Jorhat ("jor" means twin and "hat" means market) means two hats or mandis - "Masorhaat" and "Sowkihat" which existed on the opposite banks of the Bhugdoi river.
Jorhat was the last capital of the Ahoms which lasted for at least 37 years. This town was settled near the Dichoi river, and a number of market were set near Dichoi, such as Phukanar Hat and Mashar Hat, thus this place came to be known as Jorhat (twin- market).
This place attained importance during the time of Moamoria rebellion, with Purnananda Burhagohain's encampment at Dichoi fort when Rangpur was under rebels control. Here he raised a rampart to fight against the rebels which came to known Bibudhi Garh. In 1794, the capital was shifted to this place. It remained as the capital even during the period of restoration in the reign of Purandar Singha.
Many tanks were built around the capital city by the Ahom royalty such as Rajmao Pukhuri or Borpukhuri, Buragohain Pukhuri, Bolia Gohain Pukhuri, Kotoki Pukhuri and Mitha Pukhuri. This town was a flourishing and commercial metropolis.
The British force under the stewardship of David Scott and Captain Richard arrived in Jorhat in 1824.
Colonel Alfred Richards led the British forces against the Burmese and defeats them at Rangpur.
After the defeat of the Burmese in the First Anglo-Burmese War, the British reinstalled the Ahom king Purandar Singha.[6] Finally in 1840, British deposed Purandar Singha and it marked the start of British rule in Assam.
From the very first decade of the British rule, revolutionaries like Gomdhar Konwar, Dhananjay Borgohain, Jeuram Dihingia Baruah, and Peuli Phukan emerged. The British system of administration came into vogue in the year 1839 with an established Police Thana. During the great Sepoy Mutiny, Maniram Dewan and Piyali Barua were publicly hanged here in 1858.
In 1885, a narrow-gauge railway, Jorehaut Provincial Railway, became operational. In time, this contributed to the rapid growth of the tea industry.[7]
The municipality covers an area of 9 square kilometres (3.5 sq mi),[2] has 19 wards with a population of about 1.53 lakhs at present, with 72.8 square kilometres (28.1 sq mi) for master plan area.[9] The district spreads over 2,851 square kilometres (1,101 sq mi) and had a population of 870,000 according to a 1991 census. Population density at that time was 306 persons per square kilometre (793/sq mi). The sex ratio is 913 (913 females per 1000 males).
Demographics
Jorhat Municipal Board (covering the out growth area) had a population of 1,26,736 as of the 2011 census.[10]
The average literacy rate of Jorhat in 2011 was 91.39%. Gender-wise, male and female literacy were 93.63% and 88.99% respectively, which is one of the highest in the state. The total literates in Jorhat were 182,600 of which male and female were 96,806 and 85,794 respectively.
Jorhat's sex ratio stood at 935 females per 1000 males, according to the Census 2011 Directorate.
Hindus were 87.49% of the population, while Muslims were 10.50% and Christians 0.62% of the population respectively.[11]
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are 6.40% and 1.84% of the population respectively.[10]
Languages
Assamese is the predominant language and is spoken by 70.08% of the population, while Bengali was spoken by 12.27%. Hindi (11.60%) and Bhojpuri (1.01%) are spoken by migrants from the Gangetic plains, such as traders and labourers. Other small languages in the city include Marwari, Sadri, Santali, Sora and Odia which in total are spoken by 5.04% of the population.[12]
Culture
Jorhat has contributed in the fields of arts, culture and tradition of the contemporary Assamese society. In 1896, Jorhat Theatre was established to perform cultural activities and dramas by some renowned people of the town. The Chandrakanta Handique Bhawan, the headquarters of Asam Sahitya Sabha was established in 1926. Jorhat has produced creative writers, historians and journalists. Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya, the first Assamese to win India's highest literature award, the Jnanpith Award, was from Jorhat.[13]
Media
In 1935, the first Assamese daily newspaper Dainik Batori was published from Jorhat by Raibahadur Siva Prasad Barooah.[14][15] The daily newspapers which have Jorhat editions include Dainik Janambhumi, Amar Asom, Dainik Agradoot and Asomiya Khabar in Assamese, the Purbanchal Prohori in Hindi and The Telegraph in English. The Eastern Clarion was the first English daily published from the city, but it was ceased. Besides the dailies, a weekly newspaper Saptahik Janambhumi is also published from Jorhat. City Guide of Jorhat was the first yellow pages, published in July 1987. Jorhat has a radio broadcast station of All India Radio (AIR) located on the outskirts of the city at Garmur.
