Tourist Centers
Important tourist centers
of the state around Guwahati are Kamakhya Temple, Umananda
(Peacock Island), Navagraha (Temple of nine planets), Gandhi
Mandap, State Zoo, State Museum, Sukreswar Temple, Geeta
Mandir, Madan-Kamdev Temple and Saraighat Bridge. In the
rest of the state the places of tourist interest are Kaziranga
park (famous for one horned rhinos), Sib Sagar (Shiv Temple),
Majuli (largest river island in the world), Chandubi lake,
Batadrava (Birth place of great Vaishnav Saint Sankardev),
and Saulkuchi (renowned for its silk industry).
| Capital |
Dispur |
| Area
: |
78,438
sq Km. |
| Population
: |
26,638,407 |
| Principal
Languages : |
Assamese
|
| Ratio
of urban population (2001) : |
12.72% |
| Literacy
Rate : |
64.28% |
| Net
Domestic Product (Rs. million at current prices
in 1992-93) : |
Rs.
117360 mln (1992-93, At current prices) |
| Per
Capita Income (Rs. at current prices in 1992-93)
: |
Rs.
5056 (1992-93, At current prices) |
| No.
of Districts : |
23 |
| Cities
: |
Guwahati,
Dispur, Dibrugarh, Jorhat |
It is located in
the northeastern part of the country and has an area
of 30,285 square miles (78,438 square kilometers). It
is bounded to the north by the kingdom of Bhutan and
the state of Assam; to the east by the states of Nagaland
and Manipur; to the south by the states of Mizoram and
Tripura; and to the west by the state of Meghalaya,
Bangladesh, and the state of West Bengal
Assam has a single-chamber
legislative assembly with 126 members. The state sends
21 members to the Indian national parliament: 7 to the
Rajya Sabha (Upper House) and 14 to the Lok Sabha (Lower
House). Local government is based on 23 administrative
districts. Guwahati is the Capital of the state.
The Brahmaputra
River valley is the dominant physical feature of Assam.
The river enters Assam near Sadiya in the extreme northeast
and runs westward across the length of Assam for nearly
450 miles before turning south to enter the plains of
Bangladesh. The river valley, rarely more than 50 miles
wide, is studded with numerous low, isolated hills and
ridges that abruptly rise from the plain. The valley,
surrounded on all sides, except the west, by mountains
and is intersected by many streams and rivulets that
flow from the neighboring hills to empty into the Brahmaputra.
The average temperature
is moderate, about 84 degrees F (29 degrees C) in the
hottest month of August. The average valley temperature
in January is 61 degrees F (16 degrees C). In this season,
heavy fogs and a little rain mark the climate of the
valley.
Assam does not
have the normal Indian hot, dry season. Some rain occurs
from March onwards, but the real force of the monsoon
winds is faced from June onward. Rainfall in Assam ranks
among the highest in the world; its annual rainfall
varies from 70 inches in the west to 120 inches per
year in the east. Large concentrated during the months
from June to September; it often results in widespread
destructive floods. Much of the state is covered with
dense tropical forests of bamboo and, at higher elevations,
evergreens. Common animals of Assam include the elephant,
tiger, leopard, rhinoceros, and bear.
History
It is not clear
how the name Assam came into existence. The name "Assam"
may be derived from the Sanskrit term "Asom" that means
unparalleled, or one with no equal. The term "Asom"
in Sanskrit also means undulated or uneven. The rugged
nature of the land of Assam may also be a reason for
her name. In addition, the Ahoms ruled Assam for six
hundred years till the early part of the 19th century.
The words "Ahom" and "Asom" are pronounced similarly,
and hence the Ahoms may also have given Assam its names.
The ancient kingdom
of Kamarupa once covered the present state of Assam.
Pragjyaisha, the capital, was located near Guwahati.
Kamarupa is mentioned as a frontier kingdom and tributary
of the Gupta Empire in the Allahabad inscription of
Samudra Gupta (A.D. 330-375).
Until the 1200's,
the area was ruled by a succession of dynasties, including
the Salastamba, the Brahmapala, and the Bhuyan. The
Ahoms, a Thai-Buddhist tribe from the southeast, arrived
in the area in the early 1200's. They deposed the
ruler of the time and established a kingdom with its
capital in Sibsagar. By 1353, the Ahoms controlled
a major part of the area, which they renamed Assam.
