Golaghat
Encyclopedia
Golaghat which was one of the largest subdivisions of Assam later, elevated to the position of a full-fledged district of Assam on 15 August 1987, is the headquarters of Golaghat district
and is a sister town to Jorhat
which is about 55 km away.
Golaghat has been divided into following divisions:
Stone inscription of Nagajari Khanikar gaon of Sarupathar, dating back to the 5th century, reveals that there was an independent kingdom in Doyang - Dhansiri valley and relics of ramparts, brick structures, temples, tanks etc. discovered in these area confirms the presence of a kingdom during 9th and 10th century.
The Doyang – Dhansiri valley came under the rule of Ahom's during 16th century. Prior to that, this part was ruled by the Kacharis known as Herombial. During Ahom rule this area was under 'Morongi – Khowa Gohain', an administrative officer.
Golaghat is known for its notable contribution in India's Freedom Struggle
, Arts
, Literature
and Culture and Sports
, Golaghat had a population of 33,021. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Golaghat has an average literacy rate of 82%, higher than the national average of 59.5%. Male
literacy
is 84%, and Female
literacy is 79%. In Golaghat, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age. For detailed description, one can log on to the Assam Tourism.
Primary and secondary education in Golaghat is offered by various schools which are affiliated to one of the boards of education, such as the High School Leaving Certificate
(SEBA
), Central Board of Secondary Education
(CBSE). Schools in Golaghat are either government run or are private (both aided and un-aided by the government). After completing their secondary education, students either attend Higher Secondary School Leaving Certificate (HSSLC) through Degree/Junior College or continue Secondary School (AISSSE) in one of three streams – Arts, Commerce or Science.
Following are few of the institutes:
Colleges - Level: Undergraduate & Postgraduate Degree and HSSLC (Jr.)
Schools - Level: Primary & High Schools and Higher or Senior Secondary
Others
, a naturalist of International repute. The museum is full of dolls, artifacts, mementos, movies and other personal collections of Dr Banerjee's lifetime. There are 587 dolls and 262 other show pieces. They have mostly been presented by admirers and children during his many trips to abroad and within the country as well.
Golaghat Baptist Church: Golaghat Baptist Church, one of the oldest and biggest Baptist Churches in Assam, which celebrated its Centenary Jubilee in 1999, came into being in December 1898. The pioneering man in this Great Venture was Dr. O. L. Swanson, a missionary from America, who had come to Assam in 1893 along with his wife. Dr. Swanson was assisted by a number of local people.
GATS - Golaghat Amateur Theatre Society: It is a Theatre cum Local Town Covention Hall that is located at the Centre of the City. Most of the seminars, conferences, theatres, meetings and other workshops are conducted in GATS Hall.
Jamuna Water Park: It is a Public Park within the city that provides water boating facility for the localites and the tourists who visit the city.
Jamuna Water Body: It is an especialized region of the Jamuna Water Park that has been preserved and is not open to public boating that has a rich recorded history of abundant flora and fauna plantations.
Doss & Co. is one of the largest and oldest Department Store
in Assam and largest within the City, that has been established way back during British Raj which is still present in the Centre of the City in its original building complex. The Department Store has may divisions that houses home appliances, electronics, and additionally select other lines of products such as paint, hardware, toiletries, cosmetics, photographic equipment, jewellery, toys, and sporting goods amongst others. A branch of this Store is also present in the sister town of Jorhat which is also equally huge and old.
stipulation - the facility that provides broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial lights for outdoor playing in low-light conditions, and qualified coaches. The club has been organising North East Tennis Championship and other AITA tournaments regularly since 1987.
The Sports Stadium
: The premises confined near to Mission Circle, the Table Tennis and Badminton Indoor Stadium is equipped with four table tennis boards and two badminton courts. It is a great professional cum recreational sports centre for sports enthusiast.
The Boxing Club: Golaghat boxing club is one of the pioneering boxing clubs of Assam. The club in the Amolapatty - Old is a centre for Boxing events.
The Swimming Club: Located next to the indoor stadium near to Mission Circle the swimming pool
managed by District's Sport Office, has training facility for all age groups conducted by trained and experienced coaches.
