Cachar district

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Cachar district
District of Assam
Ruins of Kachari fort near Khaspur
Ruins of Kachari fort near Khaspur
Cachar district's location in Assam
Cachar district's location in Assam
CountryIndia
StateAssam
DivisionBarak Valley
HeadquartersSilchar
Government
 • Lok Sabha constituenciesSilchar
 • Vidhan Sabha constituenciesSilchar, Sonai, Dholai, Udharbond, Lakhipur, Barkhola, Katigorah
Area
 • Total3,786 km2 (1,462 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total1,736,617
 • Density460/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (IST)
ISO 3166 codeIN-AS-CA
Official languageBengali
Websitehttp://cachar.gov.in/

Cachar is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. After independence the undivided Cachar district was split into four districts in Assam: Dima Hasao district (formerly North Cachar Hills), Cachar district alongside Hailakandi and Karimganj.

Etymology[]

The Kacharis ( Kachari kingdom ) have given their name to the modern district Cachar. The Kacharis call themselves Barman in Barak valley and Dimasa in the Dima Hasao district. They were known to the Ahoms as Timisa, a corruption of the word "Dimasa". The Kacharis are allied to the Boro, Koches, Chutias, Lalungs (aka Tiwa) and Morans of the Brahmaputra valley and to the Garos and Tripuras of the southern hills. The Kacharis were perhaps the earliest inhabitants of the Brahmaputra valley and Barak valley. They are identical with the people called ‘Mech’ in Goalpara and North Bengal.[2]

History[]

Pre-independence period[]

The region was originally a part of the Tripura Kingdom which was taken over by Koch King (presently known as Koch Rajbongshi, Rajbongshi) Chilarai in 1562. Chilarai gave the charge of the region to his brother Kamalnarayan. The descendants of Kamalnarayan ruled the region till 18th century. After the fall of Koch kingdom (due to no heir) the Dimasa Kingdom took over the charge of the region and ruled most of undivided Cachar district. The Last King of Cachar was Raja Govindrachandradwajanarayana Hasnu. During his period Khaspur was the Capital of Cachar (Kachar). Cachar was another native kingdom that fell victim to the imperialist design of the British. The Kingdom of Cachar was being ruled by two rulers having clearly defined areas of control. In the plains (southern portion of Cachar) Govindrachandradwajanarayana Hasnu was the ruling prince. Immediately after his assassination by Gambhir Singh, then king of Manipur, British annexed it to their dominion in India (1832). Tularam Thaosen was the ruling chief of the hilly tract (northern portion of Cachar or Dima Hasao). His territories were annexed after he died in 1854, and all of Cachar thuscame under the British occupation. While south Cachar was annexed under Robertson, the hilly tract of Cachar came under British occupation when Jenkins was the Commissioner of Assam. In 1916, it was the Commissioner of Pakokku Hill Tracts until 1947. [3]

Independence movement[]

The history of the district includes the active participation and support of its people in the Indian independence movement. Many leaders, such as , his son Arun Kumar Chanda and Abdul Matlib Mazumdar etc. led the people of the district to fight for the cause. While Chanda was instrumental in garnering support of the Bengali Hindus, Mazumdar was one of the prominent Muslim leaders of Eastern India to oppose the partition of India on communal lines. Mazumdar, along with Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, (who later became the 5th President of India) became the most prominent Muslim opponents to the demand for a separate Muslim state of Pakistan, especially in the eastern part of the country. To counter the rising popularity of Muslim League, he successfully organised the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind movement in Assam. Jamiat was an ally of the Congress having a mass following among the nationalist Muslims. In the very crucial 1946 General Elections, conducted just on the eve of India's independence, he wrested the Muslim majority Hailakandi seat from the hold of the Muslim League. That victory virtually sealed the hopes and aspirations of the Muslim League to include southern Assam, including Cachar, in Pakistan[citation needed].

