent examples of traditional paintings. The medieval Assamese literature also refers to chitrakars and patuas. There are several renowned contemporary artists in Assam. The Guwahati Art College is a government institution for tertiary education. Moreover, there are several art-societies and nongovernment initiatives across the state and the Guwahati Artists Guild is a front-runner organisation based in Guwahati.

[edit] Economy
Main article: Economy of Assam

In the 1950s, per capita income in Assam was little higher than that in India. In 200001, in Assam it was INR 6,157 at constant prices (199394) and INR 10,198 at current prices; almost 40% lower than that in India.[60] According to the recent estimates,[61] per capita income in Assam has reached INR 6756 (199394 constant prices) in 200405, which is still much lower than India's.

A tea garden in Assam: tea is grown at elevations near sea level, giving it a malty sweetness and an earthy flavor, as opposed to the more floral aroma of highland (e.g. Darjeeling, Taiwanese) teas

[edit] Macro-economy
Economy of Assam today represents a unique juxtaposition of backwardness amidst plenty.[62] Despite its rich natural resources, and supplying of up to 25% of India's petroleum needs, growth rate of Assams income has not kept pace with that of Indias; differences increased rapidly since

1970s.[63] Indian economy grew at 6% per annum over the period of 1981 to 2000, the same of Assam was only 3.3%.[64] In the Sixth Plan period Assam experienced a negative growth rate of 3.78% when India's was positive at 6%.[63] In the post-liberalised era (after 1991), the differences widened further. According to recent analysis, Assams economy is showing signs of improvement. In 200102, the economy grew (at 199394 constant prices) at 4.5%, to fall to 3.4% in the next financial year. [65] During 200304 and 200405, the economy grew (at 199394 constant prices) more satisfactorily at 5.5% and 5.3% respectively.[65] The advanced estimates placed the growth rate for 200506 at above 6%.[61] Assam's GDP in 2004 is estimated at $13 billion in current prices. Sectoral analysis again exhibits a dismal picture. The average annual growth rate of agriculture, which was only 2.6% per annum over 1980s has unfortunately fallen to 1.6% in the 1990s.[66] Manufacturing sector has shown some improvement in the 1990s with a growth rate of 3.4% per annum than 2.4% in the 1980s.[66] Since past five decades, the tertiary sector has registered the highest growth rates than the other sectors, which even has slowed down in the 1990s than in 1980s.[66]

[edit] Agriculture
Accounts for more than a third of Assams income and employs 69% of workforce.[67] Assam's biggest contribution to the world is tea. It produces some of the finest and expensive teas and has its own variety Camellia assamica. Assam also accounts for fair share of Indias production of rice, rapeseed, mustard seed, jute, potato, sweet potato, banana, papaya, areca nut and turmeric. It is also a home of large varieties of citrus fruits, leaf vegetables, vegetables, useful grasses, herbs, spices, etc. Assams agriculture is yet to experience modernisation in real sense. With implications to food security, per capita food grain production has declined in past five decades.[68] Productivity has increased marginally; but still lower comparing to highly productive regions. For instance, yield of rice (staple food of Assam) was just 1531 kg per hectare against Indias 1927 kg per hectare in 200001[68] (which itself is much lower than Egypts 9283, USs 7279, South Koreas 6838, Japans 6635 and Chinas 6131 kg per hectare in 2001[69]). On the other hand, after having strong domestic demand, 1.5 million hectares of inland water bodies, numerous rivers and 165 varieties of fishes,[70] fishing is still in its traditional form and production is not self-sufficient.[71] The Assam Agriculture University is located at Jorhat, Assam. It is the only agricultural university for the Seven Sisters.

[edit] Industry
Apart from tea and petroleum refineries, Assam has few industries of significance. Industrial development is inhibited by its physical and political isolation from neighbouring countries such as Burma, China and Bangladesh and from other growing Southeast Asian economies; ultimately leading to neglect by the federal government in regards to development a key motivation for separatist groups.[72] The region is landlocked, situated in the eastern periphery of India and is linked to the mainland by a flood and cyclone prone narrow corridor, known as the Siliguri

Corridor or Chicken's Neck, with weak transport infrastructure that have remained undeveloped since independence. The international airport in Guwahati is yet to find providing direct international . The Brahmaputra suitable for navigation does not possess sufficient infrastructure for international trade and success of such a navigable trade route will be dependent on proper channel maintenance and diplomatic and trade relationships with Bangladesh.

Processed Assam tea Assam is a major producer of crude oil and it accounts for about 15% of India's crude output,[73] exploited by the Assam Oil Company Ltd., and natural gas in India and is the second place in the world (after Titusville in the United States) where petroleum was discovered. Asias first successful mechanically drilled oil well was drilled in Makum (Assam) way back in 1867. Most of the oilfields are located in the Upper Assam region. Assam has four oil refineries located in Guwahati, Digboi, Golaghat (Numaligarh) and Bongaigaon with a total capacity of 7 million metric tonnes (7.7 million short tons) per annum. It is worth mentioning here that Asia's first refinery was set up at Digboi and discoverer of Digboi oilfield was the Assam Railways & Trading Company Limited (AR&T Co. Ltd.), a registered company of London in 1881.[74] Despite its richness in natural resources, the benefits have yet to improve the lives of the people of Assam. Although having a poor overall industrial performance, several other industries have nevertheless been started, including a chemical fertiliser plan at Namrup, petrochemical industries at Namrup and Bongaigaon, paper mills at Jagiroad, Panchgram and Jogighopa, sugar mills at Barua Bamun Gaon, Chargola, Kampur, cement plant at Bokajan & Badarpur, cosmetics plant (HLL) at Doom Dooma, etc. Moreover, there are other industries such as jute mill, textile and yarn mills, silk mill, etc. Unfortunately many of these industries are facing loss and closure due to lack of infrastructure and improper management practices.[75]

[edit] Education
Main article: Education in Assam See also: List of educational institutions in Assam

Cotton College in Guwahati initiated modern tertiary education and research in Assam and has been continuing classical and high-educational standards for more than hundred years; many of the buildings in the college are excellent examples of Assamese architecture with colonial flavours

Academic complex of IIT Guwahati Assam boasts of the most wide-ranging networks of higher educational institutions in the whole of North-Eastern region of India. Assam has developed into a top educational destination at the state as well as at the national level. To enhance the status of Assam education, the state government has introduced many innovative education polices. Its capital city; Guwahati is a key destination for higher education for students of the whole of north-eastern region. One of India's best boarding schools The Assam Valley School is located at Balipara in the Sonitpur(Tezpur) District of Assam. It is a co-educational residential school. It is an ICSE school. This article offers an understanding of Assam Education system.Assam has several institutions for tertiary education and research. The major institutions are:

[edit] Universities

Gauhati University Dibrugarh University Tezpur University Assam University, Silchar Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat Don Bosco University, (private) Assam Down Town University, (private)

