Bongaigaon () is a major city in the
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n state of
Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
. Its urban area spans across
Bongaigaon
Bongaigaon () is a major city in the Indian state of Assam. Its urban area spans across Bongaigaon and Chirang district. The city also serves as the gateway of the North-East Frontier Railway Zone with its New Bongaigaon Junction railway st ...
and
Chirang district
Chirang District is an administrative district in the Bodoland Territorial Region of Assam state in the North-East of India.
History
It is a relatively new district in the Bodoland Territorial Region of Assam. Chirang district has been carv ...
. The city also serves as the gateway of the
North-East Frontier Railway Zone with its
New Bongaigaon Junction railway station
New Bongaigaon Junction is a major railway junction station of Barauni–Guwahati line, and New Bongaigaon–Jogihopa–Kamakhya line of Northeast Frontier Railway. The one and only railway station in India which is located over a river named T ...
, the second biggest railway station in
North-East India
, native_name_lang = mni
, settlement_type =
, image_skyline =
, image_alt =
, image_caption =
, motto =
, image_map = Northeast india.png
, ...
. It also acts as the district headquarters of
Bongaigaon district
Bongaigaon district (Prpn:ˈbɒŋgaɪˌgãʊ) is an administrative district in the state of Assam in northeastern India. The district headquarters are located at Bongaigaon. The district occupies an area of 1,093 km2.
Etymology
According ...
and commercial and industrial hub of the west part of the state of Assam. Bongaigaon is one of the most populated urban agglomerations in Assam, alongside
Guwahati
Guwahati (, ; formerly rendered Gauhati, ) is the biggest city of the Indian state of Assam and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the ...
,
Jorhat
Jorhat ( ) is one of the important cities and a growing urban centre in the state of Assam in India.
Etymology
Jorhat ("jor" means twin and "hat" means market) means two hats or mandis - "Masorhaat" and "Sowkihat" which existed on the opposite ...
,
Dibrugarh
Dibrugarh (pron: ˌdɪbru:ˈgɑ:) is an industrial city in Upper Assam with sprawling tea gardens. It is located 435 kms East from the state capital of Dispur. It serves as the headquarters of Dibrugarh district in the state of Assam in ...
and
Silchar
Silchar is a city and the headquarters of the Cachar district of the state of Assam, India. It is located south east of Guwahati. It was founded by Captain Thomas Fisher in 1832 when he shifted the headquarters of Cachar to Janiganj in Silchar. ...
.
The city was the last capital of
Koch Hajo
Koch Hajo (1581-1616) was the kingdom under Raghudev and his son Parikshit Narayan of the Koch dynasty that stretched from Sankosh river in the west to the Bhareli river in the east on the north bank of the Brahmaputra river. It was created by ...
and is home to many historical monuments of Koch Rajbonsghi and Kamatapuri cultures. The city, divided into two parts – Old Bongaigaon and New Bongaigaon - is situated north west of
Guwahati
Guwahati (, ; formerly rendered Gauhati, ) is the biggest city of the Indian state of Assam and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the ...
, the largest city of Assam. To meet the demands of the
Bodo people
Boro (बर'/बड़ो ), also called Bodo, is the largest ethnolinguistic group in the Assam state of India. They are a part of the greater Bodo-Kachari family of ethnolinguistic groups and are spread across northeastern India. They are ...
of Assam, Bongaigaon was divided up to create
Chirang district
Chirang District is an administrative district in the Bodoland Territorial Region of Assam state in the North-East of India.
History
It is a relatively new district in the Bodoland Territorial Region of Assam. Chirang district has been carv ...
. Bongaigaon has a major
petrochemical industry
The petrochemical industry is concerned with the production and trade of petrochemicals. A major part is constituted by the plastics (polymer) industry. It directly interfaces with the petroleum industry, especially the downstream sector.
Comp ...