Assam's Surma Valley (now partly in Bangladesh) had Muslim-majority population. On the eve of partition, hectic activities intensified by the Muslim League as well Congress with the former having an edge. A referendum had been proposed for Sylhet Region (now mostly in Bangladesh). Mazumdar along with Basanta Kumar Das (then Home Minister of Assam) travelled throughout the valley organising the Congress and addressing meetings educating the masses about the outcome of partition on the basis of religion. On 20 February 1947, Mazumdar inaugurated a convention – Assam Nationalist Muslim's Convention at Silchar. There after another big meeting was held at Silchar on 8 June 1947.[4] Both the meetings, which were attended by a large section of Muslims, paid dividend. He was also among the few who were instrumental in retaining the Barak Valley region of Assam, especially Karimganj with India.[5][6] Mazumdar was the leader of the delegation that pleaded before the Radcliffe Commission that ensured that a part of Sylhet, the present Karimganj district, remained with India.[7][11]. Arun Kumar Chanda did not join Bordoloi cabinet in 1946 but preferred to do social work as a legislator and also to uplift the premier educational institution, G.C. College. Unfortunately he soon died leaving a huge vacuum of an able Bengali Hindu leader with a secular bent of mind[citation needed].

Post-independence period[]

The entire eastern India was swept by violence just after India's partition and independence on 15 August 1947. Scores of Hindus had to flee the newly created East Pakistan for India and Muslims fled Assam for East Pakistan. A large number of people lost their lives owing to violence, which resurfaced with more ferocity in 1950. Mazumdar, the only member from the undivided Cachar in the cabinet, along with his cabinet and party colleagues took up the responsibility for the safety of both Hindus and Muslims in Cachar, touring affected areas and arranging camps and rehabilitation for the refugees, organising supplies and security.The Bengali Language Movement of 1960-1961 which was a movement to protest the forceful imposition of Assamese language upon the Bengali-speaking population of Barak valley by the Assam Government is also an important event in the history of Barak Valley.

In the 1960s, Moinul Haque Choudhury, who was a cabinet minister in Assam from 1957 to 1966, became a prominent political figure in the district. In 1971, he became the Industry minister of India under the Prime Ministership of late Indira Gandhi. Late Arun Kr. Chanda's wife Jyotsna Chanda also represented Silchar in the parliament[citation needed].

Demarcation[]

1 July 1983 saw the creation of Karimganj district by curving out the eponymous subdivision from Cachar.

Geography[]

Cachar district occupies an area of 3,786 square kilometres (1,462 sq mi),[8] comparatively equivalent to South Georgia.[9] The Barak is the main river of the district and apart from that there are numerous small rivers which flow through Dima Hasao district, from Manipur. The district is mostly made up of plains, but there are a number of hills spread across the district. Cachar receives an average annual rainfall of more than 3,000 mm. The climate is Tropical wet with hot and wet summers and cool winters.

Economy[]

The district headquarters, Silchar, is one of the most important business centres of Assam[citation needed].

In 2006, the Indian government named Cachar one of the country's 250 most backward districts out of a total of 640.[10] It is one of the eleven districts in Assam currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).[10]

Administration[]

Nazirpatty, Silchar City

Divisions[]

The district has three sub-divisions: Silchar, Lakhipur and Katigorah.Katigorah as a Sub-division declared by Tarun Gogoi cabinet in the year 2016. There are seven Assembly constituencies in this district, viz. Silchar, Sonai, Dholai, Udharbond, Lakhipur, Barkhola and Katigorah.[11] Dholai is designated for scheduled castes.[11] The seven constituencies make up the Silchar Lok Sabha constituency.[12]

Transport[]

View of passenger terminal.
Silchar Airport

Silchar is one of the seven cities of Assam to have an airport, which is located at Kumbhirgram. It is served by regular flights from IndiGo, Air India and SpiceJet. The district is connected by broad-gauge railroads to Lumding in Assam and by road to the rest of the country. Regular bus and train services are also there with other cities in North-East India.

Demographics[]

Population[]

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901301,884—    
1911339,107+1.17%
1921359,376+0.58%
1931386,695+0.74%
1941437,284+1.24%
1951541,891+2.17%
1961664,351+2.06%
1971823,515+2.17%
19911,215,385+1.97%
20011,444,921+1.74%
20111,736,617+1.86%
source:[13]

According to the 2011 census, Cachar district has a population of 1,736,617,[1] roughly equal to the nation of The Gambia[14] or the US state of Nebraska.[15] This gives it a ranking of 278th in India out of a total of 640.[1] The district has a population density of 459 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,190/sq mi) .[1] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 20.17%.[1] Cachar has a sex ratio of 958 females for every 1000 males,[1] and a literacy rate of 80.36%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 15.25% and 1.01% of the population respectively.[1]

Religions[]

Religions in Cachar district (2011)[16]
Religion Percent
Hindus
 
 59.83%
Muslims
 
 37.71%
Christians
 
 2.17%
Other or not stated
 
 0.29%

Religious demographics are as follows:[16]

  • Hindus (Om.svg) - 1,038,985
  • Muslims (Star and Crescent.svg) - 654,816
  • Christians (ChristianitySymbol.svg) - 37,635.