[edit] Medical Colleges

Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, Guwahati Silchar Medical College and Hospital, Silchar Jorhat Medical College, Jorhat Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Medical College, Barpeta Dr. J. K. Saikia Homeopathic Medical College, Jorhat Assam Govt. Ayurvedic College, Guwahati

[edit] Government Technology and Engineering College

Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology,Sibsagar Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati Assam Engineering College, Guwahati Jorhat Engineering College, Jorhat National Institute of Technology, Silchar

[edit] Law Academy

National Law School and Judicial Academy, Guwahati

The National Law School & Judicial Academy, Assam (NLSJAA) promises to be an exciting new development in the field of legal education in North Eastern India. The institution is in the process of setting up its premises at Amingaon near Guwahati a city dating back to over a thousand years, and also boasting a rich legal heritage not only is the Gauhati High Court situated here, but also some of the finest lawyers and judges of the country trace their roots back to this city. Nevertheless, the functions of the institute have already started from its temporary office at Ujan Bazar, Guwahati, and all the necessary arrangements are being made for commencement of its first academic session from August 2011. The National Law School and Judicial Academy, Assam has been established as a torchbearer in the field of education in the country. The institution has been established by The National Law School & Judicial Academy, Assam Act, that is Assam Act XXV of 2009. The Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court is the President (Chancellor) of the Law School. The National Law School and Judiciary Academy, Assam is located in the capital city of Assam, Guwahati, with its permanent hitech campus coming up at Agiyathuri, on the Northern bank of the Brahmaputra. Nestled in the midst of greenery with a campus area covering 21 acres (8 ha), the Academy will offer the right atmosphere for educational pursuits and excellence. The area is likely to increase to 47 acres (19 ha) in the near future. Recent times have seen an upsurge in the choice of law as a career and consequently enrollment to law courses. The National Law School and Judicial Academy, Assam has been established at an opportune time and is poised to make great strides in legal education in the state of Assam in particular and the country as a whole.

The Academy will initially constitute a Faculty of Law, Faculty of Social Sciences and Language. With a strict admission and evaluation process, highly evolved curriculum and the best in the field to impart knowledge, the Academy will ensure that it delivers only the best legal talent to the system. Campus The permanent campus is being constructed at Agiyathuri, on the Northern bank of the mighty Brahmaputra. It is located in close proximity to the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, the Gauhati University and the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati. The campus will be fully equipped to create a vibrant learning environment. At present the institution is functioning from a temporary office at Uzan Bazar, Guwahati with a handful of staff during the initial phase of establishment. Classes in graduation level are expected to commence from September 2011. For this purpuse, a temporary campus is being up at NEJOTI (North East Judicial Officers' Training Institute) Campus in Ulubari area of Guwahati which can easily accommodate 60 students in class as well as in hostels. Necessary facilities like Library, Computer Centre, Video Conferencing Hall, Faculty Common Room etc. are being set up in the same campus. The institution is expected to move to its permanent location at Amingaon (Agiathuri) in about two years' time.

[edit] Places
[edit] Cities and towns
History of urban development goes back to almost two thousand years in the region. Existence of ancient urban areas such as Pragjyotishapura (Guwahati), Hatapesvara (Tezpur), Durjaya, etc. and medieval towns such as Charaideu, Garhgaon, Rongpur, Jorhat, Khaspur, Guwahati, etc. are well recorded.[25]

A view of Guwahati; an city in Lower Assammknown as Pragjyotishapura (city of eastern light) in the ancient times has a past extended to more than two thousand years.

Jorhat, a city in Upper - Assam. Guwahati is the largest urban centre and a million plus city in Assam. The city has experienced multifold growth during past three decades to grow as the primate city in the region; the city's population was approximately 900,000 (considering GMDA area) during the census of 2001. One of the oldest and culturally richest city of Assam is Jorhat, which is considered to be a good place for modern education. North of the city the river Brahmaputra forms the largest riverine island of the world Majuli. Jorhat was the last capital of the Ahom Kingdom. In The Barak Valley of Assam Silchar is the economic gateway to the state of Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura. The town of Silchar has tremendous commercial importance. It consequently, witnesses the settlement of a sizeable population of traders from distant parts of India. The other important urban areas are Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Tinsukia (Tinicukiya), Sibsagar (Sivasagar), Tezpur, Nagaon, North Lakhimpur, Bongaigaon, etc. Nalbari, Rangia, Mangaldoi, Karimganj, Hailakandi, Barpeta, Kokrajhar, Goalpara, Diphu, Dhubri (Dhubury), Haflong etc. are other towns and district head quarters. On the other hand Duliajan, Digboi, Namrup, Moran, Bongaigaon, Numaligarh, Jogighopa, Rangia, etc. are major industrial towns. Currently, there are around 125 total urban centres in the state.

Growth Dynamism in Major Urban Areas

[edit] Tourism
See also: Tourism in Assam Assam is the central state in the North-East Region of India and serves as the gateway to the rest of the Seven Sister States. For the purposes of tourism there are wildlife preserves like the Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park etc. The climate is sub-tropical. Assam experiences the Indian monsoon and has one of the highest forest densities in India. The winter months are the best time to visit. It has a rich cultural heritage going back to the Ahom Dynasty which governed the region for many centuries before the British occupation.

The famous rhinoceros of Assam grazing at Kaziranga.

Rang Ghar in Sivasagar.

Kamalabari satra of Majuli.

View of Nameri National Park of Sonitpur District.

[edit] Main destinations

Brahmaputra: The only male river in India, this is both a source of sorrow and sustenance for the people of Assam. There is cruise facility to enjoy the beauty of the river. Guwahati: One of the key urban centres of Assam and the biggest city in North-East India, this serves as the major gateway to the whole region. The notable tourist spots of the city are Kamakhya Temple, Assam State Museum, Assam State Zoo cum Botanical Garden, Shankardev Kalakshetra, Shilpagram, Umananda Temple etc.

