Lower Assam division is one of the 5
administrative divisions of Assam
The state of Assam in India has five regional divisions, each comprising a number of districts. The person responsible for the administration of a division is designated as a ''Divisional Commissioner''. History
In 1874, Assam was constituted a ...
. It was formed in 1874, comprising
Undivided Kamrup district
Undivided Kamrup district is a former administrative district located in Western Assam from which Kamrup Rural (2003), Kamrup Metropolitan (2003), Barpeta (1983), Nalbari (1985) and Baksa (2004) districts were formed. It was announced in Janua ...
of
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 ...
, undivided
Darrang
Darrang () is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located at Mangaldoi. The district occupies an area of 1585 km2.
History
No definitive records about Darrang are available for the pre ...
and
Nagoan districts of Central Assam and
Khasi &
Jaintia hills of
Meghalaya
Meghalaya (, or , meaning "abode of clouds"; from Sanskrit , "cloud" + , "abode") is a state in northeastern India. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the state of Assam: (a) the United Khasi Hills and J ...
, created for revenue purposes. The division is under the jurisdiction of a
Commissioner, who is stationed at
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 division currently covers
Western Brahmaputa Valley.
[" heterritory from Biswanath to Goalpara—was known as Western Assam; but another name—Lower Assam—gradually came into use." ] Shri Jayant Narlikar,IAS is the current Commissioner of Lower Assam division.
Districts
Lower Assam division comprises 12 districts, namely
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 ...
,
South Salamara,
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 ...
,
Chirang,
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
Bajali,
Nalbari,
Baksa,
Kamrup and
Kamrup metropolitan. Among these, 3 districts namely Kokrajhar, Chirang and Baksa falls within
Bodoland
The Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), informally Bodoland, is an autonomous region and a proposed state in Assam, Northeast India. It is made up of five districts on the north bank of the Brahmaputra river below the foothills of Bhutan and A ...
# Districts within the
Bodoland Territorial Region
Demographics
As per 2011 census, Lower Assam division has a population of 11,252,365
Languages
According to 2011 census, the total number of Assamese speakers in the division were 59,61,583,
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 ...
speakers were 34,76,953, Boro speakers were 8,70,198 and Hindi speakers were 3,17,958. Although the Bengali speaking population was 30.9% as per as 2011 census language census report, but Lower Assam Division is home to a large
Muslim population of Bengali origin, most of whom now identify as Assamese speakers in the census.
Muslims compromised around 47.5% of the total lower Assam population as of 2011 Census.
See also
*
Upper Assam Division
References
{{reflist
Divisions of Assam