There was a presence of Sikhism in Cachar after Guru Nanak's visit to eastern India in 1508 to spread the religion. Most of these Sikhs, in the early 18th century, were found in the northern part of Cachar where they used to work for the Assam Bengal Railway.[17]

Languages[]

Languages in Cachar district (2011)[18]

  Bengali (75.14%)
  Hindi (8.49%)
  Meitei (6.06%)
  Bhojpuri (3.33%)
  Bishnupuriya Manipuri (1.32%)
  Dimasa (1.19%)
  Others (4.47%)

Bengali is the official language of the district and is spoken by 75% of the overall population,[19] while English also served as 2nd additional official language of the district. Bengali Hindus form's the plurality with a population of 647,648 i.e. (37.3%), while Bengali Muslims are single largest minority with a population of 654,816 comprising (37.7%) of the population and the majority of them speak's Sylheti language which is primarily a dialect of Bengali. Other minority languages spoken in the district include Bhojpuri, Meitei Manipuri, Dimasa Kachari, Bishnupuriya Manipuri , Nepali Language, Hmar and Rongmei. There are also a few Kuki and Khasi, Koch Rajbongshi & Assamese people who form the microscopic minorities.

Place of Attractions[]

There are many place of attractions at Cachar district-

  • Kachakanti Mandir
  • Khaspur Rajbari
  • Goldighi Mall
  • Imperial Mall
  • Gandhi Park
  • Bio-Diversity Park
  • Shree Shree Chhoyhazarbaba Temple
  • Dolu Tea Estate
  • Mokkasha Mukam
  • Baram Baba Mandir
  • Bhuban Pahar
  • Kumbha Tea Estate
  • Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama
  • ISCKON
  • Satsangh Ashram

Flora and fauna[]

Gibbon in a tree.
Hoolock gibbon

The vegetation is mostly and there are large tracts of Rainforests in the northern and southern parts of the district, which are home to Tiger, Asian elephants, hoolock gibbon, Gaur, etc. The forests of Cachar were once rich in wildlife but now vanishing due to human onslaught. Rare species found are Hoolock gibbon, Phayre's leaf monkey, Pig-tailed macaque, Stump-tailed macaque, Masked Finfoot, White-winged Wood Duck, etc., have been recorded. The Asian elephant is already extinct.[20][21] The southern part was also recommended as 'Dhaleswari' wildlife sanctuary.[22][23] Borail Wildlife Sanctuary is the only wildlife sanctuary of the district as well as the Barak valley region. It was initiated by noted naturalist Dr. Anwaruddin Choudhury in early 1980s.[24] This sanctuary was ultimately notified in 2004.[25]

Education[]

The district of Cachar has a number of well-known educational institutes in North East India. Silchar, the district headquarter, is a major learning hub of Assam. The district has a central university, the Assam University, which is situated at Dorgakuna, 18 km from Silchar.[26] It also has NIT Silchar, one of the 30 NITs in India.[27] The Silchar Medical College and Hospital is the only medical college of southern Assam.[28] To ensure a steady flow of skilled workers in different trades for the industry Silchar Polytechnic, Meherpur and ITI, Srikona is there.

College[]

The district also includes a number of degree colleges such as:

School[]

Prominent schools in the district include:

  • Government Boys & Girls School
  • Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Pailapool
  • Kendriya Vidyalayas
  • Adhar Chand Higher Secondary School,
  • Darul Ulum,Banskandi
  • Narsing Higher Secondary School
  • Cachar High School, Malugram
  • Malugram Girls School, Malugram
  • Swami Vivekanand Bahumukhi High School
  • Don Bosco School,
  • D.N.N.K. Girls' Higher Secondary School,
  • Silchar Senior Madrassa,
  • Oriental High School,
  • Holy Cross School,
  • Maharishi Vidya Mandir,
  • Muktashree High School,
  • Pranabananda Holy Child School
  • Pranabananda Vidya Mandir
  • ,
  • Moinul Hoque Choudhury Higher Secondary School
  • Sonai Senior Madrassa
  • Ram Dulal Roy Higher Secondary school
  • Satkarakandi High School
  • East Kazidhar High School
  • Sonai Jubati Singha Manipuri High School
  • South Point School
  • Sonai Senior Madrassa
  • Saint Capitanio School
  • Oxford School
  • Netaji Memorial Institute
  • Murshedul Alam Choudhury Memorial Academy
  • Adharsh Vidyapith, Kalain
  • Jupiter High School, Kalain
  • Asapalli English School, Fulertal
  • Nehru Higher Secondary School, Pailapool
  • D.N.H.S. School, Udharbond
  • Saraswati Vidya Niketan, Kalain
  • Swarna Lakshmi Higher Secondary School, Narshingpur
  • M.H.C.Memorial Girls High Madrassa, Lathimara
  • Al-Mahmud English School, Najathpur

