Kamrup
Encyclopedia
Kamrup district is an administrative district
in the state of Assam
in India
, named after Kamarupa
, a name by which Assam
was previously known in ancient times. The district, however, is now a small western part of Assam, with a distinctive native Kamrupi culture and dialect (both known as Kamrupi
). The distinctive dialect etc. are, however, shared with the present administrative districts of Nalbari
and Barpeta
, these districts being part of an un-divided Kamrup before the 1980s.
. The headquarters was at Guwahati
. In the immediate neighbourhood of the Brahmaputra the land is low, and exposed to annual inundation. In this marshy tract reeds and canes flourish luxuriantly, and the only cultivation is that of rice. At a comparatively short distance from the river banks the ground begins to rise in undulating knolls towards the mountains of Bhutan
on the north, and towards the Khasi hills on the south. The hills south of the Brahmaputra in some parts reach the height of 800 ft. The Brahmaputra, which divides the district into two nearly equal portions, is navigable by river steamers throughout the year, and receives several tributaries navigable by large native boats in the rainy season. The chief of these are the Manas, Chaul Khoya and Barnadi on the north, and the Kulsi and Dibru on the south bank. There is a government forest preserve in the district and also a plantation where seedlings of teak, sal, sissu, sum, and nahor are reared, and experiments are being made with the caoutchouc tree. The population is entirely rural, the only major town being Guwahati
. The temples of Hajo and Kamakhya
attract many pilgrims from all quarters. The people of Kamrup also donated a sacred Arya Avalokitesvara statue to Stakna Monastery
in Ladakh
. The staple crop of the district is rice, of which there are three crops. The indigenous manufactures are confined to the weaving of silk and cotton cloths for home use, and to the making of brass cups and plates. The cultivation and manufacture of tea by European capital is not very prosperous. The chief exports are rice, oilseeds, timber and cotton; the imports are fine rice, salt, piece goods, sugar, betelnuts, coconuts and hardware. A section of the Assam-Bengal railway starts from Guwahati, and a branch of the Eastern Bengal railway has recently been opened to the opposite bank of the river. A metalled road runs due south from Guwahati
to Shillong
.
During British rule
, this settlement had been one of the peasant uprising
center against Britishers.Armed peasants vowed to through British rule but eventually suppressed by British administration with iron fist.
was split from Kamrup. Nalbari district
was then similarly split off on 14 August 1985. On 3 February 2003 Kamrup Metropolitan district
was formed to cover the urban core
of the district, and 1 June 2004 saw the formation of Baksa district
which was formed from parts of three districts, including Kamrup.
's Kangaroo Island
.
has a population
of 1,517,202 , roughly equal to the nation of Gabon
or the US state of Hawaii
. This gives it a ranking of 327th in India (out of a total of 640
). The district has a population density of 436 PD/sqkm . Its population growth rate
over the decade 2001-2011 was 15.67 %. Kamrup has a sex ratio
of 946 females
for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate
of 72.81 %.
, a Tibeto-Burman language related with Karbi
, with 125 000 speakers; and A'Tong
, also Tibeto-Burman, spoken by 10 000 people in Bangladesh
, the Garo Hills, and southern Kamrup.
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...
, named after Kamarupa
Kamarupa (History)
Kamarupa, also called Pragjyotisha, was the first historical kingdom in Assam that existed between 350 and 1140 CE i.e for almost 800 years. Ruled by three dynasties from their capitals in present-day Guwahati and Tezpur, it covered the entire Brahmaputra river valley and, at times, North Bengal...
, a name by which 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...
was previously known in ancient times. The district, however, is now a small western part of Assam, with a distinctive native Kamrupi culture and dialect (both known as Kamrupi
Kamrupi
Kamarupi or present Kamrupi is the language that was spoken in the Kamarupa kingdom in the first millennium, which, some linguists claim, gave rise to or influenced various eastern Indo-European languages like Assamese and Bengali.During British India at some point Kamrup was divided into two big...
). The distinctive dialect etc. are, however, shared with the present administrative districts of Nalbari
Nalbari
Nalbari is a city and a municipal board in Nalbari district in the Indian state of Assam. Nalbari is headquarter of Nalbari District.-Education:...
and Barpeta
Barpeta District
Barpeta district is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located at Barpeta. The district occupies an area of 3245 km² and has a population of 1,642,420 .-History:...
, these districts being part of an un-divided Kamrup before the 1980s.
History
The history of Kamarup dates back to 3 A.D under Kamarupa Kingdom and later a district of British India, in the Brahmaputra valley division of Eastern Bengal and AssamEastern Bengal and Assam
Eastern Bengal and Assam was a province of British India, constituted of the eastern portion of the erstwhile province of Bengal and the Chief Commissioner's province of Assam. The new province came into being on 16th October 1905, following a partition of Bengal. The Bengali Hindu people agitated...
. The headquarters was at Guwahati
Guwahati
Guwahati, Pragjyotishpura in ancient Assam formerly known as Gauhati is a metropolis,the largest city of Assam in India and ancient urban area in North East India, with a population of 963,429. It is also the largest metropolitan area in north-eastern India...