Golaghat District
Golaghat district is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. It attained district status in 1987. The district headquarters are located at Golaghat. The district occupies an area of 3502 km² and lies 100 m above sea level. As of 2001, Golaghat district has a population of...
and is a sister town to Jorhat
Jorhat
Jorhat is a city of Assam in India. Jorhat was established as a new capital in the closing years of the 18th century by the declining Tunkhungia Ahom Dynasty. Jorhat, as the name signifies, was just a couple of markets . Two parallel markets namely, Chowkihat and Macharhat, lay on the eastern...
which is about 55 km away.
Golaghat has been divided into following divisions:
- Golaghat Central
- Golaghat East
- Golaghat North
- Golaghat South
- Golaghat West
History
The name Golaghat ('Gola' which means shop and 'Ghat' meaning the landing point of river ferry) originated from the shops established by the 'Marwari' businessmen during mid part of 20th century AD at the bank of river Dhansiri near present Golaghat town.Stone inscription of Nagajari Khanikar gaon of Sarupathar, dating back to the 5th century, reveals that there was an independent kingdom in Doyang - Dhansiri valley and relics of ramparts, brick structures, temples, tanks etc. discovered in these area confirms the presence of a kingdom during 9th and 10th century.
The Doyang – Dhansiri valley came under the rule of Ahom's during 16th century. Prior to that, this part was ruled by the Kacharis known as Herombial. During Ahom rule this area was under 'Morongi – Khowa Gohain', an administrative officer.
Golaghat during British Rule
After British took possession of Assam, Doyang – Dhansiri valley was included under the newly formed Golaghat subdivision of Sibsagar District in 1846. Golaghat was one of the largest subdivisions of Assam which was later, elevated to the position of a full-fledged district of Assam on 15 August 1987. Golaghat boasts of having one of the earliest post/mail service and telegraphic communication systems.- The earliest head post offices of the Assam Circle of British Assam were located in Golaghat besides DebrughurDibrugarhDibrugarh is the headquarters of Dibrugarh district, Assam, India, and is the second largest city in Assam after Guwahati. It is situated on the banks of the Brahmaputra River, about north-east of Guwahati. It is the gateway to the three tea-producing districts of Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, and Sibsagar...
, Gouhati, JorhatJorhatJorhat is a city of Assam in India. Jorhat was established as a new capital in the closing years of the 18th century by the declining Tunkhungia Ahom Dynasty. Jorhat, as the name signifies, was just a couple of markets . Two parallel markets namely, Chowkihat and Macharhat, lay on the eastern...
, NowgaonNagaonNagaon , is a medium sized city and a municipal board in Nagaon district in the Indian state of Assam. It is situated east of Guwahati. An older spelling of the name is Nowgong.It is one of the fastest growing cities of the northeast.-History:...
, SibsagarSibsagarSivasagar is a town in the Sibsagar district in the state of Assam in India, about north east of Guwahati....
, ShillongShillong-Connectivity:Although well connected by road, Shillong has no rail connection and a proper air connection. Umroi Airport exists but has only limited flights.-Roadways:Shillong is well connected by roads with all major north eastern states...
and TezporeTezpurTezpur is a city and the administrative headquarters and municipal board of Sonitpur district in the state of Assam in northeastern India. Tezpur is an ancient city on the banks of the river Brahmaputra and is the largest of the north bank towns with a population exceeding 100,000...
(spellings as appear in the book - Glimpse of Assam). Much later after telegraph lines had been stretched between Calcutta and Guwahati in 1869; Golaghat got its speaking wires' system in and around 1876. The telegraphic lines (speaking wires) were stretched to connect Golaghat with KohimaKohimaKohima is the hilly capital of India's north eastern border state of Nagaland which shares its borders with Burma. It lies in Kohima District and is also one of the three Nagaland towns with Municipal council status along with Dimapur and Mokokchung....
(in NagalandNagalandNagaland is a state in the far north-eastern part of India. It borders the state of Assam to the west, Arunachal Pradesh and part of Assam to the north, Burma to the east and Manipur to the south. The state capital is Kohima, and the largest city is Dimapur...
), Shillong with Guwahati, Sibsagar with Nazira and Dibrugarh with Makum.
- In British Assam, Golaghat derived its importance chiefly because of having advanced communication systems during that time and on account of its connection by road with Kohima.
