Tezpur
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Tezpur in the state of Assam, India, is an ancient town on the banks of the river Brahmaputra. It is the largest of the north bank towns. It's the administrative headquarters of the Sonitpur district of Assam.
Historical ruins of 8th-9th century dot the surrounding areas of the town. They bear resemblance to the Gupta period art. Accordingly there are plenty of myths as well. Modern Tezpur was founded by the British colonial administration in 1835 as the headquarters of Darrang district. Being from the core Assamese cultural region, the town has produced many stalwarts such as Jyoti Prasad Agarwala (1903-51), Bishnu Prasad Rava (1909-69), Phani Sarma (1909-70), Ananda Chandra Agarwala (1874-1939). After independence of India in 1947, it remained the headquarters of Darrang district. During the Indo-China war of 1962 the Chinese army came close to the town and the town had to be evacuated. In 1983 a part of the district was carved out to form a separate district, named Darrang. Tezpur became the headquarters of the new district of Sonitpur. In 1987 the Kolia Bhomora Setu, over the river Brahmaputra, was inaugurated connecting it to the southern district of Nowgaon. The bridge is the longest bridge across the river and spans a total length of 3015 metres. It has become a tourist attraction by itself.
Tezpur has a central university (Tezpur university), apart from numerous colleges and schools. The surrounding tea gardens and agriculture contribute to the local economy. Presently Tezpur is a commercial, administrative and educational centre -- apart from housing a major base of the Indian Army and Airforce (Salonibari). The nearest civilian airport is Saloni -- 8 km from the heart of the city. The distance from the state capital Guwahati is about 190 kilometres. The town attracts tourists for its scenic beauty. The population is largely of heterogenous nature. Assamese, Bengali (mainly migrants from the erstwhile undivided Bengal and the current Bangladesh), Nepali, Bihari, Marwari communities form the majority. People from various tribes such as the Tea-tribes (brought in by the colonial planters as indentured labourers from the Chhotanagpur plateau region), Bodos, Mishings etc. have also made it their home. Like other places in Assam, the issue of illegal migration from Bangladesh adds religious spice to the regular political debates and name-calling.
External links
- http://www.deepraj.com/tezpur.htm
- http://tezpur.tripod.com
- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tezpur
- http://www.assam.org
- http://sonitpur.nic.in/
- http://www.geocities.com/akash_p_b/home/tezpur.htm
| State of Assam | History | Politics | | |
|---|---|
| Capital | Dispur |
| Districts | Barpeta | Bongaigaon | Cachar | Darrang | Dhubri | Dibrugarh | Dhemaji | Golaghat | Goalpara | Hailakandi | Jorhat | Karbi Anglong | Kokrajhar | Kamrup | Karimganj | Lakhimpur | Marigaon | North Cachar Hills | Nagaon | Nalbari | Sibsagar | Sonitpur | Tinsukia |
| Major cities | Barpeta • Bongaigaon • Dhubri • Dibrugarh • Diphu • Goalpara • Guwahati• Jorhat • Karimganj • Nagaon • North Lakhimpur • Sibsagar • Silchar • Tezpur • Tinsukia |
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