Golaghat district

History

Early Medieval Period

The Nagajari-Khanikargaon rock inscription 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.

Dimasa Kingdom

The territories of the district were part of the Dimasa Kingdom until the early 16th century. The Ming dynasty had contact with the Dimasas and canonised the Dimasa kingdom as a tusi in 1406. The Ming court sent Zhou Rang, a Supervising Secretary, to bestow Imperial orders, patents, seals, paper money, silks, etc., on the kingdom and in return, the chieftain of Dimasa sent horses and local products as a sign of tribute. In 1425, paper money, ramie-silks, silk gauzes and thin silk were conferred to Mazhiasa who was sent to the Ming court by Diedaomangpa, the acting head of Di-ma-sa Pacification Superintendency.

It is speculated that Dimasa kingdom is referred to as Timmasala in the Yan-anng-myin pagoda inscription of Burma in 1400 A.D. In this inscription by Minkhaung I, the kingdom of Ava is said to extend on the east to Shan Pyi, northwest to Timmasala, west to Kula Pyi, and south to Talaing Pyi.

In a 1442 inscription from Pagan of Burma mentions Timmasala (Hill Kacharis) to be one of the 21 principalities under Mong Mao ruler Thonganbwa (1413–1445/6), who was later captured by the Governor of Taungdwin and presented to King Narapati I of Ava.

Ahom period

The Ahoms became the rulers of the Dhansiri valley in the 16th century. The Kacharis were pushed south of the Dimapur region. The Ahom occupation of Dimapur was nevertheless temporary and did not amount to permanent annexation or settlement of the city or the upper Dhansiri valley. Gait describes the Kachari capital as having been “twice occupied”, but states that the Ahoms “never attempted to occupy” the Dhansiri valley, which subsequently reverted largely to forest. Permanent Ahom administration was concentrated farther north, in the lower Dhansiri or Marangi frontier, where an official known as the Marangikhowa Gohain was appointed. The region remained a contested frontier: following a Kachari incursion into the Ahom territories, Pratap Singha led an expedition through the Kopili and Dhansiri valleys in 1606, but the Kacharis subsequently attacked the Ahom force at Raha and drove out the survivors, prompting the Ahom king to seek conciliation. Pratap Singha later settled four hundred Ahom families around Marangi and proposed an embankment along the Kachari boundary, but abandoned the plan after his nobles argued that fixing the frontier might restrict future expansion.

Colonial and Post-independence

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.

Geography

Golaghat district occupies an area of 3,502 square kilometres (1,352 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 Nagaland 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 1,220 km² (470 sq mi). Doyang, Nambor, Doigrung and Kalioni are the four rivulets of the Dhansiri. The river Kakodonga marks the border between Golaghat and Jorhat districts.

National protected area

• Kaziranga National Park (Part)
• Nambor - Doigrung Wildlife Sanctuary

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.

Divisions

There are four Assam Legislative Assembly constituencies in this district: Bokakhat, Sarupathar, Golaghat, and Khumtai. All four are in the Kaliabor Lok Sabha constituency.

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.

Villages

• Sapjuri

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Golaghat district has a population of 1,066,888, 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 inhabitants per square kilometre (780/sq mi) . 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%. 9.16% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 5.84% and 10.48% of the population respectively.

Religion

Hinduism is followed by majority of the people in Golaghat district: 85.99%. Muslims form 8.46% of population. while Christians are 4.74% of the population.

Languages

According to the 2011 census, 78.40% of the population speak Assamese, 4.59% Bengali, 2.71% Mising, 2.50% Nepali, 1.86% Boro, 1.79% Hindi, 1.52% Sadri and 1.36% Odia as their first language.

Territorial dispute

Around 420 km² (160 sq mi) of Golaghat district is under occupation by the state of Nagaland (Merapani region). There were major conflicts between the two sides in 1979 and 1985, with 54 and 41 deaths respectively. Almost all the deaths were from the Assamese side and the attackers included NSCN militants and Nagaland Police.

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 Barua, 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.

Flora and fauna

In 1974 Golaghat district became home to Kaziranga National Park, which has an area of 472 km² (182.2 mi²). It shares the park with Nagaon district. It also home to Nambor - Doigrung Wildlife Sanctuary.

Notable people

• Manoj Gogoi, animal rescuer at Kaziranga National Park
• Lovlina Borgohain, Indian Boxer (Olympic medalist).
• Kushal Konwar, an Indian freedom fighter from Assam.