Jorhat

History

Under Konbaung empire

The town was occupied by the Burmese Konbaung dynasty between 1817 - 1825. The Burmese left the commander Mingimaha Tilwa in charge of the area who appointed Jogeswar Singha as the new puppet King in 1821 in Jorhat. Later when the deposed king Chandrakanta Singha tried to fight back, Bagyidaw (1819 – 1837), the seventh King of Burma sent the greatest of his generals Mingimaha Bandula with 20,000 troops (including 10,000 Kamti Shan and Kachin levies who were chieftains of Mongkawng and Hukawng) who defeated Chandrakanta Singha at Mahgarh near Jorhat and reestablished Burmese authority in Assam. The defeat of Chandrakanta on 12 June 1822 marks the start of the Burmese rule in Assam. and Burmese commander Mingimaha Tilwa was made the king. Maha Bandula then returned to Ava in Myanmar.

Under British Empire

In 1885, a narrow-gauge railway, Jorehaut Provincial Railway, became operational. In time, this contributed to the rapid growth of the tea industry around the whole region.

Geography

Jorhat is located at 26°45′N 94°13′E / 26.75°N 94.22°E. It has an average elevation of 116 metres (381 feet).

The municipality covers an area of 72.8 square kilometres (28.1 sq mi), has 19 wards with a population of 71,398 as per 2011 census.The district spreads over 2,859 square kilometres (1,104 sq mi) and had a population of 870,000 according to a 1991 census. Population density at that time was 306 persons per square kilometre (793/sq mi). The sex ratio is 913 (913 females per 1000 males).

Climate

Demographics

Jorhat Municipal Board (covering the out growth area) had a population of 200,000+ by the mid-2020s.

The average literacy rate of Jorhat in 2011 was 91.39%. Gender-wise, male and female literacy were 93.63% and 88.99% respectively, which is one of the highest in the state.

Jorhat's sex ratio stood at 935 females per 1000 males, according to the Census 2011 Directorate.

Hindus were 87.49% of the population, while Muslims were 10.50% and Christians 0.62% of the population respectively.

Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are 6.40% and 1.84% of the population respectively.

Languages

Assamese is the predominant language and is spoken by 70.08% of the population, while Bengali was spoken by 12.27%. Hindi (11.60%) and Bhojpuri (1.01%) are spoken by migrants from the Gangetic plains, such as traders and labourers. Ethnic languages like Mising and Deori are also spoken by the respective ethnicity. Other small languages in the city include Marwari, Sadri, Santali, Sora and Odia which in total are spoken by 5.04% of the population.

Culture

Jorhat has rich contributions in the fields of arts, culture and tradition of the contemporary Assamese society. In 1896, Jorhat Theatre was established to perform cultural activities and dramas by some renowned people of the town. The Chandrakanta Handique Bhawan, the headquarters of Asam Sahitya Sabha was established in 1926. Jorhat has produced creative writers, historians and journalists. Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya, the first Assamese to win India's highest literature award, the Jnanpith Award, was from Jorhat.

Media

In 1935, the first Assamese daily newspaper Dainik Batori was published from Jorhat by Raibahadur Siva Prasad Barooah. The daily newspapers which have Jorhat editions include Dainik Janambhumi, Amar Asom, Dainik Agradoot and Asomiya Khabar in Assamese, the Purbanchal Prohori in Hindi and The Telegraph in English. The Eastern Clarion was the first English daily published from the city, but it was ceased. Besides the dailies, a weekly newspaper Saptahik Janambhumi is also published from Jorhat. City Guide of Jorhat was the first yellow pages, published in July 1987. Jorhat has a radio broadcast station of All India Radio (AIR) located on the outskirts of the city at Garmur.

District Court

The District & Sessions Judge of Upper Assam District, Jorhat, was established on November 15, 1948, and became permanent on April 1, 1953. The first District & Sessions Judge of Assam Valley, Upper Assam Districts, Jorhat, was Mr. S.K. Das, M.A., B.L. Currently, the district's territorial jurisdiction extends over two sub-divisions: Majuli Sub-Division and Titabar Sub-Division. Altogether, the District & Sessions Judge and the Chief Judicial Magistrate comprise 15 courts staffed by Judicial Officers of various grades. The District & Sessions Judge together with the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court Complex, Jorhat is situated in the heart of the city. The Present District & Sessions Judge as the head of the establishment is Smti. Barnali Mahanta. The present Chief Judicial Magistrate, Jorhat, the head of all the Criminal Courts is Sri Arup Jyoti Baishya.

Transport

Air

The Jorhat Airport, commonly known as Rowriah Airport, is located at Rowriah, a suburb of Jorhat, about 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) from the city centre. The airport has flight connectivity to Kolkata and Delhi operated by IndiGo. It is controlled by the Airports Authority of India.

Rail

The first rail connectivity of Jorhat began during British era in 1885, when Jorehaut Provincial Railway, a narrow-gauge railway services became operational.

Jorhat is served by Jorhat Town railway station which lies on the Furkating-Jorhat-Mariani branch line of Tinsukia railway division. Mariani Junction railway station, the major railway junction of the district is about 18 km (11 mi) from Jorhat. It falls in the Lumding-Dibrugarh section and is well connected to all the large cities of the country by long-distance express trains.

Road

The Inter State Bus Terminus (ISBT) of Jorhat is at Kotoki Pukhuri, Tarajan. It operates daily bus services from ASTC and private operators to other towns and cities in the state and few destinations of the Northeast. Auto-rickshaws, local cabs and rickshaws are the main modes of public transport within the city.

Water

The daily ferry services connect the Nimati ghat with Kamalabari and Aphalamukh in Majuli. The Neamati multimodal waterways terminal on Brahmaputra National Waterway 2 in Jorhat district is part of the Bharatmala and Sagarmala projects.

