Goalpara district

Last updated

Goalpara district
shr'iisuur'y paahaar'r' pr'aaciin aitihyr' bhgnaar`shess, shir` liNg 16.jpg
Shiva temple at Sri Surya Pahar
Nickname: 
Raghunath
Goalpara in Assam (India).svg
Location in Assam
Goalpara district
Goalpara district
CountryFlag of India.svg  India
State Assam
Division Lower Assam
Headquarters Goalpara
Government
   Lok Sabha constituencies Dhubri (shared with South Salmara-Mankachar District, Dhubri district)
   Vidhan Sabha constituencies Dudhnai, Goalpara East, Goalpara West, Jaleswar
Area
  Total1,824 km2 (704 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
  Total1,008,183
  Density550/km2 (1,400/sq mi)
Demonym Goalpariya
Languages
  Official Assamese
Time zone UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
783 101 to** (** area code)
Telephone code03663
ISO 3166 code IN-AS, IN-AS-GP
Vehicle registration AS 18
Website goalpara.assam.gov.in

Goalpara district is an administrative district of the Indian state of Assam.

Contents

History

It was a princely state ruled by the Koch kings and the then ruler of the undivided kingdom. Today the erstwhile Goalpara district is divided into Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Dhubri, and Goalpara district.

The name of the district Goalpara is said to have originally derived from 'Gwaltippika' meaning 'Guwali village' or the village of the milk men means (Yadav). The history of Goalpara goes back to several centuries. The district came under British rule in 1765. Before this, the area was under the control of the Koch dynasty. In 1826 the British accessed Assam and Goalpara was annexed to the North-East Frontier in 1874, along with the creation of district headquarters at Dhubri. [1]

On 1 July 1983 two districts were split from Goalpara: Dhubri and Kokrajhar. [2] On 29 September 1989 Bongaigaon district was created from parts of Goalpara and Kokrajhar. [2]

Geography

The district headquarters are located at Goalpara. Goalpara district occupies an area of 1,824 square kilometres (704 sq mi), [3] comparatively equivalent to South Korea's Jeju-do. [4]

Economy

In 2006 the Indian government named Goalpara one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). [5] It is one of the eleven districts in Assam currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF). [5]

Political divisions

There are four Assam Legislative Assembly constituencies in this district: Dudhnoi, Goalpara East, Goalpara West, and Jaleswar. [6] Dudhnoi is designated for scheduled tribes. [6] Dudhnoi is in the Gauhati Lok Sabha constituency, whilst the other three are in the Dhubri Lok Sabha constituency. [7]

Following are the present MLA's of Goalpara-

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Goalpara district has a population of 1,008,183, [8] roughly equal to the nation of Cyprus [9] or the US state of Montana. [10] of which 171,657 are children between 0–6 years of age. Goalpara has a sex ratio of 964 females for every 1000 males. [8] The crude literacy rate of the district is 55.91%, while the effective literacy rate of 7+ population is 67.4%. 13.69% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 4.47% and 22.97% of the population respectively. [8]

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
190190,482    
1911117,602+2.66%
1921149,263+2.41%
1931172,782+1.47%
1941198,407+1.39%
1951216,763+0.89%
1961297,178+3.21%
1971433,516+3.85%
1991668,138+2.19%
2001822,035+2.09%
20111,008,183+2.06%
source: [11]

Religions

Religions in Goalpara district (2011) [12]
ReligionPercent
Islam
57.52%
Hinduism
34.51%
Christianity
7.72%
Other or not stated
0.25%
Population of circles by religion
CircleMuslimsHindusChristiansOthers
Lakhipur 80.88%17.42%1.49%0.21%
Balijana56.22%32.27%11.25%0.26%
Matia61.43%32.90%5.41%0.26%
Dudhnoi 6.52%70.34%22.81%0.33%
Rangjuli29.56%61.30%8.92%0.22%

Muslim population in Goalpara district is 57.52%, while Hindu population is 34.51% and Christian Population stands at 7.72% and others include 0.25% respectively as per as census 2011 report. All the Garos are Christian. [12] Way back in 1971, Hindus were slight majority in Goalpara district with forming 50.1% of the population, while Muslims were 41.5% at that time. [13]

