Golaghat District
Encyclopedia
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 946,279. Hindus 813,263, Muslims 74,808 (7.9%), Christians 52,277. World famous Kaziranga National Park is situated in Golaghat district.
) during the middle of 19th century at the bank of the river Dhansiri in the vicinity of the district headquarters. "Gola" means market and "Ghat" means the port of river transport.
Inscription on rocks of Nagajari Khanikar village of Sarupathar, remnants of fortifications, brick structures, monuments, temples, tanks
, etc. are evidence of a 9th-century kingdom in the Doyang-Dhansiri valley. The Ahoms were the rulers of the Doyang-Dhansiri valley in the 16th century. Earlier, this part was ruled by the Kachari
s known as Herombial. The Kacharis
were pushed back towards west of the Karbi Hills. The Ahom King appointed a ruler entitled 'Morongi-Khowa Gohain', an administrative post with the Rank of a Governor/Minister of the Ahom
administration. The first 'Morongi-Khowa Gohain' was Lecham Kalita, an officer under whom large tracts of the erstwhile Kachari kingdom were populated with subjects of the Ahom ruler. An interesting aspect of such settlement was that a large number of people from different castes/communities were mixed up together so that there was remote chance of rebellion in such newly acquired territory. The Numaligarh was a Fort built by Numal Gohain, a young Ahom prince, which served as the administrative headquarter of the 'Morongi-Khowa Gohain' and also as a border trade post with the Nagas, Kacharis, Dimasas and other such hill people.
Later, when the British took control of Assam, the Doyang-Dhansiri valley was incorporated under the newly formed Golaghat subdivision of the Sibsagar
district in 1846. Golaghat district played an active part in the freedom struggle of India. Kushal Konwar, Kamala Miri, Dwariki Das, Biju Vaishnav, Sankar Chandra Barua, Shri Tara Prasad Barooah, Rajendra Nath Barua, Gaurilal Jain, Ganga Ram Bormedhi and Dwarikanath Goswami are eminent freedom fighters of the region.
Golaghat was raised to the position of a district of Assam on 15 August 1987, when it was split from Sibsagar district
.
to the south, Jorhat
district to the east and Karbi Anglong and Nagaon
district to the west. Dhansiri
is the principal river, which originates from Laisang peak of Nagaland. It streams through a distance of 352 km from south to north before joining the Brahmaputra. Its catchment area is 1220 km². Doyang, Nambor, Doigrung and Kalioni are the four rivulets of the Dhansiri. The river Kakodonga marks the border between Golaghat and Jorhat districts.
, is unique in the world. 'Japi' of Naharani, Dergaon finds a market in the entire Brahmaputra valley.
Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) is the only major heavy industry in the district. Numaligarh Refinery, situated in Numaligarh
, is engineered to process 3.0 million tonnes per year of indigenous crude oil, adopting innovated technologies. Numaligarh Refinery was custom-built in October, 2000 as the latest multi-faceted refinery in the country, having up-to-the-minute facilities and an intricacy measuring 6.67 on the Nelson complexity index
, which is the highest among the public sector
refineries. NRL has achieved global standards by obtaining certification of its Quality, Environment and Occupational Health & Safety Management Systems. It has already adopted Hydrocracker technology to enhance the production of middle distillates.
.
Golaghat district has a population
of 1,058,674, roughly equal to the nation of Cyprus
or the US state of Rhode Island
. This gives it a ranking of 430th in India (out of a total of 640
). The district has a population density of 302 PD/sqkm . Its population growth rate
over the decade 2001-2011 was 11.88 %. Golaghat has a sex ratio
of 961 females
for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate
of 78.31 %.
Hindus 813,263, Muslims 74,808 (7.9%), Christians 52,277. The main communities of the districts are the Ahoms, Kalita, Assamese Brahmins
, Tea-tribes
, Mising, Sutiya and Kachari
. There is also a small population of Turung and Aiton people living in the district.
Migrant communities like Marwari
and Bengali
live in the townships. Recently there has been settlement of suspected Bangladesh
i immigrants in the bordering areas of Nagaland.
