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Assam |
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Information about Assam
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, rivers and also due to the Mongolian Ahom dynasty
which had ruled Assam for more than six hundred years. The
ancient name of Assam is Kamarupa which is mentioned in the
Ramayana. 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. The principal language of Assam
is Assamese. The state of Assam is one |
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of the most
beautiful regions of India. Some people call it a magical land
while others call it a green paradise. The capital of Assam is
Dispur. The temperature in Assam is moderate. It is the
wettest place in the world with waterfalls six times as high
as the famous Niagara Falls. The temperature here can drop
from 90 to 50 degrees Celsius in an hour of ascending into the
hills.
History of
Assam
Assam's history goes back to ancient times. The base of this
history can be found in Tantric literature, Buddhist
literature, Assamese folklore, Vedic literature, the epics and
the religious legends. The ancient name of Assam is Kamarupa
as mentioned in the Ramayana. According to a popular legend,
Kama, the God of Love tried to arouse passion in the heart of
Lord Shiva who was in meditation. Shiva opened his third eye
and destroyed Kama Dev. The compassionate Lord later forgave
Kama and revived him. The land where Kama got back his Rupa,
the form came to be known as Kamarupa. 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. |
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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.
Later, the old tribes of Kamrupa were subdued by the
fierce tribals who came from Burma’s lravady Valley in
the thirteenth century. They were called Ahoms – the
present name of Assam is derived from the new
inhabitants of Kamarupa. During 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 Ahom
rulers were so powerful that they thwarted attempts of
the Mughals 13 times to annex Assam. The Mughals
attacked Assam for about seventeen times. When the
Mughals failed to subdue the “The rats of Assam”, the
Ahom rulers expanded east establishing their authority
over the Nagas of Cachar destroying their capital
Dimapur. Ahom power started weakening in the 17th
century. In 1792, Burma invaded Assam and the Assamese
king, Gaurinath, |
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sought the
assistance of the East India Company. The Burmese were
repulsed but they came back in 1819. after the Anglo-Burmese
War in 1824-26, Burma ceded Assam to East India Company and
the British annexed it to their Indian empire. During World
War II, the Assamese helped the Allied forces in repulsing the
Japanese invaders and kept open the supply route to China. 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.
Geography
of Assam
Geographically, Assam broadly comprises of the Brahmaputra
Valley where the Brahmaputra River with its numerous
tributaries, flows over 700 km. through the state. The total
length of the river from its source is 2,900 kms. 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. |
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Festivals of Assam
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.
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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.
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People of
Assam
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
and Crafts of Assam
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, handicrafts,
furniture, baskets and mats. Handloom |
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weaving is
integral to life in Assam. Little surprise, then that the
state can boast of several special kinds of hand-woven cloth.
The most prized is the fine golden ‘Muga’ silk. Traditional
garments include the two-piece mekhela chadar worn by women.
Bell – metal products and brassware form part of the Assamese
people’s daily life. The ‘xorai and bota’ – receptacles for
betel nut and paan leaves – have been traditionally used for
centuries. Two whole townships near Guwahati, Hajo and
Sarthebari, are entirely devoted to the production of
traditional metal ware. |
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Wildlife
Sanctuaries in Assam
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.
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Adventure Activities in Assam
Brahmaputra, one of the largest river in India, flows through
Assam. With its numerous tributaries, it offers a wide range
of water based adventure sports like river cruise, boat racing
and river rafting. Some of the adventure sports in Assam are
Angling, River Cruise, Boat Racing, River Rafting and Golf.
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Permit for
Visiting Assam
No permit is required by domestic as well as foreign tourists
to visit Assam. However, foreign tourists must have an Indian
Visa.
How to reach Assam
Assam is well connected by air with rest of India. Other State
capitals within the region are also connected by air. Guwahati
is well connected by train with the rest of the country. Some
of the major towns within the state are also connected by the
railway network. A network of National Highways and other
roads connect all important places of Assam. |
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