, the
Indian Oil Corporation Limited (
IOCL BGR). The town joined the
Indian Railways
Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tot ...
system with the establishment of the railway station in the year 1908. Most of the city's institutions, such as
ITI, Bongaigaon College, the Office of the
Assam State Electricity Board
The Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB) ( Assamese: অসম ৰাজ্যিক বিদ্যুৎ পৰিষদ) is a State Statutory Body of the state of Assam in India. It is under the ownership of Department of Power, Government of ...
and other elements of the town's development were established in the early 1960s. The city developed further with the establishment of the
Bongaigaon Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited
The Bongaigaon Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd. (BRPL) now IOCL, Bongaigaon Refinery (BGR) is a petroleum refinery company in India. It was incorporated on 20 February 1974 by the government of India.
The company began with initial funds of Rs. ...
(BRPL) complex in the year 1972 at
Dhaligaon
Dhaligaon is a locality area inside of Bongaigaon city, India. This is the one of major place of Bongaigaon city or also of Bongaigaon district.
Bongaigaon Refinery
The refinery of Bongaigaon ( Bongaigaon Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited) is ...
, and the Thermal Power Plant at Salakati. Though these areas are not within the limits of
Bongaigaon Municipality, the town also caters to the demand of this population.
The city today has evolved to be one of the major commercial and business hubs of the state, with increasing numbers of shopping malls, restaurants, hotels, residential apartments and educational institutions. The city also serves as the base for tourism to places such as the
Manas National Park
Manas may refer to:
Philosophy and mythology
*Manas, the Pali and Sanskrit term for "mind"; see
**Manas (early Buddhism)
** Manas-vijnana, one of the eight consciousnesses taught in Yogacara Buddhism
*''Ramcharitmanas'', a retelling of the Ramaya ...
.
Centrally located within the state, the city has a vibrant Assamese township and culture.
Etymology
According to lore, the name 'Bongaigaon' derives from the words 'bon' (wild) and 'gai' (cow). In the distant past, wild cows were often a menace to villagers in this area, due to which the district got its name.
History
Bijni Kingdom
The area was ruled by
zamindar
A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as a ...
s hailing from the Koch belonging to Indo-Mongoloid ethnic group of peoples from the 15th century to the end of
princely state
A princely state (also called native state or Indian state) was a nominally sovereign entity of the British Raj, British Indian Empire that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule, ...
s in 1956.
Administrative changes under British rule
The original Goalpara district was first created in 1822 by David Scott, an employee of the
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
and the first Commissioner of newly created North east Rangpur district headquarters at Rangpur town (now in
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
). The newly created Goalpara district was connected with North-east
Rangpur district
Rangpur ( bn, রংপুর) is a district in Northern Bangladesh. It is a part of the Rangpur Division.
Geography
Under the Rangpur Division (one of eight divisions) composed of eight districts of northern Bangladesh, the District of Rangpur ...
for administration. The area, formerly part of the Bijni Kingdom, which included the undivided
Garo Hills
The Garo Hills (Pron: ˈgɑ:rəʊ) are part of the Garo-Khasi range in Meghalaya, India. They are inhabited by the Garo people. It is one of the wettest places in the world. The range is part of the Meghalaya subtropical forests ecoregion.
De ...
district constituted the
Undivided Goalpara district
The Undivided Goalpara district is an erstwhile district of Assam, India, first constituted by the British rulers of Colonial Assam.
Establishment Historical background
The region was part of Kamarupa in the first millennium, subsequently a part ...
area in 1822. In 1866, Garo Hills was separated from the Goalpara district area, and in the same year a new district named "Greater
Koch Behar" was created and the remaining portion of Goalpara district was withdrawn from Rangpur and tagged with Koch Behar. In 1874 a new province, the Assam Valley Province, was created by the British government, and Goalpara district area was withdrawn from Koch Behar and tagged with Assam Province, which continues until today. The original Goalpara district is now split into five districts:
Goalpara
Goalpara, Pron: ) is the district headquarters of Goalpara district, Assam, India. It is situated to the west of Guwahati.
Etymology
The name Goalpara is said to have originated from the word "Gwaltippika" meaning Guwali village, or The villa ...
