About Assam

Home  Holidays In India  About Assam

The state of Assam lies between latitude 240-280 in the north to longitude 900-960 in the east. Assam is surrounded by Arunachal Pradesh and Bhutan in the East & North, while on the south it is bordered by the states of Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram. The state of Meghalaya is situated on the South-western side of Assam, while Bangladesh and Bengal lies on the western side of Assam.

Assam, the land of dense forests and rolling plains forms the gateway to North-Eastern region of India. The River Brahmaputra that originates in Tibet carves its way through the state of Assam. The state of Assam is well-known for its rich flora, tea as well as fauna. One can view here the globally known one horned Rhinoceros and various other endangered species of animals.

Excluding Africa, there is no other region in the whole world where various kinds of wildlife exists as found in the state of Assam. Various exotic dwellers of this region further add to the enigma of this land. One can never forget the one horned Rhinoceros or the lush green tea gardens that further enhances the beauty of the place.

People and Culture of Assam:  The population of Assam comprises of people belonging to different religion and castes. People of Assam mostly belong to Aryan & non-Aryan race. The majority of population in Assam is Hindus, who speak Aryan Assamese language. Aryan racial strain is seen only in upper castes, while other castes are mainly of Mongoloid origin.

The Namghars (Prayer hall) and Satras ( the seat of religious head Satradhikar) plays an integral role in life of all the Assamese people. There are various tribes in Assam that belong to Tibeto-Burmese family. Some of the common tribes are Bodo-Kacharis, Sonowal Kacharis, Rabha & Hajongs, Dimasa Kacharis, Zemi Naga, Misings, Tiwas (lalung), Deoris, Karbis, Kukis and many more.

The differences between tribal and non-tribal people are quite little and thus the non-tribal practices retain various elements, which are tribal according to Hindu standards. About 40% population of Assam is of migrant origin. The Ahom dynasty ruled Assam for 600years and thus protected it from the Mughals, who attacked Assam 17 times. In the year 1824, the Britishers came to Assam as tea planters and from then onwards the decline of the Ahom dynasty started.

Capital:  Dispur.

Population:  Total Population of Assam is 26 million.

Languages:  Assamese and Bodo.