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "District census 2011 - Cachar" (PDF). Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. 2011.
  2. ^ Dutta, P.N. (1962). Glimpses into the History of Assam. Guwahati: Bina Library.
  3. ^ Chaudhuri Kalyan.(1999):New History of Assam & IndiaGuwahati: Oriental Book Company.
  4. ^ Bhattacharjee, J. B. (1977). Cachar under British Rule in North East India. Radiant Publishers, New Delhi.
  5. ^ Barua, D. C. (1990). Moulvi Matlib Mazumdar- as I knew him. Abdul Matlib Mazumdar – birth centenary tributes, pp. 8–9.
  6. ^ Purkayashta, M. (1990). Tyagi jananeta Abdul Matlib Mazumdar. The Prantiya Samachar (in Bengali). Silchar, India.
  7. ^ Roy, S. K. (1990). Jananeta Abdul Matlib Mazumdar (in Bengali). Abdul Matlib Mazumdar – birth centenary tributes, pp. 24–27.
  8. ^ Srivastava, Dayawanti et al. (ed.) (2010). "States and Union Territories: Assam: Government". India 2010: A Reference Annual (54th ed.). New Delhi, India: Additional Director General, Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Government of India. p. 1116. ISBN 978-81-230-1617-7.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "Island Directory Tables: Islands by Land Area". United Nations Environment Program. 18 February 1998. Retrieved 11 October 2011. South Georgia 3,718
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b Ministry of Panchayati Raj (8 September 2009). "A Note on the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme" (PDF). National Institute of Rural Development. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b "List of Assembly Constituencies showing their Revenue & Election District wise break - up" (PDF). Chief Electoral Officer, Assam website. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  12. ^ "List of Assembly Constituencies showing their Parliamentary Constituencies wise break - up" (PDF). Chief Electoral Officer, Assam website. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  13. ^ Decadal Variation In Population Since 1901
  14. ^ US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison:Population". Retrieved 1 October 2011. Gambia, The 1,797,860 July 2011 est.
  15. ^ "2010 Resident Population Data". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 1 January 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2011. Nebraska 1,826,341
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b "C-16 Population By Religion - Assam". census.gov.in. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  17. ^ B C Allen (1905). Assam District Gazetteers. 1: Cachar. Calcutta: Government of Assam.
  18. ^ 2011 Census of India, Population By Mother Tongue
  19. ^ https://indianexpress.com/article/north-east-india/assam/nrc-countdown-to-august-31-refugees-who-came-to-cachar-after-partition-seek-closure-5949516/
  20. ^ Choudhury, A.U. (1999). Status and Conservation of the Asian elephant Elephas maximus in north-eastern India. Mammal Review 29(3): 141–173.
  21. ^ Choudhury, A.U. (2004). Vanishing habitat threatens Phayre's leaf monkey. The Rhino Found. NE India Newsletter 6:32–33.
  22. ^ Choudhury, A.U. (1983). Plea for a new wildlife refuge in eastern India. Tigerpaper 10(4):12-15.
  23. ^ Choudhury, A.U. (1983). Plea for a new wildlife sanctuary in Assam. WWF - India Newsletter 4(4):15.
  24. ^ Choudhury, A.U. (1989). Campaign for wildlife protection:national park in the Barails. WWF-Quarterly No. 69,10(2): 4–5.
  25. ^ Choudhury, A.U. (2005). Amchang, Barail and Dihing-Patkai – Assam's new wildlife sanctuaries. Oryx 39(2): 124–125.
  26. ^ Assam University, Official website
  27. ^ Official NIT, Silchar website
  28. ^ Official website of Silchar Medical College

External links[]

Coordinates: 25°05′N 92°55′E / 25.083°N 92.917°E / 25.083; 92.917

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