About District
Kamrup is an administrative district in the Indian state of Assam. The present Kamrup district with its headquarter at Amingaon has proved to be an exemplary and model civil district. It came into being on 31st day of March 2003 with great promises with alacritous drive to go ahead. The area the district covers is about 2740 sq. km. The population of the district, as per the census report of 2011 is also stated to be 1,517,542 with the literacy rate of 75.55%. Kamrup district has 1027 villages, administered under twelve revenue circles.
Historicity of the district is quite significant from time immemorial. The Amingaon area, wherein the present district head quarter stands, was a battlefield wherein the Ahom soldiers resisted Mughal invasions several times. The Ahoms under Lachit Borphukan won Guwahati back from Mughals in September-October 1667. Aurangzeb then appointed Ram Singh of Amber on 13 Rajab/ 19th December 1667 to invade Assam. Ram Singh started his expedition on 27th December, 1667. He travelled through Kuntaghat and reached Sualkuchi in April, 1669. The brave Assamese soldiers under General Lachit Borphukan stood in the way of his plans. Skirmishes between the two sides ensued. On 20 Sravan, Thrusday, Saka 1591 (about 5th August, 1669) both sides clashed at Alaboi near present day Dadara, Village-Pacharia in Kamrup District. The Assamese fighting for their motherland inflicted huge losses on the Mughal Army. In the ensuing battle, 10,000 Assamese soldiers sacrificed their lives at the altar of the nation. The sacrifice of the brave Assamese did not go in vain and the Mughal advance was stopped. Further, it inspired the Assamese soldiers, who two years later in 1671 in the Battle of Saraighat delivered a crushing and humiliating defeat on the Mughals.
Kamrup district is important for many historic places like Hajo, Sualkuchi, Chhaygaon, Chamaria, Rangia, Palashbari, Boko and North Guwahati. Hajo is known for many religious shrines like Hayagriba Madhaba Temple, Poa-Macca, Kedar temple, Kameswar temple, Ganesh temple and Kamaleswar temple. Hajo is also known for Dhoparguri Satra, a great vaishnavite shrine established by Madhabdeva. Sualkuchi is known as the Machester of Assam. Mahatma Gandhi appreciated the women of Sualkuchi as the spinner of dreams. It is the center of eri-muga-pat fabrics, most demanding across the world. Chhaygaon is known for legendary Beula-Lakhindar shrine, Chamaria is also one of the great centers of neo-Vaishnavism. Rangia is an important railway junction from the colonial time on to places like Tezpur and other places. North Guwahati is place having many glorious legacies.
Regarding the linguistic and literary treasure-trove, Kamrup district enjoys a brilliant legacy, a profound inspiration for the new generation. Kumaril Bhatta has become a legendary name in Vedic scholarship. He was from Hajo. He debated with Sankaracharjya regarding the Vedic and Upanisadic philosophy, and received accolades from the scholars all around. Other noted scholars/writers from Kamrup district are Ram saraswati from Hajo, Ananta Kandali from Hajo, Durgabot Kayastha from Hajo, Kaliram Medhi from Ramdia, Saurav Kumar Chaliha from Ramdia.
Kamrup district is also proud of having the great national level educational institutions like IIT-Guwahati, AIIMS (under preparation), CIPET, NIPER.
Did you know?
Anundoram Borooaph, from North Guwahati of Kamrup district, was the first Assamese ICS officer during the British time.
The first Chief Minister (Prime Minister during the time) Gopinath Bordoloi, was from Kamrup District (North Guwahati).
The second Chief Minister of Assam, Bishnu Ram Medhi was from Hajo, Kamrup district. Under his active initiative the first national register of citizens (NRC) was prepared.
The first two Assamese Governors were also from Hajo – Bishnu Ram Medhi and Mahendra Mohan Choudhury. Bishnu Ram Medhi was appointed the Governor of Madras state, while Mahendra Mohan Choudhury was the second Assamese Governor, who was appointed Governor of Punjab state.
The old Amingaon Railway Station was established by the colonial British government in the year 1906 with the objective of linking Calcutta via Lalmonirhat of East Bengal, now Bangladesh. People travelling in railway had to get down at Amingaon, and embark on the ship to get across the river on way to Guwahati, Shillong, Kohima and other places of the southern side of the Brahmaputra.