, the writer of first Assamese dictionary Hemkosh
. Raghunath Mahanta, Satradhikar of Doyang Alengi Satra of Golaghat, was another writer of 19th century who composed three masterpieces, namely Shatrunjoy Kavya, Adbhoot Ramayan and Katha Ramayan. One significant poet of the Ahom age was Durgeswar Dwiji. He composed a book titled Sangkhosur Badh. Hem Chandra Goswami is regarded as one of the most exceptional writers of the late 19th century and early twentieth century. He is the first sonnet writer of Assamese language. The credit of first Assamese poetess plus first Assamese short story writer amongst women went to Yamuneswari Khatoniar of Golaghat. Her collection of verses called Arun was the first book written by a woman poet.
Raibahadur 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. Kamal Chandra Sarma of Golaghat enjoyed the influential position of secretary of 'Asomiya Bhasa Unnoti Sadhini Sabha'. Syed Abdul Malik, the invincible writer of Assamese literature, belongs to the village of Nahoroni in Golaghat. He was the president of Assam Sahitya Sabha. Malik received many exalted prizes, including Sahitya Akademy, Sankar Dev Award, Xahityacharyya, etc.
Other people from Golaghat who marked their names as great writers of Assamese literature include Surendranath Saikia, Hari Parsad Barua, Kirtinath Hazarika, Dr Nagen Saikia, Dr Debo Prasad Barooah, Nilamoni Phukan, Samir Tanti, Lakhikanta Mahanta, Purna Chandra Goswami, Dr Upen Kakoty, Lolit Barua, Golap Khound and Premadhar Dutta. The Golaghat Sahitya Sabha is one of the oldest congresses of Assam Sahitya Sabha, started in 1918.
, which has an area of 472 square kilometre. It shares the park with Nagaon district
.
Districts of Assam
Assam, a state of India, has twenty-seven administrative districts.A district of an Indian state is an administrative geographical unit, headed by the Deputy Commissioner , which combines the offices of the District Magistrate ultimately responsible for maintaining law and order and District...
in the state of Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It attained district status in 1987. The district headquarters are located at Golaghat
Golaghat
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....
. The district occupies an area of 3502 km² and lies 100 m above sea level. As of 2001, Golaghat district has a population of 946,279. Hindus 813,263, Muslims 74,808 (7.9%), Christians 52,277. World famous Kaziranga National Park is situated in Golaghat district.
History
The name 'Golaghat' originated from the markets established by a business class of people called 'Marwari' (who have their origins in RajasthanRajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
) during the middle of 19th century at the bank of the river Dhansiri in the vicinity of the district headquarters. "Gola" means market and "Ghat" means the port of river transport.
Inscription on rocks of Nagajari Khanikar village of Sarupathar, remnants of fortifications, brick structures, monuments, temples, tanks
Irrigation tank
For etymology, see Storage tank#Etymology.In India, an irrigation tank or tank is an artificial reservoir of any size. . It can also have a natural or man-made spring included as part of a structure...
, etc. are evidence of a 9th-century kingdom in the Doyang-Dhansiri valley. The Ahoms were the rulers of the Doyang-Dhansiri valley in the 16th century. Earlier, this part was ruled by the Kachari
Kachari
Kachari or Cachari may refer to:*Kachari people*Kachari Kingdom*Kachari language*The Kachari Ruins in Dimapur...
s known as Herombial. The Kacharis
Kachari Kingdom
The Kachari Kingdom was a powerful kingdom in medieval Assam. The rulers belonged to the Dimasa people, part of the greater Bodo-Kachari ethnic group...
were pushed back towards west of the Karbi Hills. The Ahom King appointed a ruler entitled 'Morongi-Khowa Gohain', an administrative post with the Rank of a Governor/Minister of the Ahom
Ahom kingdom
The Ahom Kingdom was a medieval kingdom in the Brahmaputra valley in Assam that maintained its sovereignty for nearly 600 years and successfully resisted Mughal expansion in North-East India...
administration. The first 'Morongi-Khowa Gohain' was Lecham Kalita, an officer under whom large tracts of the erstwhile Kachari kingdom were populated with subjects of the Ahom ruler. An interesting aspect of such settlement was that a large number of people from different castes/communities were mixed up together so that there was remote chance of rebellion in such newly acquired territory. The Numaligarh was a Fort built by Numal Gohain, a young Ahom prince, which served as the administrative headquarter of the 'Morongi-Khowa Gohain' and also as a border trade post with the Nagas, Kacharis, Dimasas and other such hill people.
