Jorhat

Jorhat (/ˈdʒɔːrhɑːt/ (listen)) is one of the major cities of Assam. It is the headquarter of Jorhat district, which was carved out of Sivasagar district in 1983. Jorhat derives its name from two haats or bazaars "Masorhaat and Sowkihaat" on the banks of River Bhugdoi, a tributary of the river Brahmaputra. The place has a history of the mighty Ahom Kingdom; one of the Ahom warriors liberated the city from the Mughal rulers for which he retains the respect of the people of Assam. The city is also home to the renowned historical monuments of Assamese culture. It has powerful water-bodies like the Brahmaputra River, which forms the largest riverine island in the world, Majuli, the principal place of pilgrimage of Vaishnavites since the times of the Ahom rulers. The cultural diversities which prevailed in Jorhat nearly a century ago has inspired the people to participate in cultural activities through the decades and as a result Jorhat has been able to produce many creative writers, musician, actors, historians and journalists, terming Jorhat "The Cultural Capital of Assam".

This article is about the municipality in India. For its namesake district, see Jorhat district.

Jorhat
City
Clockwise from top: Sukapha Samannay Kshetra, night view of Gar-Ali, National Institute of Design, Millennium Park, Kaziranga university and Bhogdoi bridge
Jorhat
Location in Assam
Jorhat
Jorhat (India)
Coordinates: 26.75°N 94.22°E / 26.75; 94.22
CountryIndia
StateAssam
RegionUpper Assam
DistrictJorhat
Zone3 (Central, East & West)
Ward19
Jorhat Municipal Board1909
Government
 • BodyJorhat Municipal Board
 • Deputy CommissionerRoshni Aparanji Korati, IAS
Area
 • Total72.8 km2 (28.1 sq mi)
Elevation
116 m (381 ft)
Population
 • Total153,889[3]
 • Density3,048/km2 (7,890/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Jorhatian
Languages
 • OfficialAssamese, English
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
785001
Telephone code0376
Vehicle registrationAS-03
Literacy89.42 (2011)%
Legislature typeMunicipality
Lok Sabha constituencyJorhat
Vidhan Sabha constituencyJorhat
Planning agencyJorhat Municipal Board
Websitejorhat.gov.in

Tea plantations are the main agricultural areas around the city which also takes the shape of a tourist attraction given its simple natural charm. There are as many as 135 tea gardens in Jorhat. Apart from the tea plantations, Jorhat is home to other heritage sites and other natural reserves such as Thengal Manor, Raja Maidam (Burial tomb of the last Ahom king Purandar Singha), Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, Dhekiakhowa Bornamghar, Sukapha Samannay Kshetra (Memorial built in the memory of Sukapha, the first Ahom king of Assam (Read more at: https://www.nativeplanet.com/jorhat/attractions/sukapha-samannay-kshetra/)) and Jorhat planetarium. The Dhekiakhowa Bornamghar is the oldest and one of the most famous places of worship in Assam, which attracts a lot of tourists every year. The internationally recognized river island of Majuli is just 20 km away from this city and can be accessed by ferries from Nimati Ghat. The island also encompasses the famous Molai forest built single handed by Jadav Payeng, which attracted global media coverage and on which many documentaries have been based on.

Jorhat today has grown into a city that boasts of a huge number of premier educational institutions, shopping malls, multiplexes, eateries, residential apartments, hotels and resorts. The west of the city accommodates both the Jorhat Airport as well as the ISBT while Jorhat Town railway station lies in central Jorhat.[4][5][6]


Geography

Jorhat is located at 26.75°N 94.22°E / 26.75; 94.22.[7] It has an average elevation of 116 metres (381 feet).

The municipality covers an area of 9 square kilometres (3.5 sq mi),[2] has 19 wards with a population of about 1.53 lakhs at present, with 72.8 square kilometres (28.1 sq mi) for master plan area.[8] The district spreads over 2,851 square kilometres (1,101 sq mi) and had a population of 870,000 according to a 1991 census. Population density at that time was 306 persons per square kilometre (793/sq mi). The sex ratio is 913 (913 females per 1000 males).

Demographics

In 2011, Jorhat District Urban population was 219,565 (includes population of Mariani, Titabor and Teok) of which males and females were 113,555 and 106,010 respectively, while the rural population was 871,730, male 444,389 and female 427,341.[9] There was an increase of 9.21 percent in the population compared to the population of 2001. In the previous census of India 2001, Jorhat recorded an increase of 14.69 percent to its population compared to 1991.[10]

The average literacy rate of Jorhat in 2011 was 91.39%. Gender-wise, male and female literacy were 93.63% and 88.99% respectively, which is one of the highest in the state. The total literates in Jorhat were 182,600 of which male and female were 96,806 and 85,794 respectively.

Jorhat's sex ratio stood at 934 females per 1000 males, according to the Census 2011 Directorate.