- Golaghat also has one of the oldest railway lines in Assam. Text noted from the book Glimpse of Assam written by Mrs. SR Ward in 1884 states that, Mr. Bryers who was then the Chief of Cachar and Assam Railway Survey succeeded in finding a railway route that would be carried up the Dhansiri valley to Golaghat... thus giving Assam direct railway communication with ChittagongChittagongChittagong ) is a city in southeastern Bangladesh and the capital of an eponymous district and division. Built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the city is home to Bangladesh's busiest seaport and has a population of over 4.5 million, making it the second largest city in the country.A trading...
and Calcutta.
Golaghat is known for its notable contribution in India's Freedom Struggle
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
, Arts
Fine Arts of Assam
Fine Arts of Assam has extremely rich tradition.-Sculpture and architecture:The archaic Mauryan Stupas discovered in and around Goalpara district are believed to be the earliest examples of ancient art and architectural works...
, Literature
Assamese literature
Assamese literature is the entire corpus of poetry, novels, short stories, documents and other writings in the Assamese language. It also includes popular ballads in the older forms of the language during its evolution to the contemporary form. The literary heritage of the Assamese language can...
and Culture and Sports
Sport in India
Sports in India include cricket, chess, badminton, field hockey, tennis, association football and golf. Field Hockey is the official national sport in India, and the country has eight olympic gold medals in field hockey, though cricket is the most popular. Other popular sports include football,...
- Kushal KonwarKushal KonwarKushal Konwar was an Indian freedom fighter and he happened to be the only martyr in the country who was hanged during the Quit India Movement of 1942.-References:* *...
, Kamala Miri, Dwariki Das, Biju Vaishnav, Sankar Chandra Barua, Shri Tara P. Barooah, Maheshwar Barooah, Rajendra Nath Barua, Gaurilal Jain, Ganga Ram Bormedhi and Dwarikanath Goswami are eminent freedom fighters of the town.
- The Golaghat Sahitya Sabha is one of the oldest congresses of Assam Sahitya Sabha, started in 1918.
- The most prominent writer of the 19th century who hailed from Golaghat was Hem Chandra Barua, the writer of first Assamese dictionary Hemkosh.
- Ghanashyam Barua of Golaghat, who was also famous in the field of politics as the first Central Minister of Assam, translated William Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors into the Assamese language along with three of his partners.
- Golaghat has played an important role in the field of sports in Assam. The tea town has produced several National and International players of repute in athletics, table tennisTable tennisTable tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
, tennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, boxingBoxingBoxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
and football. Sports Authority of IndiaSports Authority of IndiaThe Sports Authority of India is a body set up by the Government of India. It was created in 1984 to help promote sport throughout the country. Presently, it has seven regional centres at Bangalore, Gandhinagar, Kolkata, Sonepat, Delhi, Mumbai and Imphal and two sub-centres at Guwahati and...
has a training centre at SAI Sports Complex in Golaghat.
- Golaghat TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
Club is one of the oldest in Assam. Presently, besides two clay courts in Golaghat Tennis Complex, there are also 2 lawn courts at Kushal Kunwar Memorial Trust complex. The old club is now quipped with modern infrastructure facilities that includes the facility of floodlightFloodlights (sport)Floodlights are broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial lights often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions....
system and qualified coach. The club has been organising North East Tennis Championship and other AITAAll India Tennis AssociationThe All India Tennis Association , is the governing body of tennis in India. It was established in 1920 and affiliated by International Tennis Federation and Asian Tennis Federation....
tournaments regularly since 1987.
- The LawnLawnA lawn is an area of aesthetic and recreational land planted with grasses or other durable plants, which usually are maintained at a low and consistent height. Low ornamental meadows in natural landscaping styles are a contemporary option of a lawn...
court at Kushal Kunwar Memorial Trust Complex located near Mission Circle in Golaghat is the only grass court of Assam.
Geography
Golaghat is located at 26.52°N 93.97°E. It has an average elevation of 95 metres (311 feet).Demographics
India censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, Golaghat had a population of 33,021. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Golaghat has an average literacy rate of 82%, higher than the national average of 59.5%. Male
Male
Male refers to the biological sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
literacy
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
is 84%, and Female
Female
Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
literacy is 79%. In Golaghat, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age. For detailed description, one can log on to the Assam Tourism.