Later, when the British took control of Assam, the Doyang-Dhansiri valley was incorporated under the newly formed Golaghat subdivision of the Sibsagar
Sibsagar
Sivasagar is a town in the Sibsagar district in the state of Assam in India, about north east of Guwahati....
district in 1846. Golaghat district played an active part in the freedom struggle of India. Kushal Konwar, Kamala Miri, Dwariki Das, Biju Vaishnav, Sankar Chandra Barua, Shri Tara Prasad Barooah, Rajendra Nath Barua, Gaurilal Jain, Ganga Ram Bormedhi and Dwarikanath Goswami are eminent freedom fighters of the region.
Golaghat was raised to the position of a district of Assam on 15 August 1987, when it was split from Sibsagar district
Sibsagar district
Sibsagar district -- also known as Sivasagar -- is one of the 27 districts of Assam state in north-eastern India. Sibsagar city is the administrative headquarters of this district.-History:...
.
Geography
Golaghat district occupies an area of 3502 square kilometres (1,352.1 sq mi), comparatively equivalent to the Bahamas' North Andros Island.Location
Golaghat district is surrounded by the river Brahmaputra to the north, the state of NagalandNagaland
Nagaland 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...
to the south, 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...
district to the east and Karbi Anglong and Nagaon
Nagaon
Nagaon , 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:...
district to the west. Dhansiri
Dhansiri River
Dhansiri is the main river of Golaghat District of Assam and the Dimapur District of Nagaland. It originates from Laisang peak of Nagaland. It flows through a distance of 352 km from south to north before joining the Brahmaputra on its south bank...
is the principal river, which originates from Laisang peak of Nagaland. It streams through a distance of 352 km from south to north before joining the Brahmaputra. Its catchment area is 1220 km². Doyang, Nambor, Doigrung and Kalioni are the four rivulets of the Dhansiri. The river Kakodonga marks the border between Golaghat and Jorhat districts.
Climate
The climate is tropical with a hot and humid weather prevailing most of the summer and monsoon months. Total average annual rainfall is 1300 mm. Maximum precipitation occurs in June and July. Maximum temperature is 38.0°C in June and minimum temperature is 8.0°C in December.Economy
The economy of Golaghat district is agriculture-based. Tea, rice and sugar cane are the main agricultural crops grown in the district, with tea being is the largest agricultural industry. There are 63 large tea gardens producing about 20,000 tonnes of tea per year. Moreover, the emergence of small tea growers has proclaimed a new improvement in the district. Small-scale tea growers have gotten considerable fame here because of large incomes compared to other high-land crops. It has caught the desire of unemployed people to take owning tea-gardens as their profession. The rearing and reeling of muga and endi, the making of Japi (headgear) and earthen potential and the extraction of agaru oil are the cottage industries prevalent in Golaghat district. Quality muga silk and agaru oil in Golaghat district are well known in the state. Long-neck earthen potential made in Dhekial, especially for storing molassesMolasses
Molasses is a viscous by-product of the processing of sugar cane, grapes or sugar beets into sugar. The word molasses comes from the Portuguese word melaço, which ultimately comes from mel, the Latin word for "honey". The quality of molasses depends on the maturity of the sugar cane or sugar beet,...
, is unique in the world. 'Japi' of Naharani, Dergaon finds a market in the entire Brahmaputra valley.
Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) is the only major heavy industry in the district. Numaligarh Refinery, situated in Numaligarh
Numaligarh
Numaligarh is a town in Assam, India.A petroleum refinery named Numaligarh Refinery Limited has been established in 2001. Numaligarh Refinery is one of the major refineries of north east, having a capacity of 3 MMT. Numaligarh Refinery is a joint venture of Assam Government owned Numaligarh...
, is engineered to process 3.0 million tonnes per year of indigenous crude oil, adopting innovated technologies. Numaligarh Refinery was custom-built in October, 2000 as the latest multi-faceted refinery in the country, having up-to-the-minute facilities and an intricacy measuring 6.67 on the Nelson complexity index
Nelson complexity index
The Nelson complexity index was developed by Wilbur L. Nelson in a series of articles in Oil & Gas Journal in 1960-61 . In 1976, he elaborated on the concept in another series of articles, again in Oil & Gas Journal...
