Nalbari

Last updated

Nalbari
Nabadeep
Town
Nalbari
Nickname: 
Town of Wisdom
India Assam location map.svg
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Nalbari
Location in Assam, India
India location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Nalbari
Nalbari (India)
Coordinates: 26°26′42″N91°26′24″E / 26.445°N 91.440°E / 26.445; 91.440
CountryFlag of India.svg  India
State Assam
Region Lower Assam
District Nalbari
District Office Nalbari
Government
  BodyNalbari Municipality Board
  Deputy CommissionerVarnali Deka, IAS
Elevation
42 m (138 ft)
Population
 (2001)
  Total27,389
Demonym Nalbeira
Languages
  Official Assamese
  Native Kamrupi dialect of Assamese
Time zone UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
781335, 781369
Telephone code03624
ISO 3166 code IN-AS
Vehicle registration AS-14-XXXX
Website nalbari.assam.gov.in

Nalbari is a small town in Nalbari district in the Indian state of Assam. Nalbari is also the headquarters of Nalbari District.

Contents

Etymology

The word Nalbari is derived from nal and bari. Nal is a variety of reed, while bari means 'enclosed ground with plantation'.[ citation needed ]

History

The Northern part of present-day Nalbari was under the Kingdom of Bhutan before the 1865 Duar War Southern border of Bhutan1985.jpg
The Northern part of present-day Nalbari was under the Kingdom of Bhutan before the 1865 Duar War

Until the late 19th century, Nalbari acted as the southern boundary of the Kingdom of Bhutan when it was ceded to British India after the Duar War.


The history of Nalbari dates back to many centuries B.C. Arthashastra of Kautilya mentioned the import of various economic products from Nalbari. [1] The Suvarnakundya village near Nalbari town produced the finest silk of Kautilya's time. [2] The area also produced a special perfume among others. The Chandan and Aguru products were highly exported to faraway places including north India. [3] Western Assam was known as Kamarupa from earlier times to the pre-modern period, which existed in harmony with Davaka of central Assam. Kamarupa was divided into Kamarupa Pithas or geographical divisions; Nalbari was placed in Kamapitha division.

Language

The native speech of Nalbari is Nalbariya dialect, a dialect of the Kamrupi group of Assamese language. [4]

Archaeology

The Nalbari area is important archeologically; there have been various discoveries of copper plate inscriptions of Kamrupi kings from Nalbari. [5] The village Guwakuchi near Nalbari town is one such archeological site where several ancient inscriptions were discovered. [6]

Economy

In the early part of the twenties[ clarification needed ] a railway station of the Assam-Bengal Railway Company had been established here. As the train started running through the town, certain traders and businessmen from outside the state came and interacted with the local people. Business transactions were started on the rail station road. The Nalbari M.E. School had been started in the meantime to the Gurdon School site, and it was upgraded into a high school named Gurdon High School in 1917. These two events attracted the people to throng to the area which had changed in shape and size. It became a strong business centre with great growth potential along the whole of the north bank of the river.

Migration started in a significant way. Population increased, administrative offices were started gradually and in 1931, it assumed an urban look. In 1941, it was declared as a town in Kamrup district with a town committee with a population of 3578. In 1945, the Nalbari College was started in a temporary shed and in 1950 it was shifted to its present site which helped in the growth of the Bidyapur-Shantipur area of the town into a densely populated area. The establishment of the PWD offices on the Palla road led to the growth of the Gopalbazar area.

In 1968, Nalbari was upgraded into a subdivision with headquarters at Nalbari and in 1984, it was made the district headquarters of Nalbari District, all of which led to the upsurge of the development process with huge population migration, primarily of local people. [7]

Geography

Climate

Nalbari has a subtropical climate, with chilly winters, hot summers and wet monsoon.

Climate data for Nalbari
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °C (°F)28.8
(83.8)
32.2
(90.0)
38.4
(101.1)
39.0
(102.2)
37.0
(98.6)
38.3
(100.9)
36.5
(97.7)
36.2
(97.2)
35.8
(96.4)
34.3
(93.7)
31.0
(87.8)
28.1
(82.6)
39.0
(102.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)23.6
(74.5)
26.2
(79.2)
30.0
(86.0)
31.2
(88.2)
31.2
(88.2)
31.7
(89.1)
31.9
(89.4)
32.2
(90.0)
31.7
(89.1)
30.3
(86.5)
27.6
(81.7)
24.7
(76.5)
29.4
(84.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)10.3
(50.5)
12.0
(53.6)
15.9
(60.6)
20.0
(68.0)
22.7
(72.9)
24.9
(76.8)
25.6
(78.1)
25.6
(78.1)
24.7
(76.5)
21.9
(71.4)
16.7
(62.1)
11.8
(53.2)
19.3
(66.8)
Record low °C (°F)4.7
(40.5)
5.1
(41.2)
8.3
(46.9)
13.0
(55.4)
16.2
(61.2)
20.4
(68.7)
21.4
(70.5)
22.1
(71.8)
19.7
(67.5)
13.6
(56.5)
10.3
(50.5)
6.0
(42.8)
4.7
(40.5)
Average rainfall mm (inches)11.9
(0.47)
18.3
(0.72)
55.8
(2.20)
147.9
(5.82)
244.2
(9.61)
316.4
(12.46)
345.4
(13.60)
264.3
(10.41)
185.9
(7.32)
91.2
(3.59)
18.7
(0.74)
7.1
(0.28)
1,717.7
(67.63)
Average rainy days1.82.95.813.117.019.622.318.515.27.42.81.3127.7
Average relative humidity (%)79655768758183828382828277
Mean monthly sunshine hours 226.3214.7220.1201.0192.2132.0124.0161.2138.0204.6231.0232.52,277.6
Source: World Meteorological Organization