Education
Golaghat is known for many literary intellects who have made outstanding contributions to Assamese literature. The place has not many but very good institutions which have made their distinctive credits in terms of academic performance and record high scores in the past when compared with other institution equivalents of similar repute in Assam.Primary and secondary education in Golaghat is offered by various schools which are affiliated to one of the boards of education, such as the High School Leaving Certificate
High School Leaving Certificate
The High School Leaving Certificate is awarded after school students successfully complete the curriculum and examinations of schools affiliated to state boards in India....
(SEBA
Board of Secondary Education, Assam
Board of Secondary Education, Assam, or SEBA as it is also known, is the state level authority for conducting examinations and providing assurance for the quality of education imparted in schools within Assam that are affiliated to it....
), Central Board of Secondary Education
Central Board of Secondary Education
The Central Board of Secondary Education is a Board of Education for public and private schools, under the Union Government of India.-History:...
(CBSE). Schools in Golaghat are either government run or are private (both aided and un-aided by the government). After completing their secondary education, students either attend Higher Secondary School Leaving Certificate (HSSLC) through Degree/Junior College or continue Secondary School (AISSSE) in one of three streams – Arts, Commerce or Science.
Following are few of the institutes:
Colleges - Level: Undergraduate & Postgraduate Degree and HSSLC (Jr.)
- Debraj Roy CollegeDebraj Roy CollegeDebraj Roy College is a leading higher education institution established in 1949 in Jonaki Nagar Golaghat of the Golaghat district of Upper Assam, India....
(D.R. College) - Golaghat Commerce College
- College of Teacher Education Golaghat
- H.P.B Girls College
- Law College
- Reliance College Jr. (RERS: Reliance Education Research Society)
Schools - Level: Primary & High Schools and Higher or Senior Secondary
- No. 1 Town Model School (Primary)
- No. 2 Town Model School (Primary)
- No. 3 Town Chandmari School (Primary)
- Dandhar Barooah Girls High School (SEBABoard of Secondary Education, AssamBoard of Secondary Education, Assam, or SEBA as it is also known, is the state level authority for conducting examinations and providing assurance for the quality of education imparted in schools within Assam that are affiliated to it....
- HSSLC) - Hindi School (SEBA - HSSLC)
- Bengali School (SEBA - HSSLC)
- Golaghat Jatiya Vidyalaya (SEBA - HSSLC)
- Government Boys Bezbarooah Higher Secondary School (SEBA - HSLC/HSSLC)
- Mission SchoolMission SchoolThe Mission School is an art movement of the 1990s and 2000s, centered in the Mission District of San Francisco, California.-History and characteristics:...
, Golaghat - Christian High School (SEBA - HSSLC) - Montessori School, Golaghat - KKBB: Kushal Konwar Balya Bhawan (SEBA - HSSLC)
- Jawahar Navodaya VidyalayaJawahar Navodaya VidyalayaJawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya known as JNV are Indian schools for talented children and form a part of the system of gifted education. The objectives of the scheme are to provide good quality modern education to the children predominantly from rural areas, without regard to their family's...
- JNV Golaghat (CBSE - AISSE/AISSSE) - Kendriya VidyalayaKendriya VidyalayaKendriya Vidyalaya, is a system of central government schools under the Ministry of Human Resource Development ....
- KV Golaghat (CBSE - AISSE) - Sacred Heart School - Golaghat (SEBA - HSSLC)
- Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vihar (CBSE - AISSE)
- Vivekananda Kendra VidyalayaVivekananda Kendra VidyalayaVivekananda Kendra Vidyalaya commonly referred as VKV is a school which is set up under the project Vivekananda Kendra Siksha Prasar Vibhag. which is run by Vivekananda Kendra with its headquarters at Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu. VKVs have been Gyan-Yagna started by Maneneeya Shri. Ekanathji Ranade...
- VKV Golaghat (CBSE - AISSE/AISSSE)
Others
- Maheshwar Barooah Sangeet Vidyalaya: Music schoolMusic schoolThe term music school refers to an educational institution specialized in the study, training and research of music.Different terms refer to this concept such as school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department or conservatory.Music instruction can be provided...
- Rupaban Mahavidyalaya: College of music and danceDanceDance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
- Ajanta Kala Manadal: School of dance.