History
See also: Timeline of Jorhat

Jorhat ("jor" means twin and "hat" means market) means two hats or mandis- "Masorhaat" and "Sowkihat" which existed on the opposite banks of the river Bhugdoi. During the 18th century, Jorhat was the last capital of the Ahom Kingdom, as a planned town under royal patronage. It is often spelt as "Jorehaut" during the British reign. In 1794, the Ahom King Gaurinath Singha shifted the capital from Sivasagar, erstwhile Rangpur to Jorhat. Many tanks were built around the capital city by the Ahom royalty such as Rajmao Pukhuri or Borpukhuri, Buragohain Pukhuri, Bolia Gohain Pukhuri, Kotoki Pukhuri and Mitha Pukhuri. This town was a flourishing and commercial metropolis but was destroyed by a series of Burmese invasions of Assam between 1817 and the arrival of the British force in 1824 under the stewardship of David Scott and Captain Richard.

From the very first decade of the British rule, revolutionaries like Gomdhar Konwar, Jeuram Medhi, and Piyali Phukan emerged. The British system of administration came into vogue in the year 1839 with an established Police Thana. During the great Sepoy Mutiny, Maniram Dewan and Piyali Barua were publicly hanged here in 1858.

In 1885, a narrow-gauge railway, Jorehaut Provincial Railway, became operational. In time, this contributed to the rapid growth of the tea industry.

Culture

Jorhat is vibrant and combines tradition and modernity. In 1896, Jorhat Theatre was established to perform cultural activities and dramas by some renowned people of the town. The Chandrakanta Handique Bhawan, the headquarters of Asam Sahitya Sabha was established in 1926. Jorhat has produced creative writers, historians and journalists. Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya, the first Assamese to win India's highest literature award, the Jnanpith Award, was from Jorhat.[11]

Media

The six daily newspapers published in Jorhat are - Dainik Janambhumi, Amar Asom, Dainik Agradoot and Asomiya Khobor in Assamese, the Purbanchal Prohori in Hindi and The Telegraph in English. The Eastern Clarion was the first English daily published in the city, but it went into administration. Apart from the dailies, weekly newspapers including Saptahik Janambhumi are also published in Jorhat. City Guide of Jorhat was the first yellow pages, published in July 1987. The first online yellow pages of Jorhatmycity was initiated in January 2013.

Jorhat has a radio broadcast station of All India Radio (AIR) located in the outskirts of the city at Garmur.

District Court
Jorhat court image

The District & Sessions Judge Upper Assam District Jorhat was created on 15 November 1948 and has been made permanent w.e.f the 1 April 1953. The first roll of honor of District & Sessions Judge of Assam Valley, Upper Assam Districts, Jorhat District was Mr. S.K Das, MA, BL. Presently, the territorial jurisdiction of the District is extended over 2(two) sub-divisions namely Majuli Sub-Division and Titabar Sub-Division. Altogether, the District & Sessions Judge and the Chief Judicial Magistrate comprise 15 courts manned by Judicial Officers of various grades. The District & Sessions Judge together with the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court Complex, Jorhat is situated in the heart of the city. The Present District & Sessions Judge as the head of the establishment is Shri Robin Phukan. The present Chief Judicial Magistrate, Jorhat, the head of all the Criminal Courts is Smti. Farhana Sultana.[12][13]

Transport

Air

Jorhat Airport (JRH), commonly known as Rowriah Airport, is located at Rowriah, which is within the city itself, approximately seven kilometres (4.3 mi) from the city centre. The airport has daily flights to Kolkata, New Delhi and Guwahati by IndiGo Airlines and it is controlled by the Airports Authority of India.

Rail

The first rail connectivity in Jorhat began in the British era. In 1885, Jorehaut Provincial Railway, a narrow-gauge railway, became operational; it contributed to the growth of the tea industry of Assam.

The Jorhat Town railway station lies on the Furkating-Jorhat-Mariani branch line of Tinsukia railway division. The trains connecting the city include Guwahati Jorhat Town Jan Shatabdi Express, Guwahati–Mariani Intercity Express (via Jorhat), Guwahati–Dibrugarh Intercity Express (via Jorhat), Dimapur–Mariani Passenger (via Jorhat) and Jorhat–Tinsukia Passenger. The Mariani Junction railway station, situated on the Lumding-Dibrugarh section, is the main railway station of Jorhat district and is about 18 km (11 mi) from Jorhat.

Road

The Inter State Bus Terminus (ISBT) of Jorhat is located at Tarajan, Kotokipukhuri, in the western part of the city, and provides connectivity to elsewhere in the state and the Northeast with regular buses from ASTC and private operators. Auto-rickshaws , Local cabs and Rickshaws are the main mode of public transport within the city.

Waterways

The daily ferry services connect the Nimati ghat with Kamalabari in Majuli. The Neamati multimodal waterways terminal on Brahmaputra National Waterway 2 in Jorhat district is part of the Bharatmala and Sagarmala projects.[14] There are 19 National Waterways for the Northeast connectivity.

