Jorhat district ( or ) is an administrative district of the Indian state of Assam situated in the central part of the Brahmaputra Valley. The district is bounded by Majuli on north, Nagaland state on the south, Sivasagar on the east and Golaghat on the west. On the north of the district, the river Brahmaputra forms the largest riverine island of the world. The administrative seat is at Jorhat city.
Jorhat was previously a sub-division of undivided Sibsagar district. In 1983, Jorhat was carved out of Sibsagar District and was made a separate district.
Etymology Jorhat or Jorehaut means tween hats (Bazar) or mandis - Macharhat and Chowkihat which existed on the two different banks of the river Bhogdoi during the 18th century.
History 16th century Most of the district was part of the Kachari Kingdom until the beginning of the 16th century. Dergaon, located south of Jorhat district, was an important Kachari province, which was annexed by Ahoms, along with the rest of the present-day district, in the early 16th century. Some minor parts of the present district, which were earlier located north of the Dihing River, were part of the Chutia Kingdom before the Ahom-Chutia war in the 16th century, a few years prior to the Kachari wars. In 1794, the Ahom king Gaurinath Singha shifted the capital from Sibsagar (erstwhile "Rangpur") to Jorhat. This town was a flourishing commercial metropolis but was destroyed after a series of Burmese invasions from 1817 till the arrival of the British force in 1824 under the Stewardship of David Scott and Captain Richard.
The British rule, though, was not free from rebellions and revolutions, which contributed to the reemergence of this historical town. From the very first decade of British rule, the great revolutionaries who emerged were Gomdhar Konwar, Jeuram and Piyali. The British system of administration came into vogue in 1839 with an established Police Thana. During the great Sepoy Mutiny, the anti-British plot hatched by Maniram Dewan and Piyali Barua was sabotaged. These leaders were hanged in public at this very place in 1858.
In 1885, a narrow-gauge train service (Jorehaut Provincial Railway) came into operation and ultimately became instrumental in the rapid growth of the tea industry.
Though the civil sub-division under Sibsagar district at Jorhat was formed in 1869, this place was declared as administration headquarters of the undivided Sibsagar district in 1911, which comprised the present Sibsagar, Jorhat and Golaghat and parts of Karbi-Anglong district, with Major A. Playfair as the first deputy commissioner.
The modern-day district of Jorhat was created in 1983 when it was split from Sibsagar district.
Geography On the north of the district, the river Brahmaputra forms the largest riverine island of the world, Majuli, spreading over 924.6 km2. with a population of about 1.50 lakh being threatened by the constant erosion by this mighty, unstable river. Majuli had been the principal place of pilgrimage of Vaishnavites since the ages of the Ahom rules. There are several Satras resembling medieval monasteries headed by Satradhikars preaching and teaching the Vaishnavism which was initiated by Sankardeva (1449–1568). Each Satra has unknown wealth of Vaishnav scriptures and extensive revenue free lands being cultivated by the "Bhakats" of the Satras.
Jorhat district occupies an area of , comparatively equivalent to Russia's Zemlya Georga. Floods frequent the island every year without exception. The mean annual rainfall of the district is 2029 mm.
District administration The District Administration is headed by Deputy Commissioner Jay Shivani, IAS. is the Superintendent of Police of Jorhat district and belongs to the IPS batch of 2011 (Assam-Meghalaya cadre).
The only outlying civil subdivision is Titabor. Titabor subdivisional administration is headed by SDO (Civil) Ayush Garg, IAS.
Divisions There are five Assam Legislative Assembly constituencies in this district: Jorhat, Teok, Mariani, Titabor and Dergaon. Dergaon is designated for scheduled castes. Dergaon is in the Kaliabor Lok Sabha constituency. The other four are in the Jorhat Lok Sabha constituency.
Towns and villages Senchoa Gaon
Economy
Agriculture There are about 135 tea gardens, including out gardens, and the predominant field crop is rice, with per capita food grain production of 205 kg per annum.
Manufacturing industry The district has a number of small-scale and cottage industries in the field of cane work and bamboo work, silver jewellery, furniture making, brass smithing, umbrella making, soap manufacturing, packaged food manufacturing, etc. Types of industries present in Jorhat are agro based, cotton textile, woolen, silk and artificial thread based clothes, ready-made garments and embroidery, wood/wooden based furniture, chemical/chemical based, rubber, plastic and petro based, metal based (steel fab.), repairing and servicing, etc.
Tourism Jorhat facilitates as the base location to reach out to many interesting places of international importance located at close proximity such as Majuli, Kaziranga National Park, Sivasagar, Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, the famous Molai forest, forested single handed, Dhekiakhowa Bornamghar, etc. Examples of numerous attractions that can be visited within the district are Lachit Borphukan's Maidam, Raja Maidam, Jorhat Science Centre & Planetarium, Jorhat Gymkhana Club, Chandrakanta Handique Bhavan, Jorhat District Museum, Thengal Manor, Sukapha Samannay Kshetra, Kaziranga Golf Resort, Shanti Ashram, Jagannath Temple, Thengal Cultural Centre & Museum, public parks, multiple tea gardens, Sukapha Park, Gabhoru Parbat and many more.