Languages

Languages of Goalpara district (2011) [14]

   Assamese (51.78%)
   Bengali (28.83%)
   Garo (7.56%)
   Rabha (5.16%)
   Bodo (3.53%)
   Hindi (0.94%)
  Others (2.20%)

At the time of the 2011 census, 51.78% of the population spoke Assamese, 28.83% Bengali, 7.56% Garo, 5.16% Rabha, 3.53% Boro and 0.94% Hindi as their first language. [14] Bengali speakers are 28.8% as per as 2011 census language census report, but Goalpara district is home to a large Miya Muslim population of Bengali origin, most of whom now identify themselves as Assamese speakers in the census. [15] [16]

Tourism

Tourist spots in the district include:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Garo Hills district</span> District of Meghalaya in India

West Garo Hills is an administrative district in Garo Hills of the state of Meghalaya in India. Tura town is the administrative headquarters of the district. The district occupies an area of 3714 km². In 2011, its population was 643,291. As of 2011, it is the second most populous district of Meghalaya, after East Khasi Hills.

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

Barpeta district {Pron:bə(r)ˈpeɪtə or bə(r)ˈpi:tə} is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located at Barpeta. The district occupies an area of 3,245 km2 (1,253 sq mi) and has a population of 1,642,420.

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

Bongaigaon district (Prpn:ˈbɒŋgaɪˌgãʊ) is an administrative district in the state of Assam in northeastern India. The district headquarters are located at Bongaigaon. The district occupies an area of 1,093 km2.

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

Dhubri District (Pron:ˈdʊbri) is an administrative district in the Indian state of Assam. Included within the Kamatapur Autonomous Council, the district headquarters are located at Dhubri town which is situated ~290 km from Guwahati. This was also the headquarters of erstwhile undivided Goalpara district which was created in 1876 by the British government. In 1983, Goalpara district was divided into four districts and Dhubri is one among those. Dhubri district is one among the many Muslim-majority districts of Assam. In 2016, Dhubri was divided again to form South Salmara-Mankachar District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kokrajhar district</span> Administrative district of Assam, India

Kokrajhar district is an administrative district in Bodoland Territorial Region of Assam. It is predominantly inhabited by the Boro tribe. The district has its headquarters located at Kokrajhar Town and occupies an area of 3,169.22 km2 (1,223.64 sq mi). It has two civil sub-divisions namely Parbatjhora and Gossaigaon and five revenue circles namely Kokrajhar, Dotma, Bhaoraguri, Gossaigaon and Bagribarilll

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

Morigaon district is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters is located at Morigaon. The ancient place of occult Mayong is located in this district as well as Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bongaigaon</span> Town in Assam, India

Bongaigaon is a town and a municipal board in the Indian state of Assam. Its town area spans across Bongaigaon and Chirang district. It also acts as the district headquarters of Bongaigaon district and commercial and industrial hub of the west part of the state of Assam. The New Bongaigaon Junction railway station is the 12th largest railway station in Northeast Frontier Railway zone which is one of the major railway zones in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dhubri</span> Town in Assam, India

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goalpara</span> Town in Assam, India

Goalpara ) is the district headquarters of Goalpara district, Assam, India. It is situated 134 kilometres (83 mi) to the west of Guwahati.

Koch is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Koch people of India and Bangladesh. It is primarily spoken in the Indian states of Meghalaya, West Bengal, and Lower Assam and in the parts of the country Bangladesh, where it serves as a major means of communication among the Koches and other ethnic groups in the region. Koch language is written with Assamese, Bengali, Roman scripts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goalpariya dialects</span> Indo-Aryan dialects spoken in Assam, India

Goalpariya is a group of Indo-Aryan dialects spoken in the Goalpara region of Assam, India. Along with Kamrupi, they form the western group of Assamese dialects. The North Bengali dialect is situated to its west, amidst a number of Tibeto-Burman speech communities. The basic characteristic of the Goalpariya is that it is a composite one into which words of different concerns and regions have been amalgamated. Deshi people speak this language and there are around 20 lakhs people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Koch people</span> Ethnic group in India and Bangladesh

