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!Jorhat district Jorhat is a district in the state of Assam in India. It is located between the Brahmaputra on the north and Nagaland on the south at 26°46' north latitude and 96° 16' east longitude in the central part of Brahmaputra Valley. The district is bounded by Lakhimpur district on north, Nagaland state on the south, Sivasagar on the east and Golaghat on the west. On the North of the district, the river Brahmaputra forms the largest riverine island of the world, Majuli, which spreads over 924.6 square kilometres with a population of about 150,000. The administrative seat is located at Jorhat town. Jorhat means a couple of (Jor) markets (Hat). These marts were at Chowkihut and Macharhut, which lay on the eastern and the western banks of the river Bhogdoi, a tributary of Brahmaputra. The area of the district is 2851 sq km. Population of the district as per census 2011 was 1,092,256. The population comprises predominantly Hindus and Muslims. Jorhat is the first fully literate district in Assam. Earlier Jorhat was sub-division of undivided Sibsagar District. In 1983 Jorhat was carved out of Sibsagar District. The present Jorhat District consists of three (3) Sub-divisions namely Jorhat, Majuli and Titabor. The district is devided into 6 revenue circles and 8 development blocks. The Jorhat town gained in importance after Ahom king Swargadeo Gaurinath relocated his capital from Rangpur (present-day Sivasagar) in 1794. It was the last capital of the Ahom Kingdom and home to many historical monuments of Assamese culture. It was destroyed during the Burmese raids before the British began rebuilding in the early 1800s. The district had been the principal place of pilgrimage of Vaishnavites since the age of the Ahom rulers. Several Satras (monasteries) resembling those of medieval times are headed by Satradhikars teaching Vaishnavism, which was introduced by Srimanta Sankardeva (1449-1568). Each Satra has an unknown wealth of Vaishnavite scriptures and extensive revenue-free lands cultivated by the Bhakats (celebated monks) of the Satras. Today, Jorhat is referred to as Assam’s tea capital thanks to some 300 tea estates around. It is also referred to as "The Cultural Capital of Assam".

Page last modified on Thursday March 10, 2016 02:33:40 GMT-0000