Demographics According to the 2011 census Jorhat district has a population of 1,092,256, roughly equal to the nation of Cyprus or the US state of Rhode Island. This gives it a ranking of 418th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 9.21%. Jorhat has a sex ratio of 956 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 83.42%.
The divided district has a population of 924,952, of which 220,534 (23.84%) live in urban areas. Jorhat has a sex ratio of 963 females per 1000 males. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are 64,787 (7.00%) and 62,368 (6.74%) of the population respectively.
Main Assamese communities in the district are Tea tribes (Adivasi), Ahom, Chutia, Sonowal Kacharis, Thengal Kachari.
Religion
Hindus are 842,520 (91.09%) of the population. Muslims are 54,092 (5.85%) and Christians are 20,796 (2.25%) of the population.
Languages
At the time of the 2011 census, 88.65% of the population spoke Assamese, 3.77% Bengali, 3.04% Hindi and 1.63% Mising as their first language.
Culture
The cultural diversities which prevailed in Jorhat nearly a century ago has inspired the people to participate in cultural activities through the decades and as a result Jorhat has been able to produce many creative writers, musician, actors, historians and journalists, terming Jorhat The Cultural Capital of Assam.
Festivals
Tea festivals
The Tea Festival is held in the district of Jorhat in the northeastern state of Assam in India. Jorhat is well known for its extensive tea gardens, and is the nerve centre of the tea industry. Jorhat has the world famous Tocklai Experimental Centre. In this place research work is carried out to find new varieties of tea and also the curative effects of green tea. The island of Majuli, the largest island on the Brahmaputra, and the Nambar Forest Reserve can be visited from Jorhat. In Majuli there are numerous monasteries and the Nambar Forest Reserve is famous for being a regenerating hot spring.
Description of Tea Festival
The Tea Festival in Jorhat celebrates tea, music and gaiety. The Tea Festival in Jorhat brings about a world of festivity with a warm and traditional cordial reception. The celebrations of the Festival of Tea in Jorhat include visit to the tea gardens, playing golf, safaris into the jungles, tasting food items, shopping, and cultural entertainment. The adventure sports on offer include angling and rafting in turbulent rivers. Along with the beauty and cultural diversity of Assam, tourists can also meet the warm hearted people of Assam.
Majuli festivals
The northeastern state of Assam in India is famous for Majuli, the largest river island in the world, earlier a part of the district administration of Jorhat. The island of Majuli is positioned in the middle of river Brahmaputra and is the abode to the place of Vaishnavite culture in Majuli. The total area of Majuli has been diminishing gradually due to strong erosion of the river Brahmaputra. The Majuli Festival provides lot of opportunities to fit oneself into the festival. During the Majuli Festival in Assam, special events like cultural programs and exhibitions are organized.
Description of Majuli Festival
The Assam Majuli Festival is held on the bank of river Luit, the location of which has an immeasurably beautiful and picturesque milieu. The river Luit is just 1.5 kilometers from the sub-divisional headquarter of Majuli Island, Garamur. The Festival of Majuli in Majuli in Assam conducts many cultural programs with the cultural troupes of Majuli as well as troupes from the rest of the country. In the exhibition, Assamese products are on display, which are specially prepared and designed by artists that draw attention to the traditional grandeur of Majuli. The organizers also arrange for a food festival in the Majuli Festival in Assam, where Assamese and tribal dishes are also made obtainable. Seminars are also organized to have a discussion on different topics. A display of various artwork and culturally driven masks can be seen in different museums located in the island.
Reaching the Majuli Festival of Majuli in Assam, one can observe the gathering and adjustment of all ethnic groups of people under the same sky, but at the same time the groups are keeping on their respective traditional and individual cultural entities. This is a very remarkable event. The island of Majuli has an environment of a bird sanctuary which attracts nonextant species of various migrant birds.
Time of Celebration of Majuli Festival
The Assam Majuli Festival is presumably held during the winter season, in the month of November. This arrangement is made keeping in mind the climate conditions and the road communicating facilities in Majuli.
Historical religious places
Dhekiakhowa Bornamghar Burhi Gosani Devalaya Borbheti Than Garakhia Dol Moinaporia Namghar Buddha Vihar, Jorhat
Notable personalities Jorhat has produced many creative writers, historians, journalists and many more. Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya, the first Assamese to win India's highest literature award, the Jnanpith Award"Bhattacharya, Birendrakumar" in Amaresh Datta, ed., Encyclopaedia of Indian literature vol. 1 (Sahitya Akademi, 1987), , p. 482 (excerpt available at Google Books). Jadav Payeng, the 'Forest man of India' Krishna Kanta Handique, ideologist and educationist, former vice chancellor of Gauhati University Hiren Bhattacharyya, Assamese poet Tarun Gogoi, former chief minister of Assam Zubeen Garg, musician Munin Barkotoki, Writer
Flora and fauna In 1997 Jorhat district became home to the Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, which has an area of , is a protected area which is home to hoolock gibbons.
There is another forest called Mulai Kathoni or Molai Forest, a man-made forest covering 550 hectares of area on a Brahmaputra River sandbar located near Kokilamukh area. It is named after Jadav Payeng, Indian environmental activist and forestry worker.