,
Dhubri
Dhubri (Pron: ˈdhubri) is an old town and headquarter of Dhubri district in Indian state of Assam. It is an old town on the bank of the Brahmaputra river, with historical significance. In 1883, the town was first constituted as a Municipal Bo ...
,
Kokrajhar
Kokrajhar () is a town in the Bodoland Territorial Region, an autonomous territory in Assam, one of the North Eastern states of India.
Kokrajhar town is located along the bank of the river Gaurang. The North East Indian Railways divides the ci ...
,
Bongaigoan, and
Chirang.
Creation of Bongaigaon and modern era
On 14 March 1989, bombs from separatist tribal militants exploded in Bongaigaon, killing 17 and wounding at least 48.
The government of Assam decided in 1989 to create a new district of Bongaigaon, carving out some areas of the Goalpara and Kokrajhar Districts with its headquarters located at Bongaigaon. On 29 September 1989, the creation of Bongaigaon District was declared by the Government of Assam with its headquarters at Bongaigaon. In 2005, the Government of Assam declared Bongaigaon to be a city.
In June 2022, heavy floods in Assam affected the residents of Bongaigaon.
Administration
The Bongaigaon Town Committee was first constituted in the year 1961 and was upgraded to a Municipal Board in the year 1977. Presently the Municipal Area consists of 25 wards covering an area of 14.31 sq m.
Bongaigaon is part of
Barpeta (Lok Sabha constituency)
Barpeta Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam state in north-eastern India.
Assembly segments
Barpeta Lok Sabha constituency is composed of the following assembly segments:
Members of Parliament
Election ...
.
Phani Bhusan Choudhury is the current
M.L.A. of the
Bongaigaon
Bongaigaon () is a major city in the Indian state of Assam. Its urban area spans across Bongaigaon and Chirang district. The city also serves as the gateway of the North-East Frontier Railway Zone with its New Bongaigaon Junction railway st ...
constituency.
Geography
Bongaigaon is located at . It has an average altitude of 62.6 metres. The town is situated 200 km west of the State Capital and has an important place in the communication network of Assam and wider northeast India. The New Bongaigaon railway station is a major hub connecting Assam with the rest of India. This town is also very well connected by road through the National Highways 31 B and 31C. This connectivity and the strategic location of the town in the region has made it an important center in trade and commerce in Western Assam, serving a vast hinterland. It is one of the biggest industrial towns in Lower Assam. The district is part of the
Brahmaputra river
The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Tibet, northeast India, and Bangladesh. It is also known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan, the Siang/Dihang River in Arunachali, Luit in Assamese, and Jamuna River in Bangla. It ...
's
basin.
Climate
Bongaigaon has a borderline monsoon-influenced
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
''Cwa'') marginally too cool to be a
tropical savanna climate
Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry winter) and ''As'' (for a dry summer). The driest month has less than of p ...
(''Aw''). During the "cool" season from November to February, afternoons are warm to very warm and mornings are cool. In the "hot" season of March and April, the weather becomes hot and thunderstorm rainfalls increase in frequency to prelude the oppressive
monsoon
A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...
season from June to September where heavy rainfall occurs every afternoon.
Localities in Bongaigaon
*
Mayapuri
Mayapuri is an industrial locality in West Delhi. It used to be a major hub of heavy metal and small scale industries, but following recent government sanctions, most of the heavy metal industries moved out. The place is now a combination of r ...
*
Borpara
*
Paglasthan
{{Use Indian English, date=April 2018
Paglasthan is a locality in Bongaigaon
Bongaigaon () is a major city in the Indian state of Assam. Its urban area spans across Bongaigaon and Chirang district. The city also serves as the gateway of t ...
*
Mahabeersthan
Mahabeersthan is a locality in Bongaigaon, surrounded by localities of Paglasthan, Borpara and Chapaguri. The nearest railway station, the New Bongaigaon Railway Station, is located in Bongaigaon.
See also
* Paglasthan
* Borpara, Bongaigaon
* ...
