Udalguri district

Udalguri district (Pron:ˌʊdʌlˈgʊəri), also known as Odalguri, is a district in the Bodoland Territorial Region of the state of Assam in Northeastern India. Udalguri town is the headquarters of the district.

Udalguri district
District
Map of Udalguri District
Country India
State Assam
Territorial Region Bodoland
HeadquartersUdalguri
Area
 • Total1,852.16 km2 (715.12 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total831,688
 • Density450/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (IST)
PIN
784509
Telephone code03711
ISO 3166 codeIN-AS
Vehicle registrationAS-27
Websiteudalguri.gov.in

Etymology

UDALGURI a name itself originated from flora origin. ODAL, a tree, +suffix GOOR>GURI means roots, surrounding etc., i.e., a place surrounding the Udal tree. Some want to say that the name came to be known with a place centred round a 'ODAL tree', while the others are in opinion that the name of the place became Udalguri because there was a hermitage of a sage named Uddalak Muni. But, perhaps it is more appropriate to believe that after the Bodo words 'ORDLA' + 'GUNDRI' the name became ORDLAGUNDRI > ORDLAGUNDI > ODALGURI > UDALGURI. Bodo people still pronounce the name as Odalguri. In bodo language 'ORDLA' means wide and spacious and 'GUNDRI' means powdered object.[1]

History

This district was formed on June 14, 2004[2] as one of the four districts under the Bodoland Territorial Council. This district was carved out by bifurcating Darrang district.[2] The territory of the present district was earlier Udalguri sub-division of the undivided district. There are Hindu, Christians and Muslim population living together in the district. This was a very peaceful place till mid 80s but various communal clashes took place from time to time. Late Jojaram Sharma was one of the prominent India freedom fighters from Assam lived here.

Tourism

Other than the multitude of culture and tradition of the various ethnic communities, the district has several tourist places. Some of the important ones are,

  1. Part of Manas National Park
  2. Bathou temple and Research centre in Odalguri District (All Bathou Mahasabha)
  3. Old Namghar (Assamese Worship Place) in Udalguri Town
  4. Old Hanuman temple in Udalguri Town
  5. Old Baptist Christian church in Udalguri Town
  6. Bhairabkunda Picnic Spot[3]
  7. Gethsemane Man-made Forest (Bhairabkunda)[4][5][6][7]

Demographics
Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
190172,515—    
191172,634+0.02%
192181,624+1.17%
1931102,727+2.33%
1941138,593+3.04%
1951172,046+2.19%
1961278,788+4.95%
1971439,022+4.65%
1991692,919+2.31%
2001758,746+0.91%
2011831,668+0.92%
source:[8]

According to the 2011 census Udalguri district's population is 8,31,668, an increase of 9.8% over 2001.[9] The literacy rate is 66.6% and the gender ratio is 966.[9] There are 449 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,160/sq mi).[9] The district is multi-ethnic and multi-religious in nature. Bodos forms the largest ethnic group in the district with 30% of the district's population. Other ethnic groups with significant population are Adivasi community with almost 23% and Bengali Muslims with 12% of the district's population. Assamese and Bengali Hindus resides mainly in urban areas. There is also a presence of sizeable Nepali speaking Indian Gorkha community with estimated 5% of the district's population thinly scattered across the Udalguri district. There are also 110,215 Christians (13.25%) and 108,319 Muslims (12.66%) in the district.

Geography

This district is bounded by Bhutan and West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh state in the north, Sonitpur district in the east, Darrang district in the south and Baksa district in the west. Area of the district is 1852.16 km2.[10]

National protected area

Flora and fauna

In 1990, Udalguri district became home to Manas National Park, which has an area of 500 km2 (193.1 sq mi).[11] It shares the park with four other districts.

Animals like Elephant, Hog Deer, Tiger, Wild Boar, Civet, etc. are found. Birds like Bengal Florican, Black-necked Stork, Greater Adjudant Stork, Pallas's Fishing Eagle and Reptiles such as King Cobra, Python, Paradise Flying Snake[12], Lessemys Punctate, etc. can also be found.

Administration

Divisions

The district has two sub-divisions: Udalguri and Bhergaon. These two sub-divisions are further divided into 9 revenue circles: Udalguri, Majbat, Harisinga, Kalaigaon, Khoirabari, Dalgaon, Patharighat, Mangaldoi and Dhekiajuli.

Three Vidhan Sabha constituencies of this district are Paneri, Majbat, and Udalguri. All of these are part of Mangaldoi Lok Sabha constituency.

Apart from these three Legislative Assembly constituencies, majority of the villages under Kalaigaon Legislative Assembly Constituency and a few villages fall under the Borsola Legislative Assembly Constituency fall in Udalguri District. While Kalaigaon LAC is a part of Mangaldai Lok Sabha Constituency and Borsola LAC is a part of Tezpur Lok Sabha Constituency.

References
  1. http://udalguri.gov.in/districthistory.html
  2. Law, Gwillim (2011-09-25). "Districts of India". Statoids. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
  3. "HOME". udalguri.gov.in. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
  4. "Afforestation changes life and landscape: How a district in Assam lost a forest, gained a future". The Indian Express. 2017-12-25. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
  5. "Unknown saviors of the environment: Thirty-five men create a forest from barren land". Mongabay Environmental News. 2020-01-24. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
  6. Desk, Sentinel Digital (2019-07-15). "Joint Forest Management Committee attempts transforming 60 hectares land into green jungle- Sentinelassam". www.sentinelassam.com. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
  7. "Man-made forest at Bhairabkunda". Assam Times. 2016-07-20. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
  8. Decadal Variation In Population Since 1901
  9. "District Census 2011". Census2011.co.in.
  10. Assam state website – Udalguri district
  11. Indian Ministry of Forests and Environment. "Protected areas: Assam". Archived from the original on August 23, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  12. "Flying snake found at Bhairabkunda". Assam Times. 2016-04-03. Retrieved 2020-05-15.

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