Jorhat: Jorhat was established as the new capital in the closing years of the 18th century by the decaying and declining Tunkhungia Ahom Dynasty. Jorhat is also a major tourist spot in Assam. It has a numerous tourist spots and temples like Tokolai Tea Research center, Hatigar Dewal, Burigosani Than or Dewal, Garakhiadol Temple (Shiva Temple), Borbheti Than (Originally moneastery), Dhekiakhowa Bornamghar, NEIST, Gymkhana Club, Lachit Borphukan's Maidam, Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, The Chandrakanta Handique Bhavan of Asom Sahitya Sabha etc., Majuli: The largest river island in the world on the Brahmaputra River. Golaghat (Kaziranga National Park): This is one of the few places covered as a World Heritage Site and the main habitat of the Great Indian One-Horned Rhinoceros.[76] Also check out Orang National Park and Nameri National Park. Jatinga: The mystery of the bird suicides in Jatinga in Dima Hasao District (DHD), Dimaraji, Assam. Tezpur: Small town steeped in history and culture. Check out Usha Pahar, Agnigarh, Mahabhairav Temple, etc... Sivasagar: Seat of the Ahom Kingdom. Check out Rang Ghar, Talatal Ghar, Sivadol, Kareng Ghar of Garhgaon etc... Hajo: Hajo is a small township situated to the northwest of Guwahati across the river Brahmaputra. Hajo is a remarkable example of communal harmony. This is an ancient pilgrimage centre for three religions Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism. Dibru-Saikhowa National Park: Dibru-Saikhowa National Park is a beautiful National Park situated in Tinsukia district. There are few Eco lodges situated here to enjoy the beauty of this park. Goalpara: Goalpara is also a major tourist spot in Assam. It has a numerous tourist spots and temples like Sri Surya Pahar, Tekreshwari Pahar, Paglartek in Pancharatna, Pir Babas Mazar in Joleshwar, Naranarayan Setu (Bridge) connecting northern Assam districts like Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Dhubri etc. to Goalpara, Guwahati and major part of Meghalaya. Karbi Anglong: Assam's largest district which also has the largest forest cover in the state. It is home of several rare wild life and has five wildlife sanctuaries and two elephant reserves.[77]

[edit] Attractive destinations

Agnigarh Hill, Tezpur

Way To Majuli from Jorhat

A Crimson Sunbird at Kaziranga

Orchids are abundantly found in Assam; a variety Bhatou Phul or Vanda coerulea, the 'Blue Orchid Assam has several attractive destinations; majority of these are National Parks, Wildlife and Bird Sanctuaries,[78] areas with archaeological interests and areas with unique cultural heritage. Moreover, as a whole, the region is covered by beautiful natural landscapes.

Kaziranga National Park Manas National Park Nameri National Park Dibru-Saikhowa National Park[79] Orang National Park Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary Garampani Wildlife Sanctuary Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary Burasapori Wildlife Sanctuary Bornodi Wildlife Sanctuary

Sonai-rupai Wildlife Sanctuary Nambor Wildlife Sanctuary Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary Bherjan Borajan Podumani Wildlife Sanctuary Pani-Dihing Bird Sanctuary Deepor Beel Sanctuary Majuli Barpeta Sualkuchi Sarthebari Jorhat Gymkhana Club Bogamati Digboi oil town[80] Ledo and Stilwell Road Haflong, Maibong and Jatinga Bongaigaon Umrangshu hotwater spring Chandubi lake Hajo archaeological region Madan Kamdev archaeological region Sareswar beel Sibsagar archaeological region Charaideo Surya Pahar Goalpara archaeological region Tezpur archaeological region Kapili Valley archaeological region Dhansiri/Dhonxiri Valley archaeological region Karbi Anglong Mayong Bordua Chapanalla Waterfall

[edit] See also

Geography portal Asia portal South Asia portal India portal

List of Assam state symbols 1897 Assam earthquake 1950 Assam earthquake Ahom Dynasty Ahom Kingdom Assam agitation

Assamese Associations Assamese people Assamese Brahmins Assam Rifles Assamese cinema Assamese cuisine Assamese language Asom Sahitya Sabha Baruah Bihu Biodiversity of Assam Bodo language Bodo people Charyapada Culture of Assam Districts of Assam Etymology of Assam Fine Arts of Assam Greater Assam History of Assam Kalitas of Assam Kamarupa Kamrupi Kamrupi Brahmins Kamarupa Anusandhan Samiti Kamrupi Lokgeet Karbi Lower Assam Mishing Mishing language Music of Assam People of Assam Physical Geography of Assam Political parties in Assam State Anthem of Assam Tourism in Assam Traditional crafts of Assam Textiles and dresses of Assam Varman Dynasty WikiProject Assam

[edit] Notes and references

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http://web.archive.org/web/20071008113359/http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/35.htm . Retrieved 1/12/2010. 2. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_India#Major_provinces 3. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_Reorganization_Act#Three types of states 4. ^ Dixit, K. M. (August 2002). "Chicken's Neck (Editorial)" ( Scholar search). Himal South Asian. http://www.himalmag.com/2002/august/lastpage.htm.[dead link] 5. ^ "Assam seeks more royalty on crude, excise relief". The Times Of India. 4 January 2002. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2002-0104/india/27111544_1_digboi-indian-oil-higher-royalty. 6. ^ World Heritage Centre, UNESCO. "World Heritage List". http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31. 7. ^ Sarma, Satyendra Nath (1976) Assamese Literature, Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden. 8. ^ "Assam to fall off the map, turn Asom". The Times of India. 28 February 2006. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1431357.cms. 9. ^ Editorial (6 January 2007). "Assam or Asom?". The Assam Tribune. 10. ^ Wandrey 2004, pp. 38 11. ^ a b c Singh, R. L. (1993), India, A Regional Geography, Varanasi, India: National Geographical Society of India 12. ^ a b NEDFi & NIC-Assam. "North East India Databank". http://nerdatabank.nic.in/as_minerals.htm. 13. ^ Wandrey 2004, p. 17 14. ^ Purdue University. "The Kppen Classification of Climates". http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/tropical/lecture_04/lec_04.html. Retrieved 25 May 2007. 15. ^ Borthakur, Ahir Bhairab (15 January 2002), "Call of the wild", Down to Earth, http://www.downtoearth.org.in/full6.asp? foldername=20020115&filename=gra&sec_id=11&sid=1.[dead link] 16. ^ Birdlife International, UK. "Indo-Gangetic Grasslands". http://www.birdlife.org/action/science/species/asia_strategy/pdf_downloads/grasslandsG O2.pdf. 17. ^ National Mission on Bamboo Applications 2004 18. ^ Sharma, Pradip (AprilJune 2003), "An Overview on Wetlands in Assam", ENVIS Assam, Assam Science Technology and Environment Council 2: 7, http://www.envisassam.org/VOL2_2.pdf.[dead link] 19. ^ Choudhury, A.U.(1996) Survey of the white-winged wood duck and the Bengal florican in Tinsukia district & adjacent areas of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The Rhino Foundation for Nature in North East India,Guwahati, India. 82pp+ 20. ^ ENVIS Assam (AprilJune 2003), "Endemic Orchids of Assam", ENVIS Assam, Assam Science Technology and Environment Council 2: 8, http://www.envisassam.org/VOL2_2.pdf. 21. ^ Choudhury, A.U. (2010)The vanishing herds : the wild water buffalo. Gibbon Books, Rhino Foundation, CEPF & COA, Taiwan, Guwahati, India 22. ^ Choudhury, A.U. (2000)The birds of Assam. Gibbon Books & WWF-India, Guwahati, India 23. ^ Choudhury, A.U. (1990). Checklist of the birds of Assam. Sofia Press & Publishers Pvt. Ltd., Guwahati, India. 72 pp+