. In the immediate neighbourhood of the Brahmaputra the land is low, and exposed to annual inundation. In this marshy tract reeds and canes flourish luxuriantly, and the only cultivation is that of rice. At a comparatively short distance from the river banks the ground begins to rise in undulating knolls towards the mountains of Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
on the north, and towards the Khasi hills on the south. The hills south of the Brahmaputra in some parts reach the height of 800 ft. The Brahmaputra, which divides the district into two nearly equal portions, is navigable by river steamers throughout the year, and receives several tributaries navigable by large native boats in the rainy season. The chief of these are the Manas, Chaul Khoya and Barnadi on the north, and the Kulsi and Dibru on the south bank. There is a government forest preserve in the district and also a plantation where seedlings of teak, sal, sissu, sum, and nahor are reared, and experiments are being made with the caoutchouc tree. The population is entirely rural, the only major town being Guwahati
Guwahati
Guwahati, Pragjyotishpura in ancient Assam formerly known as Gauhati is a metropolis,the largest city of Assam in India and ancient urban area in North East India, with a population of 963,429. It is also the largest metropolitan area in north-eastern India...
. The temples of Hajo and Kamakhya
Kamakhya Temple
The Kamakhya Temple is a Shakti Peeth temple situated on the Nilachal Hill in western part of Guwahati city in Assam, India. It is the main temple in a complex of individual temples dedicated to different forms of the mother goddess as the Dasa Mahavidya, including Bhuvaneshvari, Bagalamukhi,...
attract many pilgrims from all quarters. The people of Kamrup also donated a sacred Arya Avalokitesvara statue to Stakna Monastery
Stakna Monastery
Stakna Monastery or Stakna Gompa is a Buddhist monastery of the Drugpa sect in Leh district, Ladakh, northern India, 21 or 25 kilometres from Leh on the right bank of the Indus River....
in Ladakh
Ladakh
Ladakh is a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of the Republic of India. It lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent...
. The staple crop of the district is rice, of which there are three crops. The indigenous manufactures are confined to the weaving of silk and cotton cloths for home use, and to the making of brass cups and plates. The cultivation and manufacture of tea by European capital is not very prosperous. The chief exports are rice, oilseeds, timber and cotton; the imports are fine rice, salt, piece goods, sugar, betelnuts, coconuts and hardware. A section of the Assam-Bengal railway starts from Guwahati, and a branch of the Eastern Bengal railway has recently been opened to the opposite bank of the river. A metalled road runs due south from Guwahati
Guwahati
Guwahati, Pragjyotishpura in ancient Assam formerly known as Gauhati is a metropolis,the largest city of Assam in India and ancient urban area in North East India, with a population of 963,429. It is also the largest metropolitan area in north-eastern India...
to Shillong
Shillong
-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...
.
During British rule
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
, this settlement had been one of the peasant uprising
Peasants' Revolt
The Peasants' Revolt, Wat Tyler's Rebellion, or the Great Rising of 1381 was one of a number of popular revolts in late medieval Europe and is a major event in the history of England. Tyler's Rebellion was not only the most extreme and widespread insurrection in English history but also the...
center against Britishers.Armed peasants vowed to through British rule but eventually suppressed by British administration with iron fist.
Recent Reorganisation
Kamrup district has been steadily decreasing in size for decades. In 1983 Barpeta districtBarpeta District
Barpeta district is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located at Barpeta. The district occupies an area of 3245 km² and has a population of 1,642,420 .-History:...
was split from Kamrup. Nalbari district
Nalbari district
Nalbari is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located at Nalbari.-History:The district was created on 14 August 1985 when it was split from Kamrup district...
was then similarly split off on 14 August 1985. On 3 February 2003 Kamrup Metropolitan district
Kamrup Metropolitan district
Kamrup Metropolitan is one of the 27 districts in Assam state in north-eastern India.-Geography:Administrative headquarters of Kamrup Metropolitan district is at Guwahati city...
was formed to cover the urban core
Guwahati
Guwahati, Pragjyotishpura in ancient Assam formerly known as Gauhati is a metropolis,the largest city of Assam in India and ancient urban area in North East India, with a population of 963,429. It is also the largest metropolitan area in north-eastern India...
of the district, and 1 June 2004 saw the formation of Baksa district
Baksa district
-History:Baksa was notified as a district in October 2003 while it started functioning from 1 June 2004 when Dr Anwaruddin Choudhury of the Assam Civil Service took charge as its founder Deputy Commissioner...
which was formed from parts of three districts, including Kamrup.
Geography
occupies an area of 4345 square kilometres (1,677.6 sq mi), comparatively equivalent to AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island is Australia's third-largest island after Tasmania and Melville Island. It is southwest of Adelaide at the entrance of Gulf St Vincent. Its closest point to the mainland is off Cape Jervis, on the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula in the state of South Australia. The island is long...
.
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...
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 1,517,202 , roughly equal to the nation of Gabon
Gabon
Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...
or the US state of Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. This gives it a ranking of 327th 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 436 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 15.67 %. Kamrup 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 946 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 72.81 %.
Languages
Languages used in the district include AmriAmri language
Amri, or Amri Karbi, is spoken by the Karbi people of Assam and Meghalaya. Roman Script is used for institutional practice but it is seen, in various published megagines, that the authors use both Roman Script and Assamese script . Sociolinguistically, it's a variety of the Karbi language, though...
, a Tibeto-Burman language related with Karbi
Karbi language
The Karbí language, also known as Mikir or Arleng, is spoken by the Karbi people of Assam. It belongs to the Tibeto-Burman language family, but its position is unclear...
, with 125 000 speakers; and A'Tong
A'Tong language
A'Tong is a language of the Sino-Tibetan family, related to Koch and Rabha. It is spoken in the Southern Meghalaya region of India....
, also Tibeto-Burman, spoken by 10 000 people in 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...
, the Garo Hills, and southern Kamrup.