- KVK: Krishi Vigyan Kendra (ICARIndian Council of Agricultural ResearchIndian Council of Agricultural Research , New Delhi, India is an autonomous organisation under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India...
- AAUAAU-Education:* Aalborg University, in Denmark* Academy of Art University,in San Francisco* Addis Ababa University, in Ethiopia* Allied American University, brand used by Allied Schools in California, United States* Alpen-Adria-University of Klagenfurt, in Austria...
) - NEiiT: North East Institute of Information Technology
Places of Interest
Uncle Robin's Children Museum: The museum is located on the Mission Road in Golaghat and within the residence of Dr Robin BanerjeeRobin Banerjee
Robin Banerjee was a noted wildlife expert, environmentalist, painter, photographer and documentary filmmaker who lived at Golaghat in the Indian state of Assam.-Biography:...
, a naturalist of International repute. The museum is full of dolls, artifacts, mementos, movies and other personal collections of Dr Banerjee's lifetime. There are 587 dolls and 262 other show pieces. They have mostly been presented by admirers and children during his many trips to abroad and within the country as well.
Golaghat Baptist Church: Golaghat Baptist Church, one of the oldest and biggest Baptist Churches in Assam, which celebrated its Centenary Jubilee in 1999, came into being in December 1898. The pioneering man in this Great Venture was Dr. O. L. Swanson, a missionary from America, who had come to Assam in 1893 along with his wife. Dr. Swanson was assisted by a number of local people.
GATS - Golaghat Amateur Theatre Society: It is a Theatre cum Local Town Covention Hall that is located at the Centre of the City. Most of the seminars, conferences, theatres, meetings and other workshops are conducted in GATS Hall.
Jamuna Water Park: It is a Public Park within the city that provides water boating facility for the localites and the tourists who visit the city.
Jamuna Water Body: It is an especialized region of the Jamuna Water Park that has been preserved and is not open to public boating that has a rich recorded history of abundant flora and fauna plantations.
Doss & Co. is one of the largest and oldest Department Store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
in Assam and largest within the City, that has been established way back during British Raj which is still present in the Centre of the City in its original building complex. The Department Store has may divisions that houses home appliances, electronics, and additionally select other lines of products such as paint, hardware, toiletries, cosmetics, photographic equipment, jewellery, toys, and sporting goods amongst others. A branch of this Store is also present in the sister town of Jorhat which is also equally huge and old.
The Sports' Clubs
Golaghat Tennis Club: Being one of the oldest clubs in Assam, the GTC has 2 clay courts in Golaghat Tennis Complex besides two lawn courts at Kushal Kunwar Memorial Trust complex in Mission Circle. The club equipped with modern infrastructure facilities has also FloodlightFloodlights (sport)
Floodlights are broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial lights often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions....
stipulation - the facility that provides broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial lights for outdoor playing in low-light conditions, and qualified coaches. The club has been organising North East Tennis Championship and other AITA tournaments regularly since 1987.
The Sports Stadium
Sports Stadium
Sports Stadium was an Irish television sport programme on Raidió Teilifís Éireann . Broadcast between 1973 and 1997, it was RTÉ's flagship sports programme and one of its longest-running shows....
: The premises confined near to Mission Circle, the Table Tennis and Badminton Indoor Stadium is equipped with four table tennis boards and two badminton courts. It is a great professional cum recreational sports centre for sports enthusiast.
The Boxing Club: Golaghat boxing club is one of the pioneering boxing clubs of Assam. The club in the Amolapatty - Old is a centre for Boxing events.
The Swimming Club: Located next to the indoor stadium near to Mission Circle the swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
managed by District's Sport Office, has training facility for all age groups conducted by trained and experienced coaches.
Prominent Localities
Few prominent localities of Golaghat are:- Amolapatty - New {Residential Locality}
- Amolapatty - Old {Residential Locality}
- Baagicha Ali {Residential Locality}
- Begenakhuwa {Residential cum Commercial Locality}
- Chandmari {Residential}
- Court Road {Residential cum Commercial Locality}
- Chitra Sen Kakoty Path {Residential Locality}
- Junaaki Nagar {New development area}
- Marwari Patty - {Residential Locality}
- Mission Road {Mostly residential however exist few commercial establishments}
- Station Road - Betmahal {Residential cum Commercial Locality}