Education and research institutions

Research institutes
Main entrance of Rain Forest Research Institute

Universities
Main entrance of Assam Agricultural University

Technical institutes

Design institutes
  • National Institute of Design, Jorhat

Medical institutes

Colleges
Jagannath Barooah College

Higher secondary schools
  • Concept Junior College, Titabar, Jorhat[34]
  • Pragjyotika Junior College[35]

Schools

Politics

Jorhat is part of Jorhat (Lok Sabha constituency).[42]

Topon Kumar Gogoi of the Bharatiya Janata Party is the current Member of Parliament serving the 17th Lok Sabha from Jorhat, Assam. While Hitendra Nath Goswami of B.J.P. is the incumbent M.L.A. from Jorhat assembly constituency.[43]

Notable people

See also

References
  1. Ministry of Home Affairs Directorate of Census Operations, Assam (2011). "District Primary: District Primary Census Abstract 0117 Jorhat: Urban". 1813 Part B District Census Handbook (DCHB) Jorhat (PDF) (Report) (PART XII-B ed.). Assam: Census of India 2011. p. 24. 1813. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  2. "Jorhat Municipal Board, Functions of Jorhat Municipality".
  3. http://www.census2011.co.in/census/metropolitan/180-jorhat.html
  4. http://niti.gov.in/writereaddata/files/Assam-reports.pdf
  5. http://www.elections.in/assam/parliamentary-constituencies/jorhat.html
  6. https://mnre.gov.in/file-manager/UserFiles/Master-Plan-Solar-City/Jorhat_solar_city_master_plan.pdf
  7. "redirect to /world/IN/03/Jorhat.html". fallingrain.com.
  8. "Jorhat Info".
  9. "Census 2011 India". census2011.co.in.
  10. "Jorhat District Population Census 2011, Assam literacy sex ratio and density". Census2011.co.in. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  11. "Bhattacharya, Birendrakumar" in Amaresh Datta, ed., Encyclopaedia of Indian literature vol. 1 (Sahitya Akademi, 1987), ISBN 978-81-260-1803-1, p. 482 (excerpt available at Google Books).
  12. "Jorhat Court Recruitment".
  13. "Jorhat District & Sessions Court".
  14. Bharatmala presentation
  15. "Central Muga Eri Research and Training Institute (C.M.E.R. & T.I.) Lahdoigarh, Jorhat Assam". cmerti.res.in.
  16. "Particulars of I.G.M.R.I.(FS), Jorhat, its functions and duties". Indian Grain Storage and Research Institute, Jorhat. Archived from the original on 13 January 2008. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  17. "ONGC :: Our Initiatives :: Institutes :: I.N.B.I.G.S." Ongcindia.com. Archived from the original on 28 August 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  18. "ONGC ::Bilingual-Home". Ongcindia.com. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  19. toonworks business solution (1 January 2004). "Welcome NEIST". Rrljorhat.res.in. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  20. "Tocklai". tocklai.net.
  21. "Kaziranga University : A 21st Century Career University with a focus on research in emerging areas of Science, Technology and Management". kazirangauniversity.in.
  22. http://www.jiatc.org Archived 11 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  23. "Jorhat Institute of Science and Technology". jistassam.in. Archived from the original on 28 January 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  24. Webx. "Welcome to Jorhat Medical college". Archived from the original on 22 March 2010.
  25. "Dr. Jiba Kanta Saikia Homoeopathic Medical college and hospital".
  26. "JORHAT CHRISTIAN MEDICAL CENTRE".
  27. "Welcome to Bahona College". Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  28. "CKB Commerce College". ckbcc.org. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  29. "D.C.B. Girls College, Jorhat, Asssam". dcbgirlscollegejorhat.org. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  30. "Welcome to J B College". Jagannath Barooah College. Archived from the original on 24 April 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  31. http://www.jorhatcollege.org.in Archived 9 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  32. "Jorhat Law College, Jorhat, Assam, India- BA LLB, LLB, LLM". jorhatlawcollege.org. Archived from the original on 21 February 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  33. "Kakojan College, Kakojan".
  34. "Welcome To CONCEPT Group Of Institutions & Publications". Concept Edu. Archived from the original on 1 August 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  35. "Welcome to "Pragjyotika A Group Of Institutions"". Pragjyotika Group Of Institutions. Archived from the original on 21 May 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  36. "Don Bosco Hr. Sec. School – Baghchung, Jorhat". dbsjorhat.org.
  37. http://www.sankardevseminary.org Archived 2 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  38. http://www.dongme.ning.com Archived 9 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  39. "Kendriya Vidyalaya, AFS Jorhat". Kvafsjorhat.org. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  40. "Kendriya Vidyalaya N E I S T (RR L) Jorhat". Kvrrljorhat.org. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  41. "Kendriya Vidyalaya ONGC Jorhat". Kvongcjorhat.org. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  42. "List of Parliamentary & Assembly Constituencies" (PDF). Assam. Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 May 2006. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
  43. "Jorhat (Assam) Election Results 2016". Election.in. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
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