Assam is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of 78,438 km2 (30,285 sq mi). The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur to the east; Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram and Bangladesh to the south; and West Bengal to the west via the Siliguri Corridor, a 22-kilometre-wide (14 mi) strip of land that connects the state to the rest of India. Assamese and Boro are the official languages of Assam, while Bengali is an official language in the three districts of Barak Valley.
Mājuli or Majuli is a river island in the Brahmaputra River, Assam state, India. On September 8, 2016 an additional district was announced by Sarbananda Sonowal, it became the first island to be made a district in India. In the 1790s, the island covered an area of 1,300 km2 (500 sq mi). It had an area of 1,255 square kilometres (485 sq mi) at the beginning of the 20th century, but having lost significantly to erosion it covers 352 square kilometres (136 sq mi) as at 2014. Majuli has shrunk as the river surrounding it has grown.
Bongaigaon is a major city in the Indian state of Assam. Its urban area spans across Bongaigaon and Chirang district. The city also serves as the gateway of the North-East Frontier Railway Zone with its New Bongaigaon Junction railway station, the second biggest railway station in North-East India. It also acts as the district headquarters of Bongaigaon district and commercial and industrial hub of the west part of the state of Assam. Bongaigaon is one of the most populated urban agglomerations in Assam, alongside Guwahati, Jorhat, Dibrugarh and Silchar.
Dhubri is a town and the administrative centre of Dhubri district in the Indian state of Assam. It is an old town on the bank of the Brahmaputra river, with historical significance. In 1883, the town was first constituted as a Municipal Board under the British regime. It is situated about 277.4 kilometres (172 mi) west from Dispur, the state capital of Assam.
Goalpara is the district headquarters of Goalpara district, Assam, India. It is situated 134 kilometres (83 mi) to the west of Guwahati.
Nagaon is a town and a municipal board in Nagaon district in the Indian state of Assam. It is situated 122.6 kilometres (76 mi) east of Guwahati.
Tezpur University is a Central University located in Tezpur in the North-Eastern state of Assam, India, established by an act of Parliament, in 1994.
A beel is a billabong or a lake-like wetland with static water as opposed to moving water in rivers and canals - typically called khāls in Bengali, in the Ganges - Brahmaputra flood plains of Bangladesh, and the Indian states of West Bengal and Assam. The term owes its origins to the word of the same pronunciation meaning "pond" and "lake" in the Bengali and Assamese languages.
Dipor Bil, also spelled Deepor Beel , is located to the south-west of Guwahati city, in Kamrup Metropolitan district of Assam, India. It is a permanent freshwater lake, in a former channel of the Brahmaputra River, to the south of the main river. In 1989, 4.1 km² of the area was declared a wildlife sanctuary by the Government of Assam. It is listed as a wetland under the Ramsar Convention which designated the lake as a Ramsar Site in November 2002 for undertaking conservation measures on the basis of its biological and environmental importance.
The culture of Assam is traditionally a hybrid one, developed due to cultural assimilation of different ethno-cultural groups under various political-economic systems in different periods of its history.
The Board of Secondary Education, Assam commonly known as SEBA, is the state education regulatory board under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Education, Government of Assam for conducting examinations and providing assurance for the quality of education imparted in schools within Assam, India that are affiliated to it. It offers education in English (IL), Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Hindi, Meitei (Manipuri), Hmar, Nepali, Mizo, Khasi, Garo, Karbi and Urdu languages.
Jonbeel Mela is a three-day annual indigenous Tiwa Community fair held the weekend of Magh Bihu at a historic place known as Dayang Belguri at Joonbeel. It is 3 km from Jagiroad in Morigaon district of Assam and 65 km from Guwahati. The National Highway connecting the mela is NH 37. The Joonbeel is so called because a large natural water body is shaped like a crescent moon.
Changsari is a village in Kamrup district of Assam, situated on the north bank of the Brahmaputra River. The name Changsari is derived from Tai-Ahom word meaning chang (expert) sa (good) and ri (make), that is, an expert who makes an ill person well. It is a coincidence that the AIIMS is located here. In the Ahom era it was a village of doctors, Changkakati and Baruah.
Northeast India consists of the eight states Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. Tourism in this area is based around the unique Himalayan landscape and culture distinct from the rest of India.
Islam is the second largest and fastest-growing religion in Assam. The Muslim population was approximately 10.68 million, constituting over 34.22% of the total population of the state as of the 2011 census, giving Assam the second-largest Muslim percentage in the country after Jammu and Kashmir Islam reached the region in the 13th century and Muslims are a majority in almost eleven districts of Assam and highly concentrated in four districts. In 2021, estimations have predicted that the Muslim population in the state has reached 40%, numbering 14 million, out of total population of 35 million.
Salkocha is a village and gram panchayat in the town of Chapar in the Dhubri district of the state of Assam, India. It is part of the Bilasipara East Assam Legislative Assembly constituency and the Dhubri Lok Sabha constituency.
The Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary located on the eastern fringe of Guwahati, Assam, India. The sanctuary is known for hosting rare and endangered birds and animals. Amchang's habitat is dominated by tropical moist deciduous forest with semi-evergreen forest in depressions and river-valleys. It is known for its elephants which have become isolated with no movement with other elephant-populations. The first published information of these elephants was found in 1985 There were depredations in the fringe areas, which are part of Guwahati city, the capital of Assam. It was acute as the pachyderms were confined to an isolated forest not very large. Hence, a protected area was mooted. The wild elephants from Amchang often enter parts of Guwahati City but on a few occasions they travelled to the heart of the city. The sanctuary has other mammals such as Chinese pangolin, slow loris, Assamese macaque, rhesus monkey, hoolock gibbon, leopard, leopard cat, jungle cat, sambar, barking deer, red serow, Malayan giant squirrel, crestless Himalayan porcupine. However, it is the presence of an isolated population of gaur or Indian "bison" that has added significance to Amchang. This bovid is also confined to this sanctuary with no links to other areas. Amchang is an Important Bird & Biodiversity Area. The sanctuary has a diverse birdlife. Some noteworthy species found includes White-backed vulture, Slender-billed vulture, White-cheeked hill partridges, Grey peacock pheasant, Kaleej pheasant, Greater adjutant stork mostly in flight, Great pied hornbill, Oriental pied hornbill and Green imperial pigeon among many others. Prior to 2004, the area was made up of three individual reserved forests, the Amchang reserved forest, South Amchang reserved forest and Khanapara reserved forest. These three forests were combined in 2004 by the Assam government to form the sanctuary as it exists today. It is spread over in an area of 78.64 square kilometre
Dora Beel is a wetland and lake located at Rampur no. 2 village under the Palashbari revenue circle and surrounded by villages like Rajapukhuri, Nahira, Bhakatpara, Tezpur, Rampur, Majpara, Kuldung, Dhantola, Bortari and Khidirpukhuri in Kamrup district of Assam.
Urpad Beel is a natural lake located at Agia village in Goalpara district of Assam. This lake is situated 9 km away from Goalpara, the district headquarters of Goalpara district. Urpad Beel is one of the biggest natural lakes of Lower Assam.
Monita Borgohain, IAS, is the Secretary to the Govt. of Assam, Director of the Dr. Bhupen Hazarika Regional Government Film and Television Institute, Secretary of the Jyoti Chitraban Film Studio, Festival Director of the Guwahati International Film Festival, and Producer of the feature film Xobdo Nixobdo Kolahol. Occasionally, she writes for journals, such as the Film Critics Circle of India Journal of Indian Cinema and the FIPRESCI-India journal.
