Dhemaji district
District of Assam
Light-coloured fields of grain near large mountains
Paddy fields near Dhemaji
Location in Assam
Location in Assam
CountryIndia
StateAssam
DivisionUpper Assam
HeadquartersDhemaji
Government
 • Lok Sabha constituenciesLakhimpur
 • Vidhan Sabha constituenciesDhemaji, Jonai
Area
 • Total3,237 km2 (1,250 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total686,133
 • Density210/km2 (550/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (IST)
ISO 3166 codeIN-AS-DM
Websitehttps://dhemaji.gov.in/

Dhemaji district (Pron:deɪˈmɑ:ʤi or di:ˈmɑ:ʤi) is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located at Dhemaji and commercial headquarters being located Silapathar. The district occupies an area of 3237 km² and has a population of 686,133 (as of 2011). Main religions are Hindus 548,780, Muslims 10,533, Christians 6,390.

Etymology

The district's name Dhemaji is derived from the Deori-Chutia word Dema-ji which means great water indicating it to be a flood-prone region.[2]

History

The areas of the present district was part of the greater Chutia kingdom along with Lakhimpur, Tinsukia, Jorhat, Dibrugarh and Sonitpur district from the 12th century to the 16th century until the Ahom-Chutia conflict during the early period of the 16th century. The Ahoms created a new position Banlungia Gohain to control the area. Monuments built during the Chutia rule include Malinithan, Garakhia Than, Bordoloni Than and Basudev temple. A number of monuments Ghuguha Dol, Ma Manipuri Than, Padumani Than built by the Ahom kings are worth visiting.

Dhemaji became a fully-fledged district on 14 October 1989 when it was split from Lakhimpur district.[3]

Geography

Dhemaji district occupies an area of 3,237 square kilometres (1,250 sq mi),[4] comparatively equivalent to Solomon Islands' Makira Island.[5] It is one of the most developing districts of India, at the easternmost part of Assam. Situated in the foothills of the lower Himalayas it is relatively a small town.

Being in a confluence of rivers with the mighty Brahmaputra river flanking the district and its numerous tributaries running through the district, the region is perennially affected by floods.

The heart of Dhemaji district is Dhemaji Mouza (an area demarcated by the British regime for the purpose of tax collection, equivalent to a taluk or pargana in the pan-Indian context).

Secondly, Silapathar is the main business place of Dhemaji. The Bogibil project was running nearest to these place and is completed which connects Dibrugarh.

Education

The notable schools in the district include Borpataria L. P. School, Bhairabpur Netaji M. E. School, St.Francis de Sales school, Dhemaji public school, Sankar Dev High school (No. 2 Manik Pur), Mother's Pride School, Silapathar Town Hanuman Gadhi Hindi High School and Dhemaji Boys' Higher Secondary School. Colleges in Dhemaji District are:

Economy

In 2006, the Indian government named Dhemaji as one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640).[6] It is one of the eleven districts in Assam currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).

Silapathar is the most developed city in Dhemaji district. Its economy is mainly depended upon trade and commerce for development.[6]

Divisions

There are two Assam Legislative Assembly constituencies in this district: Dhemaji and Jonai.[7] Both are designated for scheduled tribes.[7] They make up a part of the Lakhimpur Lok Sabha constituency.[8] Dhemaji district is politically very poor. Community politics is main reason for this. As of 2019, Pradhan Baruah is MP (Member of Parliament), Ranuj Pegu is MLA from Dhemaji and Bhubon Pegu from Jonai.[9]

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
190121,324—    
191126,930+2.36%
192136,106+2.98%
193144,742+2.17%
194154,896+2.07%
195164,745+1.66%
1961113,439+5.77%
1971230,762+7.36%
1991478,830+3.72%
2001571,944+1.79%
2011686,133+1.84%
source:[10]

According to the 2011 census Dhemaji district has a population of 686,133,[1] roughly equal to the nation of Equatorial Guinea[11] or the US state of North Dakota.[12] This gives it a ranking of 504th in India (out of a total of 640).[1] The district has a population density of 213 inhabitants per square kilometre (550/sq mi) .[1] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 20.3%.[1] Dhemaji has a sex ratio of 949 females for every 1000 males,[1] and a literacy rate of 69.07%. 7.04% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes made up 6.45% and 47.45% of the population respectively.[1]

Religions in Dhemaji district (2011)[13]
Religion Percent
Hinduism
 
 95.47%
Islam
 
 1.96%
Christianity
 
 1.27%
Other (Tribal religion)
 
 0.92%
Other or not stated
 
 0.38%

Hindus are 95.47% of the population. There are small minorities of Muslims (1.96%) and Christians (1.27%). After Majuli district, Dhemaji has the second-highest proportion of Hindus of all districts in Assam.[13]

Languages of Dhemaji district (2011)[14]

  Assamese (39.21%)
  Mishing (32.53%)
  Bengali (9.80%)
  Bodo (6.95%)
  Nepali (5.26%)
  Hindi (1.49%)
  Hajong (0.95%)
  Others (3.81%)

According to the 2011 census, 39.21% of the district's population speaks Assamese, 32.53% Mising, 9.80% Bengali, 6.95% Boro, 5.26% Nepali, 1.49% Hindi and 0.95% Hajong as their first language.[14]

Township areas

Flora and fauna

In 1996 Dhemaji district became home to the Bardoibum-Beelmukh Wildlife Sanctuary, which has an area of 11 km2 (4.2 sq mi).[15] It shares the park with Lakhimpur district.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "District Census Handbook: Dhemaji" (PDF). censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011.
  2. ↑ Brown, W.B. An Outline of the Deori-Chutia language. Assam secretariat printing office,1895, p. 70.
  3. ↑ Law, Gwillim (2011-09-25). "Districts of India". Statoids. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
  4. ↑ "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. 2010. p. 1116. ISBN 978-81-230-1617-7.
  5. ↑ "Island Directory Tables: Islands by Land Area". United Nations Environment Program. 1998-02-18. Retrieved 2011-10-11. Makira 3,190
  6. 1 2 Ministry of Panchayati Raj (September 8, 2009). "A Note on the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme" (PDF). National Institute of Rural Development. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 5, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
  7. 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.
  8. ↑ "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.
  9. ↑ "MEMBERS OF ASSAM LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY". Government of Assam, Directorate of Information & Public Relations. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  10. ↑ Decadal Variation In Population Since 1901
  11. ↑ US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison:Population". Archived from the original on June 13, 2007. Retrieved 2011-10-01. Equatorial Guinea 668,225 July 2011 est.
  12. ↑ "2010 Resident Population Data". U. S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-10-19. Retrieved 2011-09-30. North Dakota 672,591
  13. 1 2 "Table C-16 Population By Religion: Assam". census.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
  14. 1 2 "Table C-16 Population By Mother Tongue: Assam". censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011.
  15. ↑ Indian Ministry of Forests and Environment. "Protected areas: Assam". Archived from the original on August 23, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2011.

27°28′47″N 94°33′04″E / 27.4798°N 94.5511°E / 27.4798; 94.5511

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