Nalbari has been ranked 23rd best “National Clean Air City” under (Category 3 population under 3 lakhs cities) in India. [8]

Education

Educational opportunities in Nalbari are of high quality. It boasts of producing the highest number of exceptional students at the school level. Nalbari is famous for its Sanskrit education and is known as Nabadeep for the presence of various Sanskrit education institutions like Kamrup Sanskrit Sanjivani Sabha.

First School was set up in Nalbari in the year 1887, which later became known as Nalbari Govt Gurdon H.S School. Nalbari College, Nalbari; Nalbari Sanskrit College, Nalbari; Nalbari Commerce College, Nalbari; MNC Balika College, Nalbari; Barbhag College, Kamarkuchi; Baska College, Mashalpur; Barkhetri College, Mukalmua; Tihu College, Tihu; Barama College, Barama; Kamrup College, Chamata; Dhamdhama Anchalik College, Dhamdhama; Gyanpeeth Mahavidyalaya; Nalbari Law College, Nalbari; Sankardev Academy, Nalbari, D.S.R.Academy, Nalbari, Spectrum Gurukul, Nalbari are some premier colleges of Nalbari. Along with 28 higher secondary schools, 145 high schools, and 276 ME and MV schools, Nalbari has massive educational infrastructure.

Kumar Bhaskar Varma Sanskrit and Ancient Studies University named after the king of Kamarupa, Bhaskar Varman, and the Planetarium and the Science Centre at Sariahtali have been added to this existing system. [9]

Tourism

Hari Mandir, the major landmark of the town Hari Mandir at Nalbari.jpg
Hari Mandir, the major landmark of the town

Transport

By road, Nalbari is accessible through National Highway 27 in the north and connected to National Highway 427 in the south. The Nalbari railway station is within the town center, and Guwahati International Airport is at a distance of 60 km.

Politics

Nalbari is part of Mangaldoi (Lok Sabha constituency). [10]

Notable people

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kamarupi Prakrit</span> Middle Indo-Aryan language used in ancient Kamarupa, Indian subcontinent

Kamarupi Prakrit is the postulated Middle Indo-Aryan (MIA) Prakrit language used in ancient Kamarupa. This language has been derived from Gauda-Kamarupi Prakrit and the historical ancestor of the Kamatapuri lects and the modern Assamese language; and can be dated prior to 1250 CE, when the proto-Kamta language, the parent of the Kamatapuri lects, began to develop. Though not substantially proven, the existence of the language that predated the Kamatapuri lects and modern Assamese is widely believed to be descended from it.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nalbari district</span> District of Assam in India

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kamarupa</span> Kingdom based around Assam (350-1140)

Kamarupa, an early state during the Classical period on the Indian subcontinent, was the first historical kingdom of Assam. The Kamrupa word first appeared in the Samudragupta Allahabad Edict before that there is no mention of existence of this word.

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References

  1. Barua, Prafulla Chandra (1965). Fundamentals of Assamese culture. p. 20. Commentators of Kautilya's Arthashastra of third century B.C. viz. Bhattaswami and Kulluka Bhatta make special reference to the best specimens of Ksauma, Dukula and Pattorna standing for pat, muga and edi from Kamarupa. An dgurdn of sisupdt could be concealed in ones palm. Modern Sonkuriha, a village in Uporborbhag mouza of Nalbari circle in Kamrup district has been identified with Suvarnakudya of the ancient times (Arthashastra).
  2. Caudhuri, Nisipada (1985). Historical archaeology of central Assam. p. 2.
  3. Nath, Rajmohan (1948). The back-ground of Assamese culture. p. 172.
  4. Goswami, Upendranath (1970). A study on Kāmrūpī: a dialect of Assamese. Dept. of Historical Antiquarian Studies, Assam. p. 28. The sub-dialectical varieties of Kamrupi may be grouped mainly into three divisions —western, central and southern. The variety spoken in the area comprising Barpeta, Sundardiya, Patbausi, Bhabani- pur etc. is western, that of Nalbari and its surrounding areas is central.
  5. Mukunda Madhava Sarma (1978),Inscriptions of Ancient Assam, p.193
  6. Journal of the Assam Research Society - Volume 39 (2007), p.190
  7. Ganguly, J. B. Urbanization and Development in North-east India: Trends and Policy Implications. Deep and Deep Publications. p. 191.
  8. "Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2024" (PDF). Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2024. 7 September 2024.
  9. "Planetarium and the Science Centre". newslivetv.com. Retrieved 23 May 2012.[ permanent dead link ]
  10. "List of Parliamentary & Assembly Constituencies" (PDF). Assam. Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 May 2006. Retrieved 6 October 2008.