The Koch are a small trans-border ethnic group of Assam and Meghalaya in India and northern Bangladesh. The group consists of nine matrilineal and strictly exogamous clans, with some of them preserving a hitherto sparsely documented Boro-Garo language called Koch, whereas others have switched to local varieties of Indo-Aryan languages. It is a Scheduled Tribe in Meghalaya, India. Koches want to preserve language and culture and heritage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lower Assam division</span> Division in Assam, India

Lower Assam division is one of the 5 administrative divisions of Assam in India. It was formed in 1874, consisting of the undivided Kamrup district of Western Assam, undivided Darrang and Nagaon districts of Central Assam and Khasi & Jaintia hills of Meghalaya, created for revenue purposes. The division is under the jurisdiction of a Commissioner, who is stationed at Guwahati. The division currently covers the Western Brahmaputa Valley. Shri Jayant Narlikar, IAS is the current Commissioner of Lower Assam division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islam in Assam</span> Islam in the Indian state of Assam

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 (state). After Jammu and Kashmir became Union Territory, Assam became the state with largest Muslim percentage in the country. 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.

Assam – 16th largest, 15th most populous and 26th most literate state of the 28 states of the democratic Republic of India. Assam is at 14th position in life expectancy and 8th in female-to-male sex ratio. Assam is the 21st most media exposed states in India. The Economy of Assam is largely agriculture based with 69% of the population engaged in it. Growth rate of Assam's income has not kept pace with that of India's during the Post-British Era; differences increased rapidly since the 1970s. While the Indian economy grew at 6 percent per annum over the period of 1981 to 2000, the same of Assam's grew only by 3.3 percent.

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 Miya people, alternatively identified as Na-Asamiya by themselves, denote the progeny of Bengali Muslim migrants originating from the contemporary Mymensingh, Rangpur, and Rajshahi Divisions. These individuals established residence in the Brahmaputra Valley during the 20th century, coinciding with the period of British colonial rule in Assam. The migration of the Miya people was actively promoted by the Colonial British Government from the Bengal Province, spanning the years 1757 to 1942. This migratory trend persisted until the year 1947. Presently, the term "Miya" is employed as a discriminatory label.

The population of Assam consist of tribal ethnic groups and linguistic groups such as Assamese, Bengali, Hindi speakers, Nepali and Odia speakers.

References

  1. "A brief history of Goalpara District". 11 September 2010. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  2. 1 2 Law, Gwillim (25 September 2011). "Districts of India". Statoids. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
  3. Srivastava, Dayawanti, 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.
  4. "Island Directory Tables: Islands by Land Area". United Nations Environment Program. 18 February 1998. Retrieved 11 October 2011. Jeju-do 1,825km2
  5. 1 2 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.
  6. 1 2 "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.
  7. "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.
  8. 1 2 3 "District Census Handbook: Goalpara" (PDF). censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011.
  9. US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison:Population". Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 1 October 2011. Cyprus 1,120,489 July 2011 est.
  10. "2010 Resident Population Data". U. S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2011. Montana 989,415
  11. Decadal Variation In Population Since 1901
  12. 1 2 "Table C-01 Population By Religion: Assam". census.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011.
  13. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications https://www.ijsrp.org  › ijsrp-...PDF The Change of Religion and Language Composition in the State of Assam ...
  14. 1 2 "Table C-16 Population By Mother Tongue: Assam". censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011.
  15. Saikia, Arunabh (2 April 2021). "A new generation of 'Miya' Muslims in Assam may vote for Congress-AIUDF – but only out of compulsion". Scroll. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  16. X, Samrat (8 January 2018). "National Register of Citizens: Identity issue haunts Assam, again". Newslaundry. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  17. Malakar, Bhaskar. "Goalpara District : Home". goalpara.gov.in. Retrieved 7 April 2020.

26°26′N90°22′E / 26.433°N 90.367°E / 26.433; 90.367