*
Chapaguri
Jjapaguri or Chapaguri ( ko, 짜파구리), also known in English as ram-don, is a Korean noodle dish made by a combination of Chapagetti and Neoguri, two types of instant noodles produced by Nongshim. Irene Jiang of ''Insider'' described it as ...
*
Dhaligaon
Dhaligaon is a locality area inside of Bongaigaon city, India. This is the one of major place of Bongaigaon city or also of Bongaigaon district.
Bongaigaon Refinery
The refinery of Bongaigaon ( Bongaigaon Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited) is ...
*
New Bongaigaon
New Bongaigaon (; is a city in the Indian state of Assam. The City included or new part of municipal board of Bongaigaon District. The town, divided into two parts – Old Bongaigaon and New Bongaigaon, is situated north west of Guwahati. To ...
*
Borsongaon
*
Deuripara
Deuripara is a locality in Bongaigaon, surrounded by localities of Paglasthan, Hatimura and New Bongaigaon with nearest railway station, New Bongaigaon railway station at New Bongaigaon.
District Judicial
District Judicial of Bongaigaonhttp://ww ...
*
Purani Bongaigaon
*
BOC Gate
*
Rolling Mill
In metalworking, rolling is a metal forming process in which metal stock is passed through one or more pairs of rolls to reduce the thickness, to make the thickness uniform, and/or to impart a desired mechanical property. The concept is simil ...
*
Dolaigaon
Dolaigaon is a locality in Bongaigaon, surrounded by localities of Paglasthan, Dhaligaon and Kukurmari with nearest railway station, New Bongaigaon railway station at New Bongaigaon.
3G Services
Aircel, Aircel#3G coverage Airtel
Bha ...
*
Notunpara
*
Kukurmari
*
Hatimutra
*
Salbari
Salbari(Bodo: सालबारि) is one of the sub divisions of Baksa district in the state of Assam, India.
History
A hundred years ago, there was no village named Salbari, but the place was surrounded by various sal plantations, leading ...
*
New Colony (Railway)
*
Old Colony (Railway)
*
Salbagan
*
Bhakarivita
Demographics
On the Bongaigaon city municipal board, Hindus comprise the majority by 90.73%. The majority of the city population works in the service industry.
Bongaigaon city area has a population of 139,650 as per the 2011 census.
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
is spoken by 49,617 people,
Assamese by 34,814,
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
by 18,768, and 36,448 people speak other languages.
Economy
Media and technology
The most popular
Assamese newspaper of Assam, ''
Asomiya Pratidin'', is published from Bongaigaon along with Guwahati, Dibrugarh and North Lakhimpur.
Indian Oil Corporation Limited
The
Bongaigaon Refinery is the eighth largest refinery of
Indian Oil
Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL; d/b/a IndianOil) is a central public sector undertaking under the ownership of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India. It is headquartered in New Delhi. It is a public sector under ...
. Formed upon the amalgamation of
Bongaigaon Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited
The Bongaigaon Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd. (BRPL) now IOCL, Bongaigaon Refinery (BGR) is a petroleum refinery company in India. It was incorporated on 20 February 1974 by the government of India.
The company began with initial funds of Rs. ...
(BRPL) with Indian Oil on 25 March 2009, Bongaigaon refinery is situated at Dhaligaon in Chirang district of Assam, 200 km west of Guwahati.
It has two Crude Distillation Units (CDU), two Delayed Coker Units, and a Coke Calcination Unit (CCU) with a processing capacity of 2.35 million
tonne
The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the short ton ( United State ...
s per year of crude oil. The first CDU with a capacity of 1 million tonnes per year was commissioned in 1979. The capacity was increased to 1.35 million tonnes per year in 1986. An LPG bottling plant with a capacity of 44 million tonnes per year was commissioned in 2003.