The Ahoms adopted the language and Hindu religion
of the conquered people and ruled Assam for about
500 years
Internal dissension
led to the fall of the Ahom kingdom. In 1771, the
British East India Company gave military assistance
to the Ahom ruler to quell a revolt. In return, the
Company received commercial privileges.
The Ahom Dynasty
gradually decayed until a Burmese invasion in 1817,
which lasted five years killing one in every three
people finishing it off. The British threw out the
Burmese and Assam became a part of British India in
1826.
When India and
Pakistan became independent in 1947, Assam was divided
between the two countries, most of Assam going to
India. The old enmities between hill and plain, Hindu
and Muslim, tribal and Non-tribal rose and Assam progressively
separated into seven northeastern states of today.
Society and
Culture
The Assamese
are a mixture of Mongolian-Tibetan, Aryan, and Burman
ethnic origins. Their official language, which is
called Assamese, is closely related to Bengali. An
unbroken record of Assamese literary history is traceable
from the 14th century. About two-thirds of the Assamese
are Hindus, and about a quarter are Muslim. The Muslims
are mostly recent settlers from Bangladesh or converts
belonging to the lower strata of Hindu society. A
majority of the Hindus accept Vaisnavism, which is
based on the deity Vishnu. The hilly margins of the
plain are inhabited by the hill tribes of the Garo,
Khasi, and Hajong. The Bodo are the largest minority
group in Assam and are concentrated in the northern
areas of the Brahmaputra River valley.
Artist and
sculptors, masons and architects, and others practicing
minor crafts such as weavers, spinners, potters,
goldsmiths, artisans of ivory, wood, bamboo, cane
and hide flourished in Assam from ancient times.
The Eri, Muga and Pat are the important silk products
of Assam. Weaving is another important aspect of
the cultural life of the people of Assam, particularly
of the women. Every Assamese house, irrespective
of caste, creed, and social status, has at least
one loom, and each woman is required to be skilled
in producing fine silk and cotton cloths.
The most important
celebrations of the state are the three Bihu festivals.
Originally agricultural festivals, these are observed
with great enthusiasm irrespective of caste, creed,
and religious affinity. The Bohag Bihu, celebrated
in the spring (usually mid-April) to mark the commencement
of the new year (first day of the Bohag or Baisakh
month), is the most important one. Also known as
Rangali Bihu (rang means merrymaking and fun), it
is accompanied by much dancing and singing. On this
day women present a hand-woven gamocha (towel) to
each family member. The Magh Bihu, celebrated in
mid-January (in the month of Magh), is a harvest
festival. Known also as Bhogali Bihu (bhog means
enjoyment and feasting), it is a time of community
feasts and bonfires. The third Bihu festival, the
Kati Bihu (in mid-October), is also called the Kangali
Bihu (kangali means poor) because by this time of
year the house of a common man is without food grains,
as the stock is usually consumed before the next
harvest.
Economy
and Infrastructure
Assam's economy
is rural and agricultural. Tea is cultivated in
the hilly regions, and the state provides much of
the tea grown in India. The valley of the Brahmaputra
River is important for rice, the major food product
of Assam. Other agricultural products are jute,
sugarcane, cotton, oranges, and potatoes. The cultivation
of silkworms is common in many areas. Lumber is
valuable to the economy of Assam, and the extraction
of crude oil is gaining in importance. The primary
industries of Assam are textile manufacturing, cement
production, and oil refining.
In 2001, the total length of roads in Assam was
33,064 km which include 2,070 km of National Highway,
2,177 km of State Highway and 28,861 km of other
PWD roads.
Assam is
the railway center of the North East with the
total railway tract length of 2,391.76 km comprising
both metre gauge and broad gauge lines
Lokpriya
Gopinath Bordoloi airport (Guwahati), Salonibari
(Tezpur), Mohanbari (Dibrugarh), Lilabari (Lakhimpur),
Kumbhirgram (Silchar) and Rowriah (Jorhat) are
the civil airports in the State.
Hotels
of Assam
The State has hotels of
star and non-star category catering to the needs
of the tourists visiting Assam. Besides it has
resorts, restaurants and cafés which cater to
the needs of all segment of travelers.
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