^ Choudhury, A.U. (1997)The check list of the mammals of Assam. Gibbon Books & ASTEC, Guwahati, India 25. ^ a b c d e f Barpujari, H. K. (ed.) (1990), The Comprehensive History of Assam, 1st edition, Guwahati, India: Assam Publication Board 26. ^ Lt. Gen. Sir Arthur P. Phayre (1967), History of Burma (2 ed.), London: Susil Gupta, pp. 233234 27. ^ Thant Myint-U (2006), The River of Lost FootstepsHistories of Burma, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, pp. 111112, ISBN 978-0-374-16342-6, 0-374-16342-1 28. ^ Aitchison, C. U. ed (1931), [http://projectsouthasia.sdstate.edu/Docs/history/primarydocs/Treaties/Burma/002.htm The Treaty of Yandaboo, A Collection of Treaties, Engagements and Sanads: Relating to India and Neighbouring Countries. Vol. XII.], Calcutta: Government of India Central Publication Branch, pp. 230233, http://projectsouthasia.sdstate.edu/ 29. ^ a b c Imperial Gazetteer of India vol. IV 1907, p. 46 30. ^ a b Hazarika, Sanjoy (2003), Strangers of the Mist, Penguin Books Australia Ltd., ISBN 0140240527 31. ^ a b Governor of Assam (8 November 1998). "Report on Illegal Migration into Assam". http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/states/assam/documents/papers/illegal_mig ration_in_assam.htm. Retrieved 26 May 2007. 32. ^ MacFarlane, Alan; MacFarlane, Iris (2003), Green Gold, The Empire of Tea, Ch. 611, Random House, London 33. ^ a b Revenue Department, Government of Assam 34. ^ a b Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Government of Assam. "Area of the National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries in Assam, 2002". http://janasanyogassam.nic.in/assamataglance.htm. Retrieved 29 May 2006. 35. ^ "Census Population" (PDF), Census of India (Ministry of Finance India), http://indiabudget.nic.in/es2006-07/chapt2007/tab97.pdf, retrieved 18 December 2008 36. ^ a b Government of Assam 200203. "Statistics of Assam". http://www.assamgov.org/generalinformation/assamstatistics.html. Retrieved 3 June 2007. 37. ^ National Commission on Population, Census of India (2006). "Population Projections for India and States 20012026". http://www.censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 15 May 2007. 38. ^ Director of Census Operations, Census of India 2001 39. ^ Taher, Mohammad (1993) The Peopling of Assam and contemporary social structure in Ahmad, Aijazuddin (ed) Social Structure and Regional Development, Rawat Publications, New Delhi 40. ^ Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner (2001). "Census of India 2001: Population by religious communities". Government of India. http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_data_finder/C_Series/Population_b y_religious_communities.htm. Retrieved 3 January 2010. 41. ^ Bodo History 42. ^ P. 624 ANTHROPOLOGY THE STUDY OF MAN By DR.(MRS.)INDRANI BASU ROY
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^ P. 60 The Eastern anthropologist By Ethnographic and Folk-Culture Society (Uttar Pradesh, India) 44. ^ P. 347 Proceedings of North East India History Association By North East India History Association Session, North East India History Association, Session 45. ^ P. 249 Proceedings of North East India History Association By North East India History Association Session, North East India History Association, Session 46. ^ a b http://censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/dh_st_assam.pdf 47. ^ http://www.radianceweekly.com/98/1739/pakistan-islam-remains-5th-wheel-ofthe-coach/2008-03-02/history-speaks/story-detail/pao-mecca-mosque-in-assam.html 48. ^ Amri Kumar Goldsmith. Christianity in North-east India in a Historical Persepctive. 49. ^ http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_data_finder/C_Series/Populat ion_by_religious_communities.htm 50. ^ "Historical Sikh Gurdawaras in Assam India". Gurbaani.com. http://www.gurbaani.com/gurd/gurdawaras5.htm. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 51. ^ "WSN-Punjab News-Assamese Sikhs trace their Punjabi roots". Worldsikhnews.com. 18 March 2009. http://worldsikhnews.com/18%20March %202009/Assamese%20Sikhs%20trace%20their%20Punjabi%20roots.htm. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 52. ^ Puneet Singh Lamba (25 August 2003). "News and Analysis The Sikhs of Assam". The Sikh Times. http://www.sikhtimes.com/news_082503a.html. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 53. ^ Kakati, Banikanta (1962), Assamese, Its Formation and Development, 2nd edition, Guwahati, India: Lawyer's Book Stall 54. ^ "Commissioner Linguistic Minorities (originally from Indian Census, 2001)". Archived from the original on 8 October 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20071008113359/http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/35.htm . 55. ^ "Census of India Distribution of 10,000 persons by language India, States and Union Territories-2001". http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/Statement3. htm. 56. ^ Morey, Stephen. 2005. The Tai languages of Assam: a grammar and texts. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. 57. ^ Assam Tourism 2002, Government of Assam. "Arts and Crafts of Assam in About Assam". Archived from the original on 7 April 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070407040421/http://www.assamtourism.org/arts.htm. Retrieved 3 June 2007. 58. ^ Ranjan, M.P.; Iyer, Nilam; Pandya, Ghanshyam, Bamboo and Cane Crafts of Northeast India, National Institute of Design 59. ^ Nath, T.K., Bamboo Cane and Assam, Guwahati, India: Industrial Development Bank of India, Small Industries Development Bank of India 60. ^ Government of Assam. "Economic Survey of Assam 20012002 in Assam Human Development Report, 2003" (PDF). p. 25. http://planassam.org/reports/hdr_2003/HRD.htm. Retrieved 6 June 2007.[dead link]
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^ a b Government of Assam. "Economic Survey of Assam 20052006 in NEDFi, Assam Profile, NER Databank". http://databank.nedfi.com/index.php? module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=4. Retrieved 6 June 2007.[dead link] 62. ^ National Commission for Women 2004 63. ^ a b UNDP 2004, pp. 2223 64. ^ UNDP 2004, p. 22 65. ^ a b Government of Assam (2006). "Economic Survey of Assam 20042005 in NEDFi, Assam Profile, NER Databank". http://databank.nedfi.com/index.php? module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=4. Retrieved 6 June 2007. 66. ^ a b c UNDP 2004, pp. 2425 67. ^ Government of Assam. Chapter 2, Income, Employment and Poverty "Economic Survey of Assam 20012002 in Assam Human Development Report, 2003" (PDF). p. 32. http://planassam.org/reports/hdr_2003/HRD.htm Chapter 2, Income, Employment and Poverty. Retrieved 6 June 2007.[dead link] 68. ^ a b UNDP 2004, p. 33 69. ^ FAO Statistics Division, 2007, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. "Faostat" ( Scholar search). Archived from the original on 14 November 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20061114202949/http://faostat.fao.org/site/340/DesktopDefau lt.aspx?PageID=340. Retrieved 5 June 2006.[dead link] 70. ^ Assam Small Farmers Agri-business Consortium. "Fish Species of Assam". http://www.assamagribusiness.nic.in/2ndoct/fishspeciesofAssam.pdf. Retrieved 5 June 2006. 71. ^ UNDP 2004, p. 37 72. ^ "MAR | Data | Assessment for Assamese in India". Cidcm.umd.edu. 31 December 2006. http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/mar/assessment.asp?groupId=75015. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 73. ^ Government of Assam (18 February 2007). "Available Resources in Assam". Government of Assam. http://assamgovt.nic.in/business/resources.asp. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 74. ^ http://investinassam.com/overview.html 75. ^ "Assam Economy Economy of Assam, Business & Economy of Assam India". iloveindia.com. http://www.iloveindia.com/states/assam/economy.html. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 76. ^ Choudhury, A. U. (2004) Kaziranga: wildlife in Assam. Rupa & Co., New Delhi 77. ^ Choudhury, A. U. (2009) A naturalist in Karbi Anglong. Revised 2nd edn. Gibbon Books, Guwahati, India. 78. ^ Directorate of Information and Public Relations 2002 79. ^ Dibru-Saikhowa National Park 80. ^ Digboi Oil Town
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Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Government of Assam, Assam at a Glance, http://janasanyogassam.nic.in/assamataglance.htm, retrieved 25 May 2007