, which is the highest among the public sector
Public sector
The public sector, sometimes referred to as the state sector, is a part of the state that deals with either the production, delivery and allocation of goods and services by and for the government or its citizens, whether national, regional or local/municipal.Examples of public sector activity range...
refineries. NRL has achieved global standards by obtaining certification of its Quality, Environment and Occupational Health & Safety Management Systems. It has already adopted Hydrocracker technology to enhance the production of middle distillates.
Divisions
There are four Assam Legislative Assembly constituencies in this district: Bokakhat, Sarupathar, Golaghat, and Khumtai. All four are in the Kaliabor Lok Sabha constituencyKaliabor (Lok Sabha constituency)
Kaliabor Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam state in north-eastern India.-Assembly segments:Kaliabor Lok Sabha constituency is composed of the following assembly segments :* Golaghat* Dergaon * Bokakhat...
.
Administration
Within the merged establishment of the Deputy Commissioner, Golaghat are the Offices of the Sub-Divisional Officers, Dhansiri and Bokakhat. There are multiple functions and issues looked after by the Deputy Commissioner's office from its headquarters. The branches of the Office of the Deputy Commissioner are rationalized as Administration, Civil Defence, Confidential, Development, Election, Excise, Home Guards, Magisterial, Nazarat, Personnel, Registration, Revenue, Supply, Treasury and Zila Sainik Board. The Courts of District and Session Judge are also located in its headquarters at Golaghat.Demographics
According to the 2011 census2011 census of India
The 15th Indian National census was conducted in two phases, houselisting and population enumeration. Houselisting phase began on April 1, 2010 and involved collection of information about all buildings...
Golaghat district has a population
Demographics of India
The demographics of India are inclusive of the second most populous country in the world, with over 1.21 billion people , more than a sixth of the world's population. Already containing 17.5% of the world's population, India is projected to be the world's most populous country by 2025, surpassing...
of 1,058,674, roughly equal to the nation of Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
or the US state of Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
. This gives it a ranking of 430th in India (out of a total of 640
Districts of India
A district is an administrative division of an Indian state or territory. Districts are further subdivided, in some cases into Sub-Divisions, and otherwise directly into tehsils or talukas.District officials include:...
). The district has a population density of 302 PD/sqkm . Its population growth rate
Family planning in India
Family planning in India is based on efforts largely sponsored by the Indian government. In the 1965-2009 period, contraceptive usage has more than tripled and the fertility rate has more than halved , but the national fertility rate is still high enough to cause long-term population growth...
over the decade 2001-2011 was 11.88 %. Golaghat has a sex ratio
Sex ratio
Sex ratio is the ratio of males to females in a population. The primary sex ratio is the ratio at the time of conception, secondary sex ratio is the ratio at time of birth, and tertiary sex ratio is the ratio of mature organisms....
of 961 females
Women in India
The status of women in India has been subject to many great changes over the past few millennia. From equal status with men in ancient times through the low points of the medieval period, to the promotion of equal rights by many reformers, the history of women in India has been eventful...
for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate
Literacy in India
Literacy in India is key for socio-economic progress, and the Indian literacy rate grew to 74.04% in 2011 from 12% at the end of British rule in 1947. Although this was a greater than sixfold improvement, the level is well below the world average literacy rate of 84%, and India currently has the...
of 78.31 %.
Hindus 813,263, Muslims 74,808 (7.9%), Christians 52,277. The main communities of the districts are the Ahoms, Kalita, Assamese Brahmins
Assamese Brahmins
In Assam, out of many sects of Hindu people which include Brahmins , Kalitas, Ahoms amongst others; the Brahmin community is comparatively small. Brahmins are found everywhere in Assam and surrounding areas. However most predominantly in Jorhat, Nalbari, Barpeta, Goalpara and Darrang districts....