The refinery produces a wide range of petroleum products, namely LPG, Naphtha, MS, SKO, HSD, LDO, LSHS, LVFO, RPC, CPC, Needle coke and solvents (Petrosol and Bonmex-II) by processing Assam Crude and Ravva Crude (from the Ravva oil fields of the Krishna Godavari Basin). Bongaigaon refinery has developed an ecological park and a pond surrounding it containing 65,000 cubic metres of water, through which the storm water drains of the plant are routed for final discharge. Another natural pond with a capacity of 30,000 cubic meters of water has been developed into an ecological reserve for migratory birds. A rainwater harvesting system has been installed in the Bongaigaon township complex and the installation of solar water heating systems and solar photovoltaic streetlights is underway. Bongaigaon refinery has received several awards for its ecological efforts, including a National Award for "Prevention of Pollution" from the Ministry of Environment and Forests on 16 September 2010, the Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puruskar from the Ministry of Environment in 2006, and the Greentech Environment Excellence Gold Award in 2008.
Bongaigaon Refinery Township (BGR Township)
BGR Township is a residential campus for employees of the
Indian Oil Corporation BGR. The town is located in Dhaligaon near
Bongaigaon Refinery. In the township there are two schools (BGR HS School and DPS Dhaigaon) and two clubs, RCCC Club & Auditorium and Champa Club & Play Hub.
Transport
Air
The nearest domestic and international airport is
Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport
Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport , also known as Guwahati International Airport and formerly as 'Borjhar Airport', is an international airport serving Guwahati, the largest city of North-East India in Assam, India, and is als ...
,
Guwahati
Guwahati (, ; formerly rendered Gauhati, ) is the biggest city of the Indian state of Assam and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the ...
.
Railways
Bongaigaon falls under the
Northeast Frontier Railway
The Northeast Frontier Railway (abbreviated NFR) is one of the 19 railway zones of the Indian Railways. It is headquartered in Maligaon, Guwahati in the state of Assam, and responsible for operation and expansion of rail network all across No ...
zone of the
Indian Railways
Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tot ...
network. There are two stations in Bongaigaon:
New Bongaigaon railway station
New Bongaigaon Junction is a major railway junction station of Barauni–Guwahati line, and New Bongaigaon–Jogihopa–Kamakhya line of Northeast Frontier Railway. The one and only railway station in India which is located over a river named T ...
(the second largest railway junction in
Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
) and Bongaigaon (old) station. Major trains serving Bongaigaon with major cities are the
Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express,
Poorvottar Sampark Kranti Express
The 22449 / 22450 ''Poorvottar Sampark Kranti Express'' is one of the Sampark Kranti Express trains of Indian Railways. It connects New Delhi, the capital city of India with Guwahati, the capital city of Assam. The train is named as Poorvottar ...
,
Saraighat Express
The 12345 /12346 ''Saraighat Express'' is a daily Superfast train which runs between Howrah, Kolkata (West Bengal) and (Assam), via in Siliguri, North Bengal. It is one of the premium trains that connects Kolkata to the north east, and is ...
,
Brahmaputra Mail
The 15657 / 15658 ''Brahmaputra Mail'' is a daily train that connects Old Delhi with Kamakhya (an important town in Assam). Introduced in 1972 after the construction of the rail section of the Farakka Barrage, the train originally ran as the T ...
,
North-East Express,
Guwahati Bangalore Express, Guwahati Ernakulam Express, and
Kamrup Express
The ''Kamrup Express'' is a daily Express train which connects Howrah (Kolkata) in West Bengal with Dibrugarh, a major town in upper Assam. Originally the train ran between Howrah and Guwahati (which is the district headquarters of Kamrup di ...
. It is the largest station in
Western Assam
Lower Assam division is one of the 5 administrative divisions of Assam. It was formed in 1874, comprising Undivided Kamrup district of Western Assam, undivided Darrang and Nagoan districts of Central Assam and Khasi & Jaintia hills of Meghalay ...
after Guwahati. According to the 2012 budget, New Bongaigaon Jn. is considered to be the
Adarsh Station of India.
Construction of the long
broad gauge Siliguri-Jogihopa line, between 1963 and 1965, brought broad gauge railways to Assam. This was also the reason for constructing the New Bongaigaon railway station.