National Commission for Women (2004) (PDF), Situational Analysis of Women in Assam, http://www.ncw.nic.in/pdfreports/Gender%20Profile-Assam.pdf, retrieved 5 July 2006. National Mission on Bamboo Applications, Assam, State Profile, http://www.bambootech.org/subsubTOP.asp?subsubid=101&subid=37&sname=STATE, retrieved 25 May 2007 Revenue Department, Government of Assam, Revenue Administration Districts and Subdivisions, http://revenueassam.nic.in/, retrieved 25 May 2007 Singh, K. S (ed) (2003) People of India: Assam Vol XV Parts I and II, Anthropological Survey of India, Seagull Books, Calcutta UNDP (2004), Chapter 2, Income, Employment and Poverty in Assam Human Development Report, 2003[dead link]PDF, Government of Assam Wandrey, C. J. (2004), "Sylhet-Kopili/Barail-Tipam Composite Total Petroleum System, Assam Geologic Province, India", U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2208-D, http://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/2208/D/b2208-d.pdf

[edit] Further reading

Online Books and material

A statistical account of Assam (1879) by WW Hunter Assam Attitude to Federalism (1984)by Girin Phukon A Glimpse of Assam (1884) by Susan Ward A history of Assam (1906) by Edward Gait Physical and political geography of the province of Assam (1896) by Assam Secretariat Printing Office Outline Grammar of the Kachri (Br) Language as Spoken in District Darrang, Assam (1884) by Sidney Endle An outline grammar of the Deori Chutiya language spoken in upper Assam (1895) by William Barclay Brown Travels and adventures in the province of Assam, during a residence of fourteen years (1855) by John Butler

Language and literature

Bara, Mahendra (1981), The Evolution of the Assamese Script, Jorhat, Assam: Asam Sahitya Sabha Barpujari, H. K. (1983), Amerikan Michanerisakal aru Unabimsa Satikar Asam, Jorhat, Assam: Asam Sahitya Sabha Barua, Birinchi Kumar (1965), History of Assamese Literature, Guwahati: East-West Centre Press Barua, Hem (1965), Assamese Literature, New Delhi: National Book Trust Brown, William Barclay (1895), An Outline Grammar of the Deori Chutiya Language Spoken in Upper Assam with an Introduction, Illustrative Sentences, and Short Vocabulary, Shillong: The Assam Secretariat Printing Office Deka, Bhabananda (1961), Industrialisation of Assam, Guwahati: Gopal Das

Dhekial Phukan, Anandaram 18291859 (1977), Anandaram Dhekiyal Phukanar Racana Samgrah, Guwahati: Lawyer's Book Stall Endle, Sidney (1884), Outline of the Kachari (Baro) Language as Spoken in District Darrang, Assam, Shillong: Assam Secretariat Press Gogoi, Lila (1972), Sahitya-Samskriti-Buranji, Dibrugarh: New Book Stall Gogoi, Lila (1986), The Buranjis, Historical Literature of Assam, New Delhi: Omsons Publications Goswami, Praphulladatta (1954), Folk-Literature of Assam, Guwahati: Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies in Assam Gurdon, Philip Richard Thornhagh (1896), Some Assamese Proverbs, Shillong: The Assam Secretariat Printing Office, ISBN 1104306336 Kakati, Banikanta (1959), Aspects of Early Assamese Literature, Guwahati: Gauhati University Kay, S. P. (1904), An English-Mikir Vocabulary, Shillong: The Assam Secretariat Printing Office Medhi, Kaliram (1988), Assamese Grammar and Origin of the Assamese Language, Guwahati: Assam Publication Board Miles, Bronson (1867), A Dictionary in Assamese and English, Sibsagar, Assam: American Baptist Mission Press Morey, Stephen (2005), The Tai languages of Assam : a grammar and texts, Canberra: Pacific Linguistics, ISBN 0858835495

History

Antrobus, H. (1957), A History of the Assam Company, Edinburgh: Private Printing by T. and A. Constable Barabaruwa, Hiteswara 18761939 (1981), Ahomar Din, Guwahati: Assam Publication Board Barooah, Nirode K. (1970), David Scott In North-East India, 18021831, New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Barua, Harakanta 18131900 (1962), Asama Buranji, Guwahati: Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies, Assam Barpujari, H. K. (1963), Assam in the Days of the Company, 18261858, Guwahati: Lawyer's Book Stall Barpujari, H. K. (1977), Political History of Assam. Department for the Preparation of Political History of Assam, Guwahati: Government of Assam Barua, Kanak Lal, An Early History of Kamarupa, From the Earliest Time to the Sixteenth Century, Guwahati: Lawyers Book Stall Barua, Kanak Lal, Studies in the Early History of Assam, Jorhat, Assam: Asam Sahitya Sabha Baruah, Swarna Lata (1993), Last days of Ahom monarchy : a history of Assam from 17691826, New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Bhuyan, Suryya Kumar (1949), Anglo-Assamese Relations, 17711826, Guwahati: Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies in Assam Bhuyan, Suryya Kumar (1947), Annals of the Delhi Badshahate, Guwahati: Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies, Government of Assam

Bhuyan, Suryya Kumar (1957), Atan Buragohain and His Times, Guwahati: Lawyer's Book Stall Bhuyan, Suryya Kumar (1962), Deodhai Asam Buranji, Guwahati: Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies Bhuyan, Suryya Kumar (1928), Early British Relations with Assam, Shillong: Assam Secretariat Press Bhuyan, Suryya Kumar (1947), Lachit Barphukan and His Times, Guwahati: Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies, Government of Assam Bhuyan, Suryya Kumar (1964), Satasari Asama Buranji, Guwahati: Gauhati University Bhuyan, Suryya Kumar (1975), Swargadew Rajeswarasimha, Guwahati: Assam Publication Board Buchanan, Francis Hamilton 17621829 (1963), An Account of Assam, Guwahati: Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies Duara Barbarua, Srinath (1933), Tungkhungia Buranji, Bombay: H. Milford, Oxford University Press Gait, Edward Albert 18631950 (1926), A History of Assam, Calcutta: Thacker, Spink & Co. Gogoi, Padmeswar (1968), The Tai and the Tai Kingdoms, Guwahati: Gauhati University Guha, Amalendu (1983), The Ahom Political System, Calcutta: Centre for Studies in Social Sciences Hunter, William Wilson 18401900 (1879), A Statistical Account of Assam, London: Trubner & Co.

