Nagaon district

History

Batadrowa gave birth to the famous Vaishnavite reformer Sankardeva, who brought about a Renaissance in Assamese society. Located in the very heartland of Assam, it falls directly at the center of the entire northeast of India. An old district which dates back to 1833,which probably prompted its old British administrators to jocularly describe Nagaon as a district of 3 c’s: chickens, children and cases.

The region was called Khagarijan in older records.

In 1983, the district was rocked by the Nellie massacre, which killed at least 2,191 people.Now Nellie is in Morigaon district.

On 29 September 1989, Morigaon district was split from Nagaon.

In 15 August 2015, Hojai district was formed out of Nagaon too.

Geography

The district headquarters are located at Nagaon.

National protected area

Kaziranga National Park (Part)

Economy

Agriculture is the backbone of the entire economy of this district of Assam. Rice is the staple food of the inhabitants and paddy is the principal crop cultivated in the district. Besides agriculture, economy of Nagaon District also includes another major sector that is fisheries.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Nagaon district has a population of 1894788,after the separation of Hojai district.

Around 58%-60% of the total population is Muslim.Nagaon presents a mix of cultures of Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Jainism, and Buddhism.It has different language speakers including Assamese, Bengali, Hindi, Bodo, Tiwa, Karbi, Dimasa, Manipuri.

Major Communities in the district are Bengali Muslims, Assamese Muslims, Assamese Brahmins, Kalita, Bengali Hindus, Tiwa (Lalung) and Tea tribes(Adivasi). Assamese is the lingua franca and the communicating language in the district.

Culture

Namghars and associated temples: There are many namghars in Nagaon, the main are - The Bharali Namghar, which is situated in Hatbar and Borduwa Namghar. This Namghar is situated in Nagaon Sattra, where Mahapurush Sankardev was born. Saubhagya Madhav, Dulal Madhav and Gopal Madhav are three ancient temples built during the reign of the Ahom King Shiba Singha.

Places of attraction

Bordowa

The Birthplace of Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardeva, the great Artist, Author, founder of Vaishnavism Religion, Dramatist etc. of Assam. The place is situated 18 km North – West from Nagaon town, There are two Sattras one is Narowa Sattra and other is Salaguri Sattras. The mini Museum is there in Narowa Sattras.

Lowkhowa Avayaranya

The Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary is situated at Lowkhowa namely covering an area of 70.13 km² at a distance of 25 km from Nagaon Town. Its main attraction is the Great Indian One-horned Rhinoceros. Other animals are Tiger, Leopard, Asiatic Buffalo, Wild Boar, Civet Cat, Leopard Cat, Hog Deer etc. Various species of birds and reptiles are also found in Laokhowa.

Champawati Kunda

Champawati Kunda is a famous falls situated in Chapanala in Nagaon district.

Kaliabor

The Sub-division town situated at a distance of 48 km east of Nagaon is a historic place. As it initially was the headquarters of Barphukans during the Ahom days. It was also the scene of several battles against the Muslim invaders.

Silghat

Situated at a road distance of almost 50 km from Nagaon is a vital and picturesque river port lying on the South bank of the mighty Brahmaputra. Pre-communication links of Central Assam across the Brahmaputra are maintained through this port town. Besides, playing host to the Assam Co-operative Jute Mill, Silghat also has several temples to enthrall visitors. A big Samantagiri hillock draws big crowds from everywhere.

RAHA

Situated at about 22 km west of Nagaon it was an important Chowki during the Ahom Days. Today, Raha is an important trade centre for agricultural products such as paddy, jute and mustard. An important institution here is the Fishery Training College - the first of its kind in Nagaon.

Kamakhya Temple (Not to be confused with the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati)

The famous Kamakhya Temple is situated in Silghat (Bank of the river Brahmaputra). The Ashok Astami Melas held every year near Kamakhya Temple.

PHULAGURI:

Place of war between British and Assamese. one can get its details in PHULAGURI DHEWA.

Flora and fauna

In 1974 Nagaon district became home to Kaziranga National Park, which has an area of 175 km² (67.6 sq mi) within nagaon district. It shares the park with Golaghat district. It is also home to the Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary.

Sports

Football matches held in Jubilee Field in Nagaon still attract large crowds. Many important National and regional events are hosted in Nurul Amin Stadium, Nagaon.