A new railway track from New Bongaigaon to Guwahati was commissioned in 1984.
Saraighat Bridge
The Saraighat Bridge is a rail-cum-road bridge over Brahmaputra River in Assam, India and is the first of its kind bridge over the river in the state. The length of the bridge is 1492 meters (4895 feet) and the road on the bridge is 7.3 meters ...
opened in 1962. It initially carried a metre gauge track, which was later replaced by broad gauge.
Roadways
National Highway 31 connects Bongaigaon with the states of
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...
,
Jharkhand
Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . It ...
and
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
.
National Highway 37
The following highways are numbered 37:
Australia
* Newcastle Inner City Bypass
* Nubeena Road (TAS)
Canada
* Alberta Highway 37
* British Columbia Highway 37
* Winnipeg Route 37
* Ontario Highway 37
* Saskatchewan Highway 37
* Yukon Highway ...
via
Naranarayan Setu from
Goalpara
Goalpara, Pron: ) is the district headquarters of Goalpara district, Assam, India. It is situated to the west of Guwahati.
Etymology
The name Goalpara is said to have originated from the word "Gwaltippika" meaning Guwali village, or The villa ...
in Assam to
Dimapur
Dimapur () is the largest city in the Indian state of Nagaland. As of 2011, the municipality had a population of 122,834. The city is the main gateway and commercial centre of Nagaland. Located near the border with Assam along the banks of the ...
in
Nagaland
Nagaland () is a landlocked state in the northeastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south and the Sagaing Region of Myanmar to the east. Its capital cit ...
traverses the entire length of Assam and connects Bongaigaon with almost all the major cities of Assam, including
Jorhat
Jorhat ( ) is one of the important cities and a growing urban centre in the state of Assam in India.
Etymology
Jorhat ("jor" means twin and "hat" means market) means two hats or mandis - "Masorhaat" and "Sowkihat" which existed on the opposite ...
and
Dibrugarh
Dibrugarh (pron: ˌdɪbru:ˈgɑ:) is an industrial city in Upper Assam with sprawling tea gardens. It is located 435 kms East from the state capital of Dispur. It serves as the headquarters of Dibrugarh district in the state of Assam in ...
. National Highways 31C and 37 both connect Bongaigaon with Guwahati. There are several bus terminals in the city, providing connections with major cities of Assam such as
Basugaon
Basugaon (IPA:ˈbɑːsʊˌgɑ̃ʊ) is a Town in Chirang District of Assam, India. The name of this town is derived from its high bamboo plantation and bamboo market basically "basu" or "bash" means bamboo and "gaon" means village that is Basug ...
,
Mangaldai
Mangaldai (); also spelt Mangaldoi is a small town in the Indian state of Assam. It was named after Mangaldahi, who was the daughter of the Rajah of Darrang and was married to Susenghphaa (), (also Pratap Singha), a ruler of the Ahom kingdom ...
,
Gossaigaon
Gossaigaon is one of the developing town in the Bodoland region of Assam, India. This is a sub-divisional headquarter of Kokrajhar district. It shares its boundaries with the neighboring state West Bengal in the west and Dhubri district to the s ...
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Dhubri
Dhubri (Pron: ˈdhubri) is an old town and headquarter of Dhubri district in Indian state of Assam. It is an old town on the bank of the Brahmaputra river, with historical significance. In 1883, the town was first constituted as a Municipal Bo ...
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Barpeta
Barpeta (Pron: bə(r)ˈpeɪtə / bə(r)ˈpi:tə ) is a town in Barpeta district of the state of Assam in India and is district headquarters. The city is located north west of Guwahati and is one of the major cities in Western Assam. It is als ...
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Tezpur
Tezpur () is a city and urban agglomeration in Sonitpur district, Assam state, India. Tezpur is located on the banks of the river Brahmaputra, northeast of Guwahati, and is the largest of the north bank cities with a population exceeding 100, ...
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Goalpara
Goalpara, Pron: ) is the district headquarters of Goalpara district, Assam, India. It is situated to the west of Guwahati.