Tradition and Culture

Barkath, Sukumar (1976), Hastibidyarnnara Sarasamgraha (English & Assamese), 18th Century, Guwahati: Assam Publication Board Barua, Birinchi Kumar (1969), A Cultural History of Assam, Guwahati: Lawyer's Book Stall Barua, Birinchi Kumar (1960), Sankardeva, Guwahati: Assam Academy for Cultural Relations Gandhiya, Jayakanta (1988), Huncari, Mukali Bihu, aru Bihunac, Dibrugarh Goswami, Praphulladatta (1960), Ballads and Tales of Assam, Guwahati: Gauhati University Goswami, Praphulladatta (1988), Bohag Bihu of Assam and Bihu Songs, Guwahati: Assam Publication Board Mahanta, Pona (1985), Western Influence on Modern Assamese Drama, Delhi: Mittal Publications Medhi, Kaliram (1978), Studies in the Vaisnava Literature and Culture of Assam, Jorhat, Assam: Asam Sahitya Sabha

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Assam is the meeting ground of diverse cultures. The people of the enchanting state of Assam is an intermixture of various racial stocks such as Mongoloid, Indo-Burmese, Indo-Iranian and Aryan. The Assamese culture is a rich and exotic tapestry of all these races evolved through a long assimilative process. The natives of the state of Assam are known as "Asomiya" (Assamese), which is also the state language of Assam. The state has a large number of tribes, each unique in it's tradition, culture, dresse and exotic way of life. Diverse tribes like Bodo, Kachari, Karbi, Miri, Mishimi, Rabha, etc co-exist in Assam, most tribes have their own languages though Assamese is the principal language of the state. A majority of the Assamese is the Vaishnavas (a sect of Hinduism). The Vaishnavas do not believe in idol worshiping and perform Namkirtana where the glory of Lord Vishnu is recited. The two important cultural and religious institutions that influence the cultural fabric of Assam: the Satras, the site of religious and cultural practice which have been in existence for over 400 years and and the Naamghar, the house of prayers. Villagers generally associate on the basis of membership of a local center of devotional worship called "Naamghar". Villages are usually made up of families from a number of distinct castes. In Assam, the caste system, although it exists, is not as prominent as in other parts of India. Other religions such as Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam etc. are also practiced in Assam. The national festival of Assam is the Bihu which is celebrated in three parts during a year with great pomp and grandeur by all Assamese, irrespective of caste, creed or religion. Bengali-speaking Hindus and Muslims represent the largest minorities, followed by Nepalis and populations from neighboring regions of India. The most important social and cultural celebrations are the three Bihu festivals observed with great enthusiasm irrespective of caste, creed and religious affinity. From time immemorial, the people of Assam have traditionally been craftsmen. Artists, sculptors, masons, weavers, spinners, potters, goldsmiths, artisans of ivory, wood, bamboo, cane and hide have flourished in Assam from ancient times. Weaving is one traditional craft that every Assamese woman takes pride in. The Assamese women produce silk and cotton clothes of exquisite designs in their looms. Assam is renowned for its exquisite silks namely Eri, Pat and the world famous Muga silk. Gandhiji complimented the Assamese weavers as artists who could weave dreams in their looms.

The Gamocha is one of the most easily recognizable cultural symbols of the Assamese people besides the tamol-paan (areca nut & betel leaf) which is an integral part of almost all socioreligious ceremonies. The Gamocha, a white rectangular piece of cotton hand woven cloth with primarily a red border on three sides and red woven motifs on the fourth (in addition to red, other colors are also used) is put to many uses. It is used as a towel, as a waistcloth or a loincloth; a Bihu dancer wraps it around the head in a knot, it is also hung around the neck at the prayer hall and thrown over the shoulder to signify social status or respect. Gamochas, also known as bihuwaans, are offered during Bihu as a token of love. Significantly the gamocha is used equally by all, irrespective of religious and ethnic backgrounds. DANCES Bihu Bihu is the most popular folk dance of Assam. Bihu dances are performed by young boys and girls during the Bihu festivities which represent youthful passion, reproductive urge and joy. The dances are accompanied by musical instruments like dhol(dholak), penpa, gagana, banhi(flute) etc. Satriya Nritya

Satriya Nritya is the classic dance form of Assam which represents the Satriya culture, the basis of the religious and cultural fabric of Assam.

Barpeta's Bhortal Nritya Bhortal Nritya of Barpeta district is an extension of Sankari culture. Tea Folk's Jhumur Dance

The tea tribes have a synthesized form of dance called "Jhumur Nach", performed by girls and boys together, or, sometimes by the girls alone, with precision of footwork while clasping tightly each other's waist. Bagurumba

Bagurumba is the most attractive dance of the Bodo community. Girls dressed in colourful attires perform this dance in tune of Bodo traditional musical instruments.

Deodhani The Deodhani dance is associated with the worship of the snake goddess Manasa. A Deodhani girl, in a inspired state, goes on dancing to the accompaniment of Kham (drum) and Ciphung (flute) propitiating many a deity beginning with Shiva and ending with Lakshmi.

Assam has six Universities, four Govt. Engineering colleges and four Govt. Medical colleges. Gauhati University, Guwahati Established in 1948 under the Gauhati University Act, 1947 (Assam Act, XVI of 1947), Gauhati University is the first University in North East India. The campus area of the University is lush green and pollution free and the area in and around the Univeristy houses a population of about 5000 including the 3000 students residing in the 22 halls of residence.

Facilities such as parks, playgrounds, auditorium, indoor stadium etc. are available in the campus. The University is conveniently located at Jalukbari within the Guwahati city area. It is 10 kms from the Borjhar International Airport on National Highway No. 37 and 10 kms from Guwahati Railway Station. The capital complex of Assam at Dispur is 22 kms away from the University. Assam University, Silchar

Assam University came into existence through Assam (Central) University Act, 1989 (Act. No. XIII). It was established in 1994.

