Dhemaji district ( or ) is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located in Dhemaji and commercial headquarters are located in Silapathar. Dhemaji covers an area of 3,237 km2 and has a population of 686,133 (as of 2011). The predominant religion is Hinduism, with Hindus comprising approximately 95.47% of the population.
Etymology The district's name Dhemaji is derived from the Deori-Chutia word Dema-ji which means great water. The name is a reference to the region being prone to flooding.Brown, W.B. An Outline of the Deori-Chutia language. Assam secretariat printing office,1895, p. 70.
History
Medieval period
The areas of the present district formed part of the Chutia kingdom, whose territory extended over much of the north bank of the upper Brahmaputra Valley as far as Biswanath district."..the Chutiya kingdom was bound by the Himalayas on the north, river Burhi Dihing on the south, Patkai ranges on the east and Bharali river in the west. Robinson and following him, N.N.Acharya, are of the opinion that the Chutia kingdom extended up to Viswanath in the present Darrang district of Assam." Chutia rule in the wider region continued until the Ahom conquest of 1523–1524. Following the conquest, the Ahom administration created several new offices for the newly acquired territories, including the Bhatialia Gohain stationed at Habung, south of Dhemaji and Sadiyakhowa Gohain for the northern Dhemaji region. Archaeological and religious remains associated with Chutia rule in Dhemaji and the adjoining foothill region include Malinithan, Garakhia Than, Bordoloni Than, and the Rajakhana ruins and tank.Barua, Swarnalata, Chutia Jatir Buranji, p. 439.
Misings of Dhemaji
The north-bank frontier also contained a substantial Miri (Mising) population. The Misings inhabiting parts of the erstwhile Chutia Kingdom were designated as the Chutia Miri by the Ahoms during the reign of Suhungmung, the Dihingia Raja. The Ahom kingdom regulated its relations with the Hill Miris through the posa system. Lakshmi Devi, citing Alexander Mackenzie, notes that the Hill Miris commanding the cultivated tracts of Bordoloni, Sisi and Dhemaji had acquired an acknowledged right to collect posa, which was recognised by the Ahom government.
During the reign of Udayaditya Singha, a dispute arose between the Chutias and the Miris of Dhemaji after a group of Chutias attacked the Miri villages of Dimau (likely present-day Dimow, Dhemaji) and Rupia (likely present-day Rupahi, near Dimow), killed several inhabitants, and carried away Mar-boats due as tribute to the Ahom king. The conflict continued under Ramdhwaj Singha, with Ahom officials operating through Miri intermediaries and from Tinimukhia. The Sadiyakhowa and Marangikhowa Gohains were ordered to fortify the mouth of the Sessa, while officials from Tinimukhia travelled by boat along the Dihang towards Chutia settlements, where some Chutias assembled or sheltered in Miri villages. The Tai text of the Ahom Buranji names the river Di-hang, though Barua translated it as "Dihing".
The Ahom Buranji further records that the Chutias of this tract were required to acknowledge the Ahom king as sovereign and furnish elephant tusks, wild cattle, sikaradaos, jin cloth and female slaves as tribute. Their compliance marked the first establishment of tributary obligations upon these particular Chutia communities following the conflict.
Colonial period
During the colonial period, Dhemaji remained part of the larger Lakhimpur district. Nineteenth-century accounts continued to describe the Hill Miri country as lying north of the Sisi and Dhemaji mouzas, while the posa claims of the Hill Miris were associated with the cultivated tracts of Bordoloni, Sisi and Dhemaji. Dhemaji became a fully-fledged district on 14 October 1989 when it was split from Lakhimpur district.
Geography
The Dhemaji district occupies an area of , roughly equivalent to Solomon Islands' Makira Island. It is one of the fastest developing districts of India, and located at the easternmost part of Assam. Being in a confluence of rivers, with the Brahmaputra river flanking the district and its numerous tributaries running through the district, the region is perennially affected by floods. The heart of Dhemaji district is Dhemaji Mouza (an area demarcated by the British regime for the purpose of tax collection, equivalent to a taluk or pargana in the pan-Indian context). Secondly, Silapathar is the main business place of Dhemaji. The Bogibil project was running nearest to these place and is completed which connects Dibrugarh.
Education
The notable schools in the district include Borpataria L. P. School, Bhairabpur Netaji M. E. School, St.Francis de Sales School, Dhemaji Public School, Moridhal High School, Sankar Dev High School (No. 2 Manik Pur), Mother's Pride School, Silapathar Town Hanuman Gadhi Hindi High School and Dhemaji Boys' Higher Secondary School. Colleges in Dhemaji District are: Dhemaji College Dhemaji Commerce College Dhemaji Girls College Moridhal College Machkhowa Degree College Sisiborgaon College Pachim Dhemaji College Simen Chapori College Gogamukh College Bordoloni Central College Dimow College Silapathar College Silapathar Science College Silapathar Town College Purbanchal College Murkongselek College Jonai Girls College Jonai Science College Akajan College Dhemaji Engineering College Dhemaji Polytechnic Industrial Training Institute, Dhemaji DIET College Dhemaji Dhemaji PGT College (Private)
Economy In 2006, the Indian government named Dhemaji as one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is one of the eleven districts in Assam currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).
Silapathar is the most developed city in Dhemaji district. Its economy is mainly depended upon trade and commerce for development.
Divisions There are two Assam Legislative Assembly constituencies in this district: Dhemaji and Jonai. Both are designated for scheduled tribes. They make up a part of the Lakhimpur Lok Sabha constituency. Dhemaji district is politically very poor. Community politics is the main reason for this. As of 2019, Pradhan Baruah is MP (Member of Parliament), Ranuj Pegu is MLA from Dhemaji and Bhubon Pegu from Jonai.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census Dhemaji district has a population of 686,133, roughly equal to the nation of Equatorial Guinea or the US state of North Dakota. This gives it a ranking of 504th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 20.3%. Dhemaji has a sex ratio of 949 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 69.07%. 7.04% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes made up 6.45% and 47.45% of the population respectively.
Hindus are 95.47% of the population. There are small minorities of Muslims (1.96%) and Christians (1.27%). After Majuli district, Dhemaji has the second-highest proportion of Hindus of all districts in Assam.
According to the 2011 census, 39.21% of the district's population speaks Assamese, 32.53% Mising, 9.80% Bengali, 6.95% Boro, 5.26% Nepali, 1.49% Hindi and 0.95% Hajong as their first language.
Township areas Dhemaji Dimow Gogamukh Jonai Bazar Kulajan Silapathar Sissiborgaon Telam
Flora and fauna In 1996 Dhemaji district became home to the Bardoibum-Beelmukh Wildlife Sanctuary, which has an area of . It shares the park with Lakhimpur district.
References
External links Dhemaji district official website List of districts of Assam