Kalabari is a locality in the ''
tehsil
A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...
''/ ''mandal'' of Pub-Chaiduar in the
Biswanath district
Biswanath (IPA: ˌbɪswəˈnɑːθ ˈtʃɑːrɪˌælɪ) is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. It is one of newly created district in the year by 2015, declared by Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on 15 August 2015. The dis ...
of the Indian 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 ...
.
Geography
Kalabari is around 311 km from state capital
Dispur
Dispur (, ) is the capital of the Indian state of Assam and is a suburb at Guwahati.
It became the capital in 1973, when Shillong the erstwhile capital, became the capital of the state of Meghalaya that was carved out of Assam.
Dispur is the ...
. It is surrounded by: Lower
Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh (, ) is a state in Northeastern India. It was formed from the erstwhile North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and became a state on 20 February 1987. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south. It shares int ...
, ''Rangajan'' on its north; Hawajan, Ghuriya gaon and Pisola on its east;
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 ...
on its south;
Dubia River to its west.
Kalabari has five
panchayat
The Panchayat raj is a political system, originating from the Indian subcontinent, found mainly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. It is the oldest system of local government in the Indian subcontinent, and historical ment ...
s, East Kalabari, West Kalabari, Kalabari, North Kalabari and South Kalabari. The population was 27,052 according to population census 2011.
Villages
* Gagal Gaon
* Uttar Pahukota
* Dakshin Pahukota
* Mikir Bora Chuk
* Kumarkota
* Aunibari
* Sakura
*Borapathar
* Digholibari
* Pub Kalita Gaon
* Konch Gaon
* Kukurasuwa
* Dola-Doloni
* Kamdewal
* Borachuk
* Solamora
* Kamdewal
*Majikuchi
* Borbheti
* Khetroati
* Kalmouguri
* 2 No. Sakura
* Jogora Doloni
Etymology
Many tales describe the origin of the name Kalabari:
During the reign of
Chutia
The Chutia people (Pron: or ''Sutia'') are an ethnic group that are native to Assam and historically associated with the Chutia kingdom. However, after the kingdom was absorbed into the Ahom kingdom in 1523–24, the Chutia population was ...
King Dharmanarayan, Kalabari was the state capital. King Dharmanarayan established projects for local development. The King was happy to see that the projects were completed on time with their work and art (Karma and Kala in
Assamese). Hence, King Dharmanarayan kept the name Kala-purna gram (meaning artful village) or Kalap gram. Over time, these words transformed into Kalabri.
Tribes and community
People of Kalabari are either
Mongolians
The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member of ...
or
Aryans
Aryan or Arya (, Indo-Iranian *''arya'') is a term originally used as an ethnocultural self-designation by Indo-Iranians in ancient times, in contrast to the nearby outsiders known as 'non-Aryan' (*''an-arya''). In Ancient India, the term ' ...
. Mongolian tribes include Deori, Chutia, Ahom, Bodo, Karbi, Nishi, Nepali, Brahmins, Goshai, kaibatra, Mahanta, Koch, Kalita, Sut, Motok and Mishing.
Kalabari Bihu
Bihu of Dologuri is known across Assam. In 1680, Sargodeu (King in
Ahom Dynasty) Rajeshwar Singha under the supervision of Kirtichandra Borbaruah built a temple at Dologuri Satra (Kalabari Dakhinpat Satra). From the starting of Chot month, people started practicing Bihu in the field of this Dologuri Satra. After the start of Assamese New Year in Bohag month, the field filled with local and non-local people for Bihu celebrations. The festival ends around the 8th or 9th of Bohag. On the last day, young girls play
bihu
Bihu is a set of three important Assamese festivals in the Indian state of Assam – 'Rongali' or 'Bohag Bihu' observed in April, 'Kongali' or 'Kati Bihu' observed in October, and 'Bhogali' or 'Magh Bihu' observed in January. The Rongali Bihu i ...
under a big tree in an open field and offer blessings. This is called Bihu Bondha or Bihu Uruwa.
Another attraction of Dologuri Bihu is the ''Hepu'' (
dyspnea
Shortness of breath (SOB), also medically known as dyspnea (in AmE) or dyspnoea (in BrE), is an uncomfortable feeling of not being able to breathing, breathe well enough. The American Thoracic Society defines it as "a subjective experience of brea ...
or shortness of breath) performance. The birth of Hepu is said to be due to the pressure of domestic problem some people are kept away from Bihu, later on due to desire of the uncontrollable mind, they come running for long-distance causing shortness of breath or dyspnea which are being used as a peculiar form of Bihu song which is called ‘Hepu’, indigenous only to Dologuri Bihu.
After
Indian independence, over time Bihu became transformed. The bihu under the tree of Dologuri became Bihu mela. From 1963 competition among invited bihu teams started. Taking Dologuri as an example, many Bihu melas were organized in other parts of Kalabari. In this regard, the Bihu mela organized in 1968 by Sadou Kalabari Bohagi Mel is well known. Many Bihu teams were formed . Dologuri, Shilpi Shainik, Mornoiporiya, Pasuwa, Dhumuha, and Borluitporiya. The Bihu teams of Kalabari established themselves in national and international competition. In the 1995 Madras South Asian games, Kalabari represented Assam and the north-east in the opening and closing ceremonies. By accumulating artists from various Bihu teams, the ''Kamdev Satra'' team performed many times outside Assam.
Historical monuments
Basudev Doul
Basudev Doul is a doul that was constructed during the reign of
Ahom Ahom may refer to:
*Ahom people, an ethnic community in Assam
* Ahom language, a language associated with the Ahom people
*Ahom religion, an ethnic folk religion of Tai-Ahom people
*Ahom alphabet, a script used to write the Ahom language
* Ahom kin ...
king
Rajeshwar Singha, as recorded by historian Benudhar Sharma. This doul lies near the Khator gaon (Borachuk), which falls under the Gohpur Revenue circle. Kirti Chandra Borboruah supervised the doul's construction.
Education
Kalabari hosts several educational institutes, including:
* Kalabari College ( Estd. 1993 ) - With an ambition of giving higher education to those educationally deprived people of Kalabari, a few humble citizens of this region established this college in 1992, with the support of the neighboring population. Since its inception, it has produced students who have excelling in a variety of fields. Now it is affiliated to Gauhati University under UGC:2f status.
* Chaiduar B.Ed College
* Kalabari M.V. School ( Estd. 1903 )
* Kalabari Higher Secondary School ( Estd. 1944 )
* Kalabari Girls High School ( Estd. )
* Pachim Kalabari Higher Secondary School (Estd. )
* Dakshin kalabari Higher Secondary School (Estd. )
* Kasturba M.V. School
* Kasturba High School
* Rupjyoti High School
* Dilapakhara High School
* Sakura High School
* Kalabari Sankardev Sishu Vidya Niketon ( Estd. 1997)
References
{{Reflist
Villages in Sonitpur district