Gauripur (IPA: ˈgɑʊrɪˌpʊə or ˈgɔːrɪˌpʊə) is a semi-urban town under Gauripur Town Committee in the
Dhubri district
Dhubri District (Pron:ˈdʊbri) is an administrative district in the Indian state of Assam. The district headquarters are located at Dhubri town which is situated at ~290 km from Guwahati. This was also the headquarters of erstwhile undivid ...
in the 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 ...
,
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 ...
.
Geography
Gauripur is located at in the state of Assam. Its average elevation is 26 metres (85 feet). The nearest airport is situated at Rupsi, adjacent to the village
Khudimari.
Gauripur is a small town on the western side of the district headquarters
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 ...
. The main town is near the eastern shore of the river Gadadhar. There is a lake on its north-western side named Laokhowa beel and on the north-eastern side, on the bank of Gadadhar, is a small hill-top called Matiabagh, on which the palace "Hawakhana" erected by the Zamindar of Gauripur is found. On the other side of the Gadadhar river is the famous village
Asharikandi, of international fame for its terrakota industry. The Gauripur town is served by 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 ...
of the Indian Railway network. The national highway 31 runs across the town. It is situated 10 km from Dhubri town, the HQ of the district.
History
![Chourange More, Station Road, Gouripur, Dhubri](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Chourange_More%2C_Station_Road%2C_Gouripur%2C_Dhubri.JPG)
The establishment of the town and the name "Gauripur" has an interesting story associated with the main architect of Gauripur, Raja Pratap Chandra Barua. It is believed that Raja Barua was hunting in the forest and came across a frog eating a snake. He was astonished to see this unnatural and unheard of sight. Being a strong devotee of the Goddess Mahamaya, he was convinced that what he saw was a supernatural message for him. Shortly afterwards, he established a temple for Goddess Mahamaya and named it Gauripur after the alias "Gauri" of Mahamaya.
Demographics
India
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
, Gauripur had a population of 25,124. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Gauripur has an average literacy rate of 75%, higher than the national average of 59.5%, with male literacy at 81%, and female literacy at 69%. In Gauripur, 11% of the population is under six years of age.
Politics
Gauripur is part of
Dhubri (Lok Sabha constituency)
Dhubri Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam state in north-eastern India. Dhubri consists of 10 assembly segments of Lower Assam, covering all of South Salmara-Mankachar District and Dhubri districts and par ...
.
Transport
Gauripur Railway Station (GUP2) serves the town. The railway station lies under
Alipurduar railway division
Alipurduar railway division is one of the five railway divisions under Northeast Frontier Railway zone of Indian Railways. This railway division was formed on 15 January 1958 and its headquarter is located at Alipurduar in the state of West Ben ...
of
Northeast Frontier Railway zone
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 ...
.
Notable people
*
Pramathesh Barua
Pramathesh Chandra Barua (24 October 1903 – 29 November 1951) was an Indian actor, director, and screenwriter of Indian films in the pre-independence era, born in Gauripur, Dhubri, Assam.
Early life
Barua was the son of the royal family of ...
, actor, director, and screenwriter
*
Pratima Barua Pandey
Pratima Barua Pandey (3 October 1934 – 27 December 2002) was an Indian folk singer from the royal family of Gauripur in Western Assam's Dhubri district. Barua Pandey, a national awardee, best known for her Goalpariya (Koch Rajbongsh ...
, prominent folk singer
*
Rebati Mohan Dutta Choudhury, noted Assamese litterateur
References
{{Reflist
Cities and towns in Dhubri district
Dhubri