Etymology
The name Goalpara is said to have originated from the word "Gwaltippika" meaning Guwali village, or The villa ...
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Abhayapuri
Abhayapuri ( IPA: əbɑˈjə'pʊərɪ or alternatively əbeɪjəˈpʊərɪ) is a town in Bongaigaon district and it is 21 km away from Bongaigaon city. It is the headquarters of North Salmara sub-division. It is surrounded by natural fores ...
,
Kokrajhar
Kokrajhar () is a town in the Bodoland Territorial Region, an autonomous territory in Assam, one of the North Eastern states of India.
Kokrajhar town is located along the bank of the river Gaurang. The North East Indian Railways divides the ci ...
,
Bijni,
Siliguri
Siliguri, ) is a major tier-II city in West Bengal. It forms twin cities, "Twin Cities" with the neighboring district capital of Jalpaiguri. The city spans areas of the Darjeeling district, Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts in the Indian sta ...
,
Cooch Behar
Cooch Behar (), or Koch Bihar, is a city and a municipality in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Cooch Behar district. It is in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas at . Cooch Behar is the only planned city in t ...
and
Guwahati
Guwahati (, ; formerly rendered Gauhati, ) is the biggest city of the Indian state of Assam and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the ...
.
Infrastructure
In 2010 Bongaigaon city built the
Bir Chilarai Flyover, to address the city's busy railway and road traffic, connecting three parts of the city:
#
New Bongaigaon
New Bongaigaon (; is a city in the Indian state of Assam. The City included or new part of municipal board of Bongaigaon District. The town, divided into two parts – Old Bongaigaon and New Bongaigaon, is situated north west of Guwahati. To ...
with the
western part of Bongaigaon
# The
north part of Bongaigaon City with the
centre of Bongaigaon
#
New Bongaigaon
New Bongaigaon (; is a city in the Indian state of Assam. The City included or new part of municipal board of Bongaigaon District. The town, divided into two parts – Old Bongaigaon and New Bongaigaon, is situated north west of Guwahati. To ...
with the
northern part of Bongaigaon City
Healthcare
There are 10 hospitals and many private dental clinicsin Bongaigaon city: the most notable are :
* S M Hospital
* Lower Assam Hospital And Research Centre
* Swagat Hospital
* Dental house - a multispecialty dental clinic and implant centre
* Chilarai Nursing Home
* Arogya Hospital and Research Centre
* St. Augustine's Hospital
* Bongaigaon Civil Hospital
* Kajalgaon Civil Hospital
* New Bongaigaon Railway Hospital
* Bongaigaon Refinery Hospital
Education
The number of schools in the city increased more rapidly after the refinery came into operation. They include:
*
Bongaigaon Refinery HS School
Bongaigaon Refinery HS School (or BGR HS School) was established in 1984 on 14 June by Bongaigaon Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited inside the BGR Township. The school building is three storied. It is an Assamese medium school under the Boar ...
, Dhaligaon (previously BRPL Vidyalaya)
* DPS Dhaligaon,
Bongaigaon Refinery
*
Vivekananda Vidyapith Higher Secondary School
* LB ACCADEMY
*
Borpara L.P School
Colleges in the city include:
*
Bongaigaon College, established in 1964
*
Birjhora Mahavidyalaya (Degree Science College)
*
Bongaigaon Law College
* Bongaigaon B.Ed. College
*DIET, Majgaon
*
BGR Higher Secondary
Landmarks
Entertainment and commercial centres
The city has two movie theatres: Jolly Max Theater and Mayapuri Cinema. There are various public markets in different parts of the city.
Koyakujia Bil
Koya Kujia Eco Park, a natural body of water converted into an by the district rural development agency of Bongaigaon, is a tourist attraction situated near
Abhayapuri
Abhayapuri ( IPA: əbɑˈjə'pʊərɪ or alternatively əbeɪjəˈpʊərɪ) is a town in Bongaigaon district and it is 21 km away from Bongaigaon city. It is the headquarters of North Salmara sub-division. It is surrounded by natural fores ...