Since it's inception, the University is steadily becoming an excellent centre of learning. With it's 120 plus multi-disciplinary faculty from all over the country, the University sustains a complete approach to higher education. The University has eight Schools on major disciplines. They are Social Sciences, Humanities, Languages, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Information Sciences and Management Studies. There are 24 Departments under these eight Schools. The campus, situated in Dargakona, about 20 kms from Silchar in South Assam, is set amid scenic hills. The 600 acres of the Univeristy campus is surrounded by lakes and mountains providing an ideal and peaceful environment for academic pursuit. The five districts under the jurisdiction of Assam University have as many as 51 Undergraduate Colleges, which speak of the depth of the intellectual and educational interests in the region. The Assam Agricultural University

Was established in 1969 under the Assam Agricultural University Act l968 (Assam Act XXIV of l968) vide Governor's notification LJL l8/67/l0 dated the 2nd January l969. The University has ben set up to educate people in agriculture and other allied branches of learning, furthering the advancement of learning and prosecution of research in agriculture & other allied sciences in addition to undertaking the extension of such sciences specially to the rural people of the state. The University has a number of campuses with its headquarters located at Borbheta, about 5 km from both bus station and railway station of Jorhat town, which is well connected to Guwahati, the capital of Assam by air/bus/train. There are six Directorates under the Assam Agricultural University. They are the Directorate of Research (Agriculture), the Directorate of Research (Veterinary), the Directorate of Extension Education. the Directorate of Post Graduate Studies, the Directorate of Students' Welfare and the Directorate of Physical Plant. Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh The easternmost University of India, it was set up in 1965 under the provisions of the Dibrugarh University Act, 1965 enacted by the Assam Legislative Assembly. It is a teaching-cum-affiliating University with limited residential facilities. The University has been accredited by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) with an institutional score of 71% (B grade). It is a member of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) and the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU). The Degrees conferred by this :University are recognised in India and abroad on a reciprocal basis. The University is situated at Rajabheta, about 5 kilometers from Dibrugarh town in the eastern part of Assam and is well linked by road, rail, air and waterways to Guwahati and the rest of the country. The University Campus extends over an area of more than 500 acres of which 60 acres are still covered under tea plantation. The territorial jurisdiction of Dibrugarh University covers seven districts of Upper Assam, Viz., Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Sibsagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, Dhemaji and Lakhimpur. Tezpur University, Tezpur Was established by an Act of Parliament (Act. No. 45, 1993) in 1994. The University is primarily a residential one with the campus spread over an area of 242 acres. It is located at Napaam, about 15 kms. from Tezpur town which is well linked by road and rail with the rest of the state and the country. There is also a bi-weekly flight service between Kolkata and Tezpur. The Student Teacher ratio in this University is one of the lowest in the country, which means closer attention to the student. The average class size is about 25 and hence the classroom

environment is entirely cohesive for one-to-one discussions. The Univeristy offers scholarships to the meritorious students in various categories viz. Govt. Scholarship for SC/ST/OBC/MOBC students, National Scholarship and Organisational Scholarship such as Williamson Magors Scholarship, NEC Scholarship, DBT Scholarship, Jindal Trust Scholarship etc. Assam Engineering College Bordered by the Deepor Beel, a vast natural Wetland now declared a bird sanctuary, and set amidst the lush green hills on the outskirts of Guwahati city, Assam Engineering College campus offers a tranquil and pollution free environment conducive to study. Established in the year 1955, this is the first undergraduate engineering college in northeastern India and has been the hub of many intellectual and extracurricular activities in Assam for almost half a century. The discpilines of engineering offered by this college are Civil, Chemical, Computer Science & Engineering, Electrical, Electronics and Telecommunications, Industrial & Production, Instrumentation and Mechanical. It also offers a three year post-graduate course leading to a Masters in Computer Applications (MCA) degree. Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati This premier institute of engineering, science and technology is the sixth member of the IIT fraternity established in the year 1994. The academic programme of IIT Guwahati commenced in 1995. Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, currently has eleven departments covering all the major engineering and science disciplines, offering B. Tech., B. Des., M. Tech., Ph.D. and M.Sc. programmes. Within a short period of time, IIT Guwahati has been able to build up the necessary infrastructure for carrying out advanced research and has been equipped with stateof-the-art scientific and engineering instruments. Located on a sprawling 285 hectares plot of land on the north bank of the river Brahmaputra, it is about 20 kms. from the heart of Guwahati city. Beautifully set in an ambience perfect for learning with the majestic Brahmaputra on one side and lush hills and vast open spaces on the others, the infrastrucutre boasts of state of the art facilties. Jorhat Engineering College, Jorhat Was established in the year 1960. The College is affiliated to the Dibrugarh University and is

also recognized by A.I.C.T.E.. It offers Undergraduate Courses in Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science & Engineering and Instrumentation Engineering. Post Graduate Courses offered are Master of Computer Applications (MCA) and Production & Industrial Engineering. The college is located at a distance of 3 km from Jorhat Town and 8 km from Jorhat Airport. Jorhat is well connected to Guwahati and the rest of the country by bus, road, rail and air. Regional Engineering College, Silchar Established in the year 1967, this college is affiliated to the Assam Univeristy (a central university under ACT Xlll). Located in Silchar, in the Cachar district of Assam, the campus is set amidst a peaceful, green and pollution free environment. REC Silchar maintains a high degree of quality in the field of engineering and sciences. Along with teaching, sponsored projects are carried out by the faculty and students in addition to offering consultancy to the industries in that region Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh Assam Medical College was formally established on November 3, 1947 at Dibrugarh. It was earlier known as Dr. John Berry White Medical School, which was established in 1902. It has the distiction of being the first medical college in the entire North-eastern region of India. It now serves as the tertiary medical referral centre for the entire upper Assam as well as the some areas of neighbouring states, especially Arunachal Pradesh. The college is set in the midst of several tea estates and the buildings are remnants of the original British architecture, although several new constructions have come up recently under the joint collaboration of both the North Eastern Council and State Government to upgrade the college to a premier medical institution once again. In addition to the medical courses, also available are paramedical courses, viz. Nursing and Midwifery and Diploma in Pharmacy.

Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, Guwahati

With increasing demands for health care and health education, the need for more medical colleges in Assam was keenly felt. On the 20th September, 1960, the functioning of the Gauhati Medical College was formally inaugurated. Affiliated to the Gauhati University, The Gauhati Medical College has enjoyed a prestigious status in the country for its academic pursuits and patient care. It is also a referral centre for speciality and superspeciality treatment. Superspecialities provided are Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Endocrinology, Nephrology, Urology, Paediatric Surgery and Plastic Surgery. Silchar Medical College & Hospital, Silchar The Silchar Medical College and Hospital was established in the year 1968. Since its inception, the SMC Hospital has been serving the entire southern part of Assam and its neighbouring states like Mizoram, North Tripura, West Manipur and South Meghalaya. The Silchar Medical College & Hospital remains the only referral hospital in the southern part of Assam. In 1977-78, the main hospital building complex at its permanent site was commissioned and this huge three-storied hospital building houses it's many departments including their out-patient departments (O.P.D.), wards, operation theatres, x-rays centres, laboratory facilities etc. Jorhat Medical College & Hospital, Jorhat On the auspicious day of 25th August, 2008, Honble Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone of Jorhat Medical College, Jorhat. On 12th October, 2009, Honble Chief Minister of Assam, Sjt. Tarun Gogoi inaugurated the Hospital wing of the Jorhat Medical College.