, Tea-tribes
Tea-tribes
The Tea-tribes are found mainly in the districts of Darrang, Sonitpur, Nagaon, Jorhat, Golaghat, Dibrugarh, Cachar, Hailakandi, Karimganj Tinsukia and almost all the districts of Assam in India. Santhali speakers are also found in parts of Kokrajhar and Bongaigaon districts...
, Mising, Sutiya and Kachari
Kachari
Kachari or Cachari may refer to:*Kachari people*Kachari Kingdom*Kachari language*The Kachari Ruins in Dimapur...
. There is also a small population of Turung and Aiton people living in the district.
Migrant communities like Marwari
Marwaris
Marwari or Marwadi or Rajasthani people are Indian ethnic group, that inhabit the Rajasthan region of India. Their language Rajasthani is a part of the western group of Indo-Aryan languages....
and Bengali
Bengali people
The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
live in the townships. Recently there has been settlement of suspected Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
i immigrants in the bordering areas of Nagaland.
Culture
Golaghat district crowns many literary intellects who have made outstanding contributions to Assamese literature. The most prominent writer of the 19th century who hailed from Golaghat was Hem Chandra BaruaHem Chandra Barua
Hem Chandra Barua , was one of the prominent writers of Assamese of the 19th century. He was the compiler of first exhaustive Assamese dictionary 'Hemkosh', where spellings based on Sanskrit was first introduced...
, the writer of first Assamese dictionary Hemkosh
Hemkosh
Hemkosh is the first etymological dictionary of the Assamese Language based on Sanskrit spellings, compiled by Hemchandra Barua. It was first published in 1900 under the supervision of Capt. P. R. Gordon, ISC and Hemchandra Goswami, 33 years after the publication of the Bronson’s dictionary. It...
. Raghunath Mahanta, Satradhikar of Doyang Alengi Satra of Golaghat, was another writer of 19th century who composed three masterpieces, namely Shatrunjoy Kavya, Adbhoot Ramayan and Katha Ramayan. One significant poet of the Ahom age was Durgeswar Dwiji. He composed a book titled Sangkhosur Badh. Hem Chandra Goswami is regarded as one of the most exceptional writers of the late 19th century and early twentieth century. He is the first sonnet writer of Assamese language. The credit of first Assamese poetess plus first Assamese short story writer amongst women went to Yamuneswari Khatoniar of Golaghat. Her collection of verses called Arun was the first book written by a woman poet.
Raibahadur 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
The Comedy of Errors
The Comedy of Errors is one of William Shakespeare's earliest plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play. The Comedy of Errors is one of only two of Shakespeare's...
into the Assamese language
Assamese language
Assamese is the easternmost Indo-Aryan language. It is used mainly in the state of Assam in North-East India. It is also the official language of Assam. It is also spoken in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and other northeast Indian states. Nagamese, an Assamese-based Creole language is widely used in...
along with three of his partners. Kamal Chandra Sarma of Golaghat enjoyed the influential position of secretary of 'Asomiya Bhasa Unnoti Sadhini Sabha'. Syed Abdul Malik, the invincible writer of Assamese literature, belongs to the village of Nahoroni in Golaghat. He was the president of Assam Sahitya Sabha. Malik received many exalted prizes, including Sahitya Akademy, Sankar Dev Award, Xahityacharyya, etc.
Other people from Golaghat who marked their names as great writers of Assamese literature include Surendranath Saikia, Hari Parsad Barua, Kirtinath Hazarika, Dr Nagen Saikia, Dr Debo Prasad Barooah, Nilamoni Phukan, Samir Tanti, Lakhikanta Mahanta, Purna Chandra Goswami, Dr Upen Kakoty, Lolit Barua, Golap Khound and Premadhar Dutta. The Golaghat Sahitya Sabha is one of the oldest congresses of Assam Sahitya Sabha, started in 1918.
Flora and fauna
In 1974 Golaghat district became home to Kaziranga National ParkKaziranga National Park
Kaziranga National Park is a national park in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of the state of Assam, India. A World Heritage Site, the park hosts two-thirds of the world's Great One-horned Rhinoceroses. Kaziranga boasts the highest density of tigers among protected areas in the world and was...
, which has an area of 472 square kilometre. It shares the park with Nagaon district
Nagaon district
Nagaon is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. As of 2011 it is the most populous district of Assam .-History:...
.