, open since September 2008. The park consists of many small islands with myriad flora and fauna, including many migratory birds.
Bagheswari Temple
Bagheshwari Temple is a temple devoted to Goddess Durga for followers of the Hindu religion in
Western Assam
Lower Assam division is one of the 5 administrative divisions of Assam. It was formed in 1874, comprising Undivided Kamrup district of Western Assam, undivided Darrang and Nagoan districts of Central Assam and Khasi & Jaintia hills of Meghalay ...
. The temple is located in the centre of the city, in Borpara. According to legend, the king of Abhayapuri decided to build a temple after a sword was found at the site. The name of the temple means "devoted to the tiger" (Bagh), taken from a nearby hill, Bagheswari pahar, where tigers lived as late as the middle of the 20th century.
Bagheswari Hill
Bagheswari hill, situated in the middle of the city, has a Shiv temple at its peak, and elevated views of the whole city.
Kakoijana Forest Reserve
Covering an area of around 20 km
2 to the south-east of the city,
the park is known for its populations of golden langur
and birds.
Manas National Park
Bongaigaon city is the entry point for the
Manas National Park
Manas may refer to:
Philosophy and mythology
*Manas, the Pali and Sanskrit term for "mind"; see
**Manas (early Buddhism)
** Manas-vijnana, one of the eight consciousnesses taught in Yogacara Buddhism
*''Ramcharitmanas'', a retelling of the Ramaya ...
and wildlife sanctuary, a
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
listed natural
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
, a
Project Tiger
Project Tiger is a tiger conservation programme launched in April 1973 by the Government of India during Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's tenure. The project aims at ensuring a viable population of the Bengal tiger in its natural habitats, protecti ...
reserve, an elephant reserve and a biosphere reserve. Located in the
Himalaya
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...
n foothills, it is contiguous with the
Royal Manas National Park
Royal Manas National Park is Bhutan's oldest national park, and the Royal government considers it the "conservation showpiece of the Kingdom" and a "genetic depository" for valuable plants. It has an area of and covers eastern Sarpang District ...
in
Bhutan
Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainous ...
. The park is home to rare and endangered endemic wildlife such as the
Assam roofed turtle,
hispid hare
The hispid hare (''Caprolagus hispidus''), also called Assam rabbit and bristly rabbit, is a leporid native to South Asia, whose historic range extended along the southern foothills of the Himalayas. Today, its habitat is highly fragmented with an ...
,
golden langur
Gee's golden langur (''Trachypithecus geei''), also known as simply the golden langur, is an Old World monkey found in a small region of Western Assam, India and in the neighboring foothills of the Black Mountains of Bhutan. Long considered sac ...
and
pygmy hog
The pygmy hog (''Porcula salvania'') is the rarest species of pig in the world today, and is the only species in the genus ''Porcula''. It is also the smallest species of pig in the world, with its piglets being small enough to fit in one's pock ...
, and is well-known for its population of wild water buffalo.
[Choudhury, A.U.(2010)The vanishing herds : the wild water buffalo. Gibbon Books, Rhino Foundation, CEPF & COA, Taiwan, Guwahati, India]
Sports
The multipurpose Chilarai Stadium is situated at Barshangaon, on the outskirts of Bongaigaon. The town also has an indoor stadium named Chilarai Indoor Stadium, a swimming pool named BDSA Swimming Pool at Borpara, and a mini stadium near Chapaguri Road.
See also
*
Bongaigaon Municipal Board
Bongaigaon Municipal Board is a municipal board in India, a section of the country's local government.
Creation
During 1989, the Government of Assam took the decision to create a new district Bongaigaon, carving out some areas of Goalpara and Ko ...
*
List of cities in Assam by population
This is a list of urban agglomerations with populations above 100,000 and cities (''not part of urban agglomerations'') with populations of less than or equal to 100,000, as per 2011 census in the Indian state of Assam. List of cities by populat ...
References
External links
Bongaigaon District official govt. website*
{{Assam
Cities and towns in Bongaigaon district