| Assam অসম | ||
|---|---|---|
| — State — | ||
| ||
 | ||
 | ||
| Coordinates (Dispur): | ||
| Country |  India | |
| Region | Northeast India | |
| Established | 15 August 1947 | |
| Capital | Dispur | |
| Largest city | Guwahati | |
| Districts | 27 | |
| Government[*] | ||
| • Governor | J B Patnaik | |
| • Chief Minister | Tarun Gogoi (INC) | |
| • Legislature | Unicameral (126 seats) | |
| • Parliamentary constituency | 14 | |
| • High Court | Gauhati High Court | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 78,550 km2 (30,330 sq mi) | |
| Area rank | 16th | |
| Population (2011) | ||
| • Total | 31,169,272 | |
| • Rank | 14th | |
| • Density | 400/km2 (1,000/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+05:30) | |
| ISO 3166 code | IN-AS | |
| HDI |  0.534 (medium) | |
| HDI rank | 22nd (2005) | |
| Literacy | 73.18% (26th)[1] | |
| Official languages | Assamese, Bengali (in Barak Valley), Bodo (in Bodoland) | |
| Website | assam.gov.in | |
| ^[*] Assam has had a legislature since 1937 ^[*] Assam is one of the original provinces of British India | ||
| Language | Assamese |
|---|---|
| Song | অ’ মোৰ আপোনাৰ দেশ (O my endearing motherland) (Adopted in 1927) |
| Dance | Bihu |
| Animal | Gônr One-horned rhinoceros |
| Bird | DeohaanhWhite-winged Wood Duck |
| Flower | Kopou Phul Foxtail Orchids |
| Tree | Hûlûng Dipterocarpus macrocarpus |
| River | Brahmaputra |
Assam [æˈsæm]
pronunciation (help·info) /ɔxɔm/ (Assamese: অসম Ôxôm) is a northeastern state of India. Its capital is Dispur, located within the municipal area of Guwahati city. Located south of the eastern Himalayas, Assam comprises the Brahmaputra and the Barak river valleys along with the Karbi Anglong and the North Cachar Hills with an area of 30,285 square miles (78,438 km²). Assam is surrounded by six of the other Seven Sister States: Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya. Geographically Assam and these states are connected to the rest of India via a narrow strip of land in West Bengal called the Siliguri Corridor or "Chicken's Neck".[2]Assam shares international borders with Bhutan and Bangladesh; and cultures, peoples and climate with South-East Asia – important elements in India’s Look East policy.[3] Assam became a part of the British India after the British occupied the region following the First Anglo-Burmese War of 1824–1826.
Assam is rich in culture, ethnic groups, languages/dialacts spoken and literature. It is known for Assam tea, large and old petroleum resources (the first oil reserves of India were discovered in Assam in the late 19th century), Assam silk and for its rich biodiversity. Assam 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.[4] 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
[show]Etymology[edit source | edit]
Main article: Etymology of Assam
The precise etymology of "Assam" is unknown. In the classical period and up to the 12th century the region east of the Karatoya river, largely congruent to present-day Assam, was called Kamarupa, and alternatively, Pragjyotisha.[5] In medieval times the Mughals used Kamrup[6] and Asham, and during British colonialism, the English used Assam. Though many authors have associated the name with the 13th century Shan invaders[7] the precise origin of the name is not clear. It was suggested by some that the Sanskrit word Asama ("unequalled", "peerless", etc.) was the root, which has been rejected by Kakati,[8] and more recent authors have concurred that it is a latter-day Sanskritization of a native name.[9] Among possible origins are Tai (A-Cham)[10] and Bodo (Ha-Sam).[11]History[edit source | edit]
Main article: History of Assam
Pre-history[edit source | edit]
Assam state and adjoining regions have evidences of human settlements from all the periods of the Stone ages, but there are no archeological evidence of bronze- or iron-age culture. The hills at the height of 1,500–2,000 feet (460 to 615 m) were popular habitats probably due to availability of exposed doleritic basalt useful for tool-making.[12] According to a late text, Kalika Purana (c.7th–8th AD), the earliest ruler of Assam was Mahiranga Danav of the Danava dynasty, which was removed by Naraka who established his the Naraka dynasty. The last of these rulers, also Naraka, was slain by Krishna. Naraka's son Bhagadatta became the king, who, it is 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.Ancient[edit source | edit]
The Kamrup Kingdom, 350 and 1140 CE
Madan Kamdev ruins
Further information: Kamarupa
The historical account begins with Samudragupta's 4th century Allahabad inscription that mentions Kamarupa[13] and Davaka[14] as frontier kingdoms of the Gupta Empire. Davaka was soon absorbed by Kamarupa kingdom which grew into large kingdom that spanned from Karatoya river to Sadiya and covered the entire Brahmaputra valley and, at times, North Bengal and Northern Bangladesh.[15] Ruled by three dynasties Varmanas (c.350–650 CE), Mlechchha dynasty (c.655–900 CE) and Kamarupa-Palas (c.900–1100 CE) from their capitals in present-day Guwahati (Pragjyotishpura), Tezpur (Haruppeswara) and Durjaya respectively, it was 10,000 li in circuit and capital city Pragjyotishpura was about 30 li. Kamrupi kings claims their descent from Narakasura, an immigrant from Aryavarta. In the reign of the Varman king, Bhaskar Varman(c. 600–650 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. 1120–1185 AD) and Lunar II (c. 1155–1255 AD) dynasties.[12]Medieval[edit source | edit]
The Ahom Kingdom, c. 1826
Kareng ghar, the palace of the Ahom kings
Colonial era[edit source | edit]
Further information: Colonial Assam
In the later part of 18th century, religious tensions and atrocities of nobles led to the Moamoria rebellion, resulting in tremendous casualties of lives and property. The rebellion was suppressed but the kingdom was severely weakened by the civil war. Political rivalry between Prime Minister Purnananda Burhagohain and Badan Chandra Borphukan, the Ahom Viceroy of Western Assam, led to the invitation of Burmese by the latter,[17][18][19][20] in turn leading to three successive Burmese invasions of Assam. The reigning monarch Chandrakanta Singha tried to check the Burmese invaders but he was defeated after fierce resistance.[21][22][23] A reign of terror was unleashed by the Burmese on the Assamese people,[24][25][26][27] who fled to neighbouring kingdoms and British-ruled Bengal.[28][29] The Burmese reached the East India Company's borders, and the First Anglo-Burmese War ensued in 1824. The war ended under the Treaty of Yandabo[30] in 1826, with the Company taking control of Western Assam and installing Purandar Singha 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 a few initial unsuccessful attempts to free Assam during the 1850s, the Assamese joined and actively supported the Indian National Congress against the British from the early 20th century.
During the partition of Bengal (1905–1911), the new province of 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.[31]
Table hereafter shows the major original provinces during British India that includes the Assam Province:
| Province of British India[31] | Area (in thousands of square miles) | Population (in millions of inhabitants) | Chief Administrative Officer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burma | 170 | 9 | Lieutenant-Governor |
| Bengal | 151 | 75 | Lieutenant-Governor |
| Madras | 142 | 38 | Governor-in-Council |
| Bombay | 123 | 19 | Governor-in-Council |
| United Provinces | 107 | 48 | Lieutenant-Governor |
| Central Provinces and Berar | 104 | 13 | Chief Commissioner |
| Punjab | 97 | 20 | Lieutenant-Governor |
| Assam | 49 | 6 | Chief Commissioner |
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