District Court
District & Sessions Judge Court, Jorhat
The District & Sessions Judge Upper Assam District Jorhat was created on 15 November 1948 and has been made permanent w.e.f the 1 April 1953. The first roll of honor of District & Sessions Judge of Assam Valley, Upper Assam Districts, Jorhat District was Mr. S.K Das, MA, BL. Presently, the territorial jurisdiction of the District is extended over 2(two) sub-divisions namely Majuli Sub-Division and Titabar Sub-Division. Altogether, the District & Sessions Judge and the Chief Judicial Magistrate comprise 15 courts staffed by Judicial Officers of various grades. The District & Sessions Judge together with the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court Complex, Jorhat is situated in the heart of the city. The Present District & Sessions Judge as the head of the establishment is Shri Mridul Kumar Kalita. The present Chief Judicial Magistrate, Jorhat, the head of all the Criminal Courts is Sri Vijay Kumar Singh.[16][17]
Transport
Air
Jorhat Airport (JRH), commonly known as Rowriah Airport, is located at Rowriah, which is within the city itself, approximately seven kilometres (4.3 mi) from the city centre. The airport has daily flights connectivity to Kolkata, Delhi, Bangalore and Guwahati operated by IndiGo. It is controlled by the Airports Authority of India.
Rail
The first rail connectivity of Jorhat began in the British era. In 1885, Jorehaut Provincial Railway, a narrow-gauge railway services became operational and it contributed to the growth of the tea industry in Upper Assam.
The Inter State Bus Terminus (ISBT) of Jorhat is at Kotokipukhuri, Tarajan. It provides connectivity to elsewhere in the state and the Northeast with regular buses from ASTC and private operators. Auto-rickshaws, local cabs and rickshaws are the main mode of public transport within the city.
Waterways
The daily ferry services connect the Nimati ghat with Kamalabari and Aphalamukh in Majuli.
The Neamati multimodal waterways terminal on BrahmaputraNational Waterway 2 in Jorhat district is part of the Bharatmala and Sagarmala projects.[20]
Education and research institutions
Research institutes
Main entrance of Rain Forest Research Institute
Central Eri & Muga Research Training Institute, Ladoigarh, under Central Silk Board[21]
Indian Grain Storage Management and Research Institute, Jorhat[22]
Institute of Biotechnology & Geotectonics Studies (INBIGS),[23] ONGC[24] Complex, Cinnamara, Jorhat - 785008
Established in 1950, the multi-purpose Jorhat Stadium is the oldest stadium of Assam, which is mainly used for cricket and football.[54]
It has hosted few Ranji Trophy matches. The prominent and historic football tournament ATPA Shield held every year in this venue since 1955. Professional football club Jorhat Town Club uses the stadium as its home ground. Other sporting venues near the stadium include JDSA Field, Kushal Konwar Indoor Stadium, Jorhat Swimming Society and Jorhat Tennis Club.[55] The historic sporting venue Jorhat Gymkhana Club known for the century old annual horse race called Jorhat Races. It has a golf course and a cricket ground.[56]
^toonworks business solution (1 January 2004). "Welcome NEIST". Rrljorhat.res.in. Retrieved 17 August 2012. ((cite web)): |author= has generic name (help)
Nag, Sajal (2018). "Devour thy Neighbour: Foreign Invasions and the Decline of States in Eighteenth Century North East India". ((cite journal)): Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
External links
Look up jorhat in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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listen) JOR-haht) is one of the important cities and a growing urban centre in the state of Assam in India.[3][4][5]