Kaziranga National Park

The first and the oldest National Park in Assam is a World Heritage site spread over an area of 430 sq. kms. This National Park is the natural home of the world famous one-horned Indian rhinoceros. Declared a National Park in 1974, the landscape of Kaziranga is of sheer forest, tall elephant grass, rugged reeds, marshes and shallow pools. The one horned Rhinoceros, Elephant, Indian bison, Swamp Deer, Sambar, Hog Deer, Sloth Bear, Tiger, Leopard cat, Jungle cat, Hog badger, Capped langur, Hollock gibbon, Jackal, Goose, Hornbills, Ibis, Cormorants, Egret, Heron fishing eagle etc. all form a part of the very complex ecological balance of the park. During Winter a large number of migratory birds are also seen here. The Park can be visited by Jeep, Car or on Elephant back. The best season to visit is from November to April. Getting there Kaziranga is 217 kms from Guwahati and 96 kms from Jorhat by road. The nearest airport is Rowriah(Jorhat). Tourists can either fly to Jorhat or can go by surface to Kaziranga from Guwahati.

Manas National Park Located in the Himalayan foothill bhabararea in the western Assam, Manas was originally a game reserve since 1928 and became a Tiger Reserve in 1974, a World Heritage Site in 1985, a Biosphere Reserve in 1989. It was then declared as a National Park in 1990. Covering an area of 519.77 Sq. Kms, it has a core area of 360 Kms. Manas is one of the nine tiger reserve sanctuaries in India and it has its own peculiar faunal features, the rarest species of which are Hispid Hare, Pigmy Hog, Golden Langur, Indian Rhinoceros, Asiatic Buffalo etc. Other commonly seen animals are Elephant, Leopard, Clouded Leopard, Himalayan Bear, Wild Boar, Samber, Swamp Deer, Hog Deer etc. Hundreds of the winged species migrate to the pleasant climate of Manas during Winter. Among them are Riverchats (White Capped Redstars), Forktails, Cormorants and various types of ducks including the Ruddy Shelduck. Season to visit is from November to April. Getting there Manas is 176 kms from Guwahati by road. The nearest airport is Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport at Guwahati. The nearest railhead is Barpeta Road Station which is 40 kms away from Manas.

The official census 2011 of Assam has been conducted by Directorate of Census Operations in Assam. Enumeration of key persons including Chief Minister of Assam was also done by officials conducting population census. As per details from Census 2011, Assam has population of 3.11 Crore, an increase from figure of 2.67 Crore in 2001 census. Total population of Assam as per 2011 census is 31,169,272 of which male and female are 15,954,927 and 15,214,345 respectively. In 2001, total population was 26,655,528 in which males were 13,777,037 while females were 12,878,491. The total population growth in this decade was 16.93 percent while in previous decade it was 18.85 percent. The population of Assam forms 2.58 percent of India in 2011. In 2001, the figure was 2.59 percent.

The Administration in Assam

Assam has one elected legislature which meets in Dispur, a temporary capital region inside the principal city of Guwahati. The elected head of government is called the Chief Minister. Nominally, the Chief Minister reports to the Governor of Assam who is appointed by the Central Government of India in New Delhi. He is normally not a citizen of Assam, and although unelected has the power to remove the elected Chief Minister from office in certain situations. The chief court for Assam, the High Court is situated in Guwahati. The judges are appointed with the informal requirement that the Chief Justice is from outside the State of Assam. Assam is divided into three regions each headed by a commissioner. Under each commissioner, there are several administrative units called Districts. These are similar to counties in the USA. Each district has civil and criminal courts with jurisdiction over the matters of the district. Assam had only eight districts till recently: Goalpara, Kamrup, Nagaon, Darrang, Sibsagar, Lakhimpur, Mikir Hills and Cachar. A recent reorganization has resulted in a total of 23 districts. The head of a district's administration, the Deputy Commissioner, in Assam is unelected, appointed to the post by the State Government. The Deputy Commissioner is an officer of the Central Indian Government in New Delhi although he is posted to the state and reports to the state administration in Dispur. Each district has its own police force headed by an appointed District Superintendent of Police. The district police departments across the state are independent units, but they report to the state's appointed Inspector General of Police in Dispur. A district is composed of several sub-divisions headed by an administrative Sub-Divisional Officer. In each subdivision, there are several Circles. A circle is composed of Mouza, a mouza is composed of villages and towns. A circle is headed by an appointed Circle Officer, a Mouza is headed by an appointed Mouzadar. A village usually has a nominal appointed head called the Gaonbura. Some towns have elected mayors with very limited powers, in others, if there are mayors, they are appointed by the state administration.

In summary, administration in Assam, as in all of India, is very centralized, with mostly appointed administrators below the state level. This has been a cause of concern for a lot of scholars, politicians and others, and may be one of the primary reasons of political turmoil in the border states of India, including Assam. List of districts obtained from: Natun Axamiya bhucitraawali (New Assamese Atlas) - Published by Assam State Primary Teacher's Association in 1996. Comprising of valleys, hills and the perennial River of Brahmaputra, Assam Geography presents a fact file of the locational traits of the state. Assam shares its internal boundaries with West Bengal, Nagaland, Tripura, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh, while Bangladesh and China surrounds the international contours of the state.

Assam Area
Covering a total area of 78, 523 sq km, Assam state is enriched by many geographical features. The Plains of Barak hills and Brahmaputra valley are the two locations that have prominence in the geography of Assam.

Assam Climate
The climate of Assam ranges from a maximum of 29 to a minimum of 16. It is said that the land of Assam receives the maximum amount of rainfall in the entire world that goes from 70 inches to even 120 inches. Being famous for its tea estates, Assam also boasts of fertile agricultural lands most of which are irrigated by the the River of Brahmaputra.

Assam Topography
Topography of Assam is characterized by a wide array of mountainous terrains, plain lands and Brahmaputra River. The hills of Cachar and the Mikir valley are the two prominent topographical identity of Assam.

Assam Forest
The forest region of Assam state is one of the prime revenue generators of the place. Timber and bamboo are considered as the two main forest products of Assam. Apart from economic viewpoint, the forests of Assam are also known to be the habitat of several nearly extinct species of animals like that of one-horned rhino.

Assam Soil Conservation

Soil conservation has become one of the prime concerns of the government of Assam due to the imminent dangers of industrialization in the state. The Department of Soil Conservation of Assam Government works towards checking the harmful effects of Jhum cultivation and afforestation in the banks of the rivers in the place.