Goalpara District
Encyclopedia
Goalpara district is an administrative district
in the state of Assam
in India
. The district headquarters are located in Goalpara
town.
The name of the district Goalpara is widely said to have originally derived from `Gwaltippika` meaning `Guwali village` or the village of the milk men. The history of Goalpara goes back to several centuries. Based on the Chinese traveler `Hiuentsang` report, Sir Edward Gait had concluded that the erstwhile capital of the state of Kumar Bhaskar Varman was either in Goalpara district or in Cooch Behar. 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 Assam in 1874, along with the creation of district headquarters at Dhubri
.
On 1 July 1983 two districts were split from Goalpara: Dhubri
and Kokrajhar
. On 29 September 1989 Bongaigaon district was created from parts of Goalpara and Kokrajhar
.
. Goalpara district occupies an area of 1824 square kilometres (704.3 sq mi), comparatively equivalent to South Korea
's Jeju-do
.
(out of a total of 640
). It is one of the eleven districts in Assam currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).
, whilst the other three are in the Dhubri Lok Sabha constituency
.
Goalpara district has a population
of 1,008,959, roughly equal to the nation of Cyprus
or the US state of Montana
. This gives it a ranking of 444th in India (out of a total of 640
). The district has a population density of 553 PD/sqkm . Its population growth rate
over the decade 2001-2011 was 22.74 %. Goalpara has a sex ratio
of 962 females
for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate
of 68.67 %.
Muslims 441,516 (53.71%), Hindus 314,157, and Christians 64,662.
Sri Surya Pahar
, a very significant but relatively unknown archaeological site in Assam, a hill which showcases the remains of cultural heritage of three important religions of India, Buddhism
, Jainism
and Hinduism
. Dadan Hill has a Shiva Temple on its top. The temple was established by a general of the army of King Bana of Sonitpur
named Dadan. The mystical hill is surrounded by mythological stories related to the bygone era. Pir Majhar is situated at the heart of the Goalpara town, a tomb of a saint named Hazarat Sayed Abul Kasem Kharasani. He is a saint who was respected by Hindus and Muslims alike. Hulukanda hill is located at the heart of Goalpara. Sri Tukreswari hill, Paglartek Baba at Barbhita, Urpod beel of Agia, Dhamar Risen beel of Lakhipur are some other attractions of the district.
Districts of Assam
Assam, a state of India, has twenty-seven administrative districts.A district of an Indian state is an administrative geographical unit, headed by the Deputy Commissioner , which combines the offices of the District Magistrate ultimately responsible for maintaining law and order and District...
in the state of Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The district headquarters are located in Goalpara
Goalpara
Goalpara is the district headquarter of Goalpara district, Assam, India. It is situated west of Guwahati.-Etymology:The name of Goalpara is said to have originally derived from `Gwaltippika` meaning `Guwali village` or the village of the milk men. In the local dialect "para" means...
town.
History
It was a princely state ruled by the Rajbongsi Kings and the then ruler of the undivided kingdom. Presently the erstwhile Goalpara district is divided into Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Dhubri, and Goalpara district. The district is mostly inhabited by Koch Rajbongshis and Muslims and widely spoken language is Goalpariya.The name of the district Goalpara is widely said to have originally derived from `Gwaltippika` meaning `Guwali village` or the village of the milk men. The history of Goalpara goes back to several centuries. Based on the Chinese traveler `Hiuentsang` report, Sir Edward Gait had concluded that the erstwhile capital of the state of Kumar Bhaskar Varman was either in Goalpara district or in Cooch Behar. 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 Assam in 1874, along with the creation of district headquarters at Dhubri
Dhubri
Dhubri is the headquarters of Dhubri district India. It is a small old town on the bank of the Brahmaputra and Gadadhar Rivers. In 1883, the town was first constituted as a Municipal Board and is situated about west from Guwahati, the state capital.Dhubri was an important commercial centre and...
.
On 1 July 1983 two districts were split from Goalpara: Dhubri
Dhubri District
Dhubri District is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located at Dhubri town which is situated at ~290 km from Guwahati, the state capital. This was also the headquarters of erstwhile Goalpara district which was created in 1876 by the...
and Kokrajhar
Kokrajhar district
Kokrajhar district is an administrative district in the state of Assam in north-eastern India. The district headquarters are located at Kokrajhar town. The district occupies an area of 3,169.22 km². , the district had a population of 905,764. Hindus 594,168, Muslims 184,441.-History:Kokrajhar...
. On 29 September 1989 Bongaigaon district was created from parts of Goalpara and Kokrajhar
Kokrajhar district
Kokrajhar district is an administrative district in the state of Assam in north-eastern India. The district headquarters are located at Kokrajhar town. The district occupies an area of 3,169.22 km². , the district had a population of 905,764. Hindus 594,168, Muslims 184,441.-History:Kokrajhar...
.
Geography
The district headquarters are located at GoalparaGoalpara
Goalpara is the district headquarter of Goalpara district, Assam, India. It is situated west of Guwahati.-Etymology:The name of Goalpara is said to have originally derived from `Gwaltippika` meaning `Guwali village` or the village of the milk men. In the local dialect "para" means...