Education and research institutions

Research institutes

• North East Institute of Science and Technology, Jorhat (N.E.I.S.T.) (formerly R.R.L., Jorhat) under CSIR, Dept. of Science & Technology, Govt. of India
• Rain Forest Research Institute (R.F.R.I.), Jorhat under I.C.F.R.E., Min. of Environment & Forests, Govt. of India
• Tocklai Tea Research Institute, Tea Research Association (T.R.A.) Tocklai under Tea Research Association, Ministry of Commerce, Govt. of India
• Central Muga Eri Research & Training Institute, Lahdoigarh, under Central Silk Board
• College of Sericulture, under Assam Agriculture University
• Indian Grain Storage Management and Research Institute, Jorhat
• Institute of Biotechnology & Geotectonics Studies (INBIGS), ONGC Complex, Cinnamara, Jorhat - 785008

Universities

• Assam Agricultural University (A.A.U.), under Government of Assam
• Assam Women's University, under Government of Assam
• Jagannath Barooah University
• Kaziranga University

Technical institutes

• HRH The Prince of Wales Institute of Engineering and Technology
• Jorhat Engineering College, Directorate of Technical Education, Government of Assam
• Jorhat Institute of Science & Technology, formerly Science College, Jorhat, Government of Assam
• Kaziranga University, Mohbondha, Jorhat
• North East Institute of Management Science, (opposite the N.E.I.S.T.), Jorhat

Design institute

• National Institute of Design, Jorhat

Medical institutes

• Jorhat Medical College and Hospital under the State Government of Assam
• Medical Institute Jorhat, under the Government of Assam.
• Dr. J.K. Saikia Homeopathic Medical College & Hospital, Jorhat

Training institute

• Institute of Advanced Studies in Education, Jorhat

Colleges

• Bahona College
• CKB Commerce College
• D.C.B. Girls College
• Jorhat College
• Jorhat Institute of Science & Technology (formerly Jorhat Science College).
• Jorhat Kendriya Mahavidyalaya
• Jorhat Law College, M.G. Road, Jorhat
• Kakojan College, Kakojan
• Dr. Nobin Bordoloi College, Dhekiajuli

Schools

• Dipankar Vidyapith
• Don Bosco Higher Secondary School, Baghchung
• Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Jorhat
• Shemford Futuristic School, Choladhara
• Spring Dale High School
• Carmel Convent School, Cinnamara
• Crescent Academy
• Delhi Public School, Jorhat, Sarucharai Gharfalia
• Excellere Senior Secondary School
• Kendriya Vidyalaya (Indian Air Force Station), Jorhat-785005
• Kendriya Vidyalaya, NEIST (RRL), Jorhat-785006
• Kendriya Vidyalaya, (ONGC), Cinnamara
• Sankardev Seminary High School

Sports

Established in 1950, the multi-purpose Jorhat Stadium is the oldest stadium of Assam, which is mainly used for cricket and football. It has hosted few Ranji Trophy matches. The prominent football tournament ATPA Shield held every year in this venue since 1955. Jorhat Town Club used the stadium as home ground for their home matches of Assam State Premier League. Other sporting venues near the stadium include JDSA Field, Kushal Konwar Indoor Stadium, Jorhat Swimming Society and Jorhat Tennis Club. The historic sporting venue Jorhat Gymkhana Club known for the century old annual horse race called Jorhat Races, which began in 1877. It has a golf course and a cricket ground.

Politics

Jorhat is part of Jorhat (Lok Sabha constituency). Gaurav Gogoi, Indian National Congress is the current Member of Parliament serving the 18th Lok Sabha from Jorhat, Assam.

Hitendra Nath Goswami of BJP is the incumbent MLA from Jorhat assembly constituency.

Notable people

• Hemendra Prasad Barooah, Tea planter and industrialist
• Jagannath Barooah, Scholar, tea planter, philanthropist
• Ranjit Barthakur, Businessman and chairman of Rajasthan Royals
• Amulya Barua, Assamese poet
• Ananda Chandra Barua, Assamese poet, dramatist, former president of Asam Sahitya Sabha
• Chandradhar Barua, Assamese poet, playwright, former president of Assam Sahitya Sabha, represented Assam in the Round Table Conference
• Joi Barua, Assamese and Bollywood singer
• Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya, The first Jnanpith Award-winning Assamese writer
• Hiren Bhattacharyya, Assamese poet
• Bijoya Chakravarty, Former Lok Sabha MP from Guwahati (Born in Jorhat)
• Ananda Chandra Dutta, Botanist
• Zubeen Garg, Assamese and Bollywood singer
• Akhil Gogoi, Prominent social activist, MLA from Sivasagar
• Ganesh Gogoi, Assamese poet
• Tarun Gogoi, former Chief Minister of Assam.
• Gaurav Gogoi, MP of Jorhat and the current Deputy Leader of INC in the Lok Sabha
• Hitendra Nath Goswami, Former Speaker of Assam Legislative Assembly, MLA of Jorhat
• Rana Goswami, Former MLA of Jorhat
• Jitendra Nath Goswami, Chief scientist of Chandrayaan -1
• Bijoy Krishna Handique, Former Union Minister
• Krishna Kanta Handique, Sanskrit scholar, Indologist and philanthropist
• Jayanta Nath, Singer, Composer, Music Director
• Jadav Payeng, The "Forest Man of India"
• Prastuti Porasor, Assamese film actress
• Anuradha Sharma Pujari, Assamese journalist and author
• Tim Severin, British explorer, historian, and writer was born in Jorhat
• Himanta Biswa Sarma, The current Chief Minister of Assam and MLA from Jalukbari was born in Jorhat
• Anwara Taimur, First Woman Chief Minister of Assam