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About Assam |
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Assam is the
gateway to the north eastern part of India. The name "Assam"
is derived from the word "Asom" which, in Sanskrit, means
unequal or unrivalled. It is known as Assam due to the uneven
topography of the land full of hills, plains and rivers and
also due to the Mongolian Ahom dynasty which had ruled Assam
for more than six hundred years. Assam, the mystic, rich and
green land of rolling plains, dense forests, eternal blue
hills and beautiful rivers is known for its tea, rich flora
and fauna, and the world famous one horned rhinoceros. |
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The
principal language of Assam is Assamese. The capital of Assam
is Dispur. Assam is bordered in the north by Bhutan, in the
east by Arunachal Pradesh, in the south by Nagaland, Manipur
and Mizoram, in the south west by Meghalaya and in the west by
West Bengal and Bangladesh. The State of Assam is one of the
most beautiful regions of India. Some people call it a magical
land while others call it a green paradise. No permit is
required by domestic as well as foreign tourists to visit
Assam. However, foreign tourists must have an Indian Visa. The
temperature in Assam is moderate. |
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History of
Assam |
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Assam's history
goes back to ancient times. The base of this history can be
found in Tantric literature, Buddhist literature, Assamese
folklore and Vedic literature, the epics and the religious
legends. The Aryans found their way into Assam in very early
times. Various places mentioned in the epics, like Mahabharata
etc. are now identified with sites in this state. The first
known ruler of Assam was Mahiranga Danava of Danava dynasty, who
was later succeeded by Hatakasur, Sambarsur and Ratnasur. After
them there was a chief named Ghatakasur, the ruler of the
Kiratas, who made Progjyotishpur, the modern Guwahati as his
capital. The Lord Krishna also frequently appears in Assam
mythology. During the early part of the 13th century, the Ahoms
established their rule over Assam with the capital at Sibsagar,
the Sovansiri area and ruled from there for about six hundred
years. During their rule, they managed to keep the kingdom,
independent from Mughal, the muslim invaders and as well from
other invaders. The Mughals attacked Assam for about seventeen
times. The British entered Assam in 1824 as tea planter which
was the starting point of the destruction of Ahom dynasty.
During the British Raj, till 1947, Assam comprised most of
Northeast India, except the Tripura and Manipur. The government
of India divided Assam into several states in the 1970s to
satisfy national aspirations of the tribal populations living
within the borders of Assam, and for other political reasons.
The capital of Assam used to be Shillong for more than a hundred
years till it was moved to Dispur, a suburb of Guwahati in 1972,
after Meghalaya became a separate state of India. |
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Festivals
of Assam |
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Assam is a
land of fairs and festivals. Bihu is one of the most important national festival
of Assam which is celebrated by all the people.
The Bohag or Rongali Bihu ushers in the Assamese New Year,
in the middle of April, and is celebrated with distinctive
Bihu dances and songs. There are three festivals in Assam,
which are celebrated in the month of Bohaag (mid April), Maagh
(mid January), and Kaati (mid October). These
festivals are Bohaag Bihu, Maagh Bihu and Kati Bihu.
More
Information on Festivals of Assam |
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Places
in Assam |
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There are 22 districts in Assam. Guwahati is the gateway to
the enchanting north eastern India. It was known as the
Pragjyotishpura, the Light of the East, and was a vast kingdom
during the Mahabharata. Today, Guwahati is the hub of the
region and also its largest city. The various other places in
Assam are Majuli, Sibsagar, Haflong, Digboi and Tezpur.
More Information
on Places in Assam |
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People
of Assam |
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Assam is
predominantly a land of the Tibeto-Burmese. The Austro-Asiatics,
Negros, Dravidians, Alpines, Indo-mongoloids, Tibeto-Burmese
and Aryans penetrated into Assam through different routes and
contributed in their own way towards the unique fusion of a
new community which came to be later known as the Assamese.
The Assamese are the citizens of Assam and thus speaks the
Assamese or Asomiya language. The Assamese comprises of the
native Assamese, Mymenshingy settlers from Bangladesh and
tea-garden laborers. Most of the Assamese are the Vaishnavite
Hindus. The Assamese-speaking Hindus represent two-thirds of
the state's population and indigenous Tibeto-Burman tribal
groups make up another 16 percent. The Bengali-speaking Hindus
and Muslims represent the largest minorities, followed by
Nepalis and populations from neighboring regions of India.
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Art & Craft
of Assam |
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The people of
Assam have been traditional craftsmen from the olden times.
Assam is mostly known for its exquisite silks and the bamboo
and cane products. Besides this, several other crafts like
toys, pottery, woodcraft, masks, jewellery, metal crafts are
also made here. Cane and bamboo have remained inseparable
parts of life in Assam. They happen to be the two most
commonly-used items in daily life, ranging from household
implements to construction of dwelling houses to weaving
accessories to musical instruments. |
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Wildlife Sanctuaries in Assam |
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Assam is known
for the large variety of flora and fauna. Some of the famous national parks and wildlife
sanctuaries in Assam are the Kaziranga National Park, Manas
National Park, Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, Nameri National
Park, Orang National Park and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary. The
Kaziranga National Park is the first National Park in Assam
and is the home of the great Indian one-horned Rhinoceros.
More Information
on Wildlife Sanctuaries
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How to reach
Assam |
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By Air:
Guwahati is well connected by air to most of the cities in the
country. Most of the airlines operate regular flights to
Guwahati, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Tezpur, North Lakhimpur and Silchar.
The Indian Airlines also connects Guwahati to the capitals of
most of the other north eastern states.
By Rail:
Assam is well connected by train with the rest of the country.
There are train services from Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai,
Chennai, Bangalore, Cochin and Trivandrum. Some of the major
towns within the state are also connected by the railway
network.
By Road:
A network of National Highways and other roads connect all
important places of Assam.
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