. Goalpara district occupies an area of 1824 square kilometres (704.3 sq mi), comparatively equivalent to South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
's Jeju-do
Jeju-do
Jeju-do is the only special autonomous province of South Korea, situated on and coterminous with the country's largest island. Jeju-do lies in the Korea Strait, southwest of Jeollanam-do Province, of which it was a part before it became a separate province in 1946...
.
Economy
In 2006 the Indian government named Goalpara one of the country's 250 most backward districtsPoverty in India
Poverty is widespread in India, with the nation estimated to have a third of the world's poor. According to a 2005 World Bank estimate, 41.6% of the total Indian population falls below the international poverty line of 1.25 a day...
(out of a total of 640
Districts of India
A district is an administrative division of an Indian state or territory. Districts are further subdivided, in some cases into Sub-Divisions, and otherwise directly into tehsils or talukas.District officials include:...
). It is one of the eleven districts in Assam currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).
Political Divisions
There are four Assam Legislative Assembly constituencies in this district: Dudhnoi, Goalpara East, Goalpara West, and Jaleswar. Dudhnoi is designated for scheduled tribes. Dudhnoi is in the Gauhati Lok Sabha constituencyGauhati (Lok Sabha constituency)
-Assembly segments:Gauhati Lok Sabha constituency is composed of the following assembly segments :* Dudhnai * Boko * Chaygaon* Palasbari* Jalukbari* Dispur* Guwahati East* Guwahati West* Hajo* Barkhetry-Members of Parliament:...
, whilst the other three are in the Dhubri Lok Sabha constituency
Dhubri (Lok Sabha constituency)
Dhubri Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam state in north-eastern India.-Assembly segments:Dhubri Lok Sabha constituency is composed of the following assembly segments :* Mankachar* Salmara South* Dhubri* Gauripur...
.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census2011 census of India
The 15th Indian National census was conducted in two phases, houselisting and population enumeration. Houselisting phase began on April 1, 2010 and involved collection of information about all buildings...
Goalpara district has a population
Demographics of India
The demographics of India are inclusive of the second most populous country in the world, with over 1.21 billion people , more than a sixth of the world's population. Already containing 17.5% of the world's population, India is projected to be the world's most populous country by 2025, surpassing...
of 1,008,959, roughly equal to the nation of Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
or the US state of Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
. This gives it a ranking of 444th in India (out of a total of 640
Districts of India
A district is an administrative division of an Indian state or territory. Districts are further subdivided, in some cases into Sub-Divisions, and otherwise directly into tehsils or talukas.District officials include:...
). The district has a population density of 553 PD/sqkm . Its population growth rate
Family planning in India
Family planning in India is based on efforts largely sponsored by the Indian government. In the 1965-2009 period, contraceptive usage has more than tripled and the fertility rate has more than halved , but the national fertility rate is still high enough to cause long-term population growth...
over the decade 2001-2011 was 22.74 %. Goalpara has a sex ratio
Sex ratio
Sex ratio is the ratio of males to females in a population. The primary sex ratio is the ratio at the time of conception, secondary sex ratio is the ratio at time of birth, and tertiary sex ratio is the ratio of mature organisms....
of 962 females
Women in India
The status of women in India has been subject to many great changes over the past few millennia. From equal status with men in ancient times through the low points of the medieval period, to the promotion of equal rights by many reformers, the history of women in India has been eventful...
for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate
Literacy in India
Literacy in India is key for socio-economic progress, and the Indian literacy rate grew to 74.04% in 2011 from 12% at the end of British rule in 1947. Although this was a greater than sixfold improvement, the level is well below the world average literacy rate of 84%, and India currently has the...
of 68.67 %.
Muslims 441,516 (53.71%), Hindus 314,157, and Christians 64,662.
Toursist Attractions
The Goalpara district is endowed with natural beauty and archaeological treasures. The important tourist spots of the district include:Sri Surya Pahar
Sri Surya Pahar
Sri Surya Pahar, located about 12 km southeast of Goalpara town and about 136 km northwest of Guwahati, is a significant but relatively unknown archaeological site in Assam, India. The site is centered on the hills of Sri Surya which is profusely filled up with Shiva Lingas...
, a very significant but relatively unknown archaeological site in Assam, a hill which showcases the remains of cultural heritage of three important religions of India, Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, Jainism
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
and Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
. Dadan Hill has a Shiva Temple on its top. The temple was established by a general of the army of King Bana of Sonitpur
Sonitpur
Sonitpur is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located at Tezpur. As of 2011 it is the third most populous district of Assam , after Nagaon and Dhubri.-Etymology:...
named Dadan. The mystical hill is surrounded by mythological stories related to the bygone era. Pir Majhar is situated at the heart of the Goalpara town, a tomb of a saint named Hazarat Sayed Abul Kasem Kharasani. He is a saint who was respected by Hindus and Muslims alike. Hulukanda hill is located at the heart of Goalpara. Sri Tukreswari hill, Paglartek Baba at Barbhita, Urpod beel of Agia, Dhamar Risen beel of Lakhipur are some other attractions of the district.