Golaghat
Golaghat one of the largest subdivisions of the Indian state of Assam, later elevated to the position of a full–fledged district headquarter on 5 October 1987, is a city and a municipality, and the seat of administrative operations of Golaghat district, besides being a twin city to Jorhat which is about 55 km away. It is one of the oldest urban areas in Assam that recently featured on the Smart Cities nominations list, along with Guwahati and four other prominent urban areas of the state; although losing out to Guwahati at the final stage. The Dhansiri, one of the tributaries of the Brahmaputra, passes through Golaghat, and is the primary water source for its citizens.
One of the earliest tea urban centres in Assam that has been the headquarters of the oldest subdivision for over years since 1839, the local government body, Golaghat Municipal Board, was set up in 1920, becoming a long-established civic body of the state, formed before independent India. It is a historical body of years of age in continuous operation dating as far back as the early 1920s.
Golaghat has the inceptive post/mail service and telegraphic communication systems in Assam going back to 1876. The oldest social – literature/rhetorical congresses of Assam – the Golaghat Sahitya Sabha of Asam Sahitya Sabha, also began here in 1918. The Golaghat Amateur Theatre Society, one of the premier theater societies of the state, was set up here in 1895 to uplift the dramatic and cultural activities in the region, particularly Golaghat. The Golaghat Bar Association, founded in 1891, is one of the oldest legal societies in Assam, especially in the Upper – Assam division.
Golaghat has a number of heritage buildings and sites – the Golaghat British Cemetery, constructed in 1876, the Bezbaruah Higher Secondary School, set up in the late 19th century in the year 1886 by the educationalist Dinanath Bezbarua, the Baptist Church founded by the American missionaries in 1898, the Christian High School built by the American Women Foreign Mission Society in 1919, Assam's first department store – Doss & Co., constructed in 1930, and incorporated under the Registrar of Companies – Shillong in the year 1955 to name a few.
The headquarters of Assam Valley Tea Planters' Association was also based in Golaghat. Set up in 1941 under Mahendra Nath Barooah
Assam's first major political party, the AGP was formed here, and launched in the year 1985 at the historic Golaghat Convention and by 2008; the same members of the convention reunified the party at this place.
The place is also the headquarters of The North Eastern Tea Association, one of the tea growers' groups in the state of Assam, a constituent member of Consultative Committee of Plantation Associations, Assam Valley branch.
Etymology
The name Golaghat originated from the shops established by the Marwari businessmen during the mid-20th century at the bank of river Dhansiri near present Golaghat.There is another view, which is more sophisticated and older than the arrival of British and Indian businessmen. During the Ahom kingdom era, there was a storehouse of cannonballs also locally called Gola and transported by local ferry Ghat, from which name Golaghat is derived.
History
Ancient history
The stone inscription of Nagajari-khanikar village of Sarupathar, dating back to the 5th century, reveals that there was an independent kingdom in Doyang – Dhansiri valley, and the relics of ramparts, brick structures, temples, tanks etc. discovered in these areas suggest the presence of a kingdom during 9th and 10th century.The Doyang – Dhansiri valley came under the rule of Ahom's during the 16th century. Prior to that, this part was ruled by the Kacharis known as Herombial. During Ahom rule, this area was under Morongi-khowa Gohain, an administrative officer.
Early modern
In 1751, certain portions of Barpathar, Sarupathar Barangi mauzas of Golaghat circle and Duarbagari of Bokakhat circle were transferred to the United Mikir and N.C. Hills districts.During the declining days of Ahoms when their independent sovereignty had come to an end, Purandar Singha was entrusted in 1833 with the administration of Upper – Assam by the East India Company who had already won mastery over Assam. However, this artificial ornamentation by scion of Ahom Royal House was short lived, and in the year 1838 AD, the whole area was resumed by the authorities of the company and annexed to the British territory with the appointment of Col. Aham White as the political agent on 16 September during the same year.
By a proclamation in 1839, the British took possession of Assam, and the area was divided into two districts of Lakhimpur and Sibsagar, where the Doyang – Dhansiri valley was included under the newly formed Golaghat subdivision of Sibsagar district in 1839. Golaghat became the largest subdivision in Assam and comprised Dergaon and Golaghat circles. Golaghat circle was the largest among them with 150.10 sq. mi of area, while Dergaon was the smallest. During this time, Purandar Singha continued to rule with Jorhat as the capital of his territory, Upper – Assam, but with the formation of two other subdivisions, one at Jaipur and the other at Golaghat.
On 18 December 1846, Jorhat was declared a subdivision comprising certain portions of Golaghat subdivision.
The earliest head post offices of the Assam circle of British Assam were located in Golaghat besides Debrughur, Goahati, Jorhat, Nowgong, Sibsagar, Shillong and Tezpore.
Much later after telegraph lines had been stretched between Calcutta and Guwahati in 1869; Golaghat got its speaking wires' system in and around 1876. The lines were stretched to connect Golaghat with Kohima, Shillong with Goahati, Sibsagar with Nazerah and Debrughur with Makum.
In British Assam, Golaghat derived its importance chiefly because of having advanced communication systems during that time and on account of its connection by road with Kohima. One of the oldest railway lines in Assam was also built in Golaghat. The text noted from the book Glimpse of Assam written by Mrs. SR Ward in 1884 states that, Mr Bryers who was then the Chief of Cachar and Assam Railway Survey succeeded in finding a railway route that would be carried up the Dhunsiri valley to Golaghat... thus giving Assam direct railway communication with Chittagong and Calcutta.
Late modern and contemporary
Golaghat elevated to the position of a full-fledged district in Assam comprising an area of 3,502 km2 on 5 October 1987 and is known for its notable contribution in India's independence movement, arts and culture, literature and sports in the region.- Kushal Konwar, Kamala Miri, Dwariki Das, Biju Vaishnav, Sankar Chandra Barua, Tara Prasad Barooah, Maheshwar Barooah, Rajendra Nath Barua, Gaurilal Jain, Ganga Ram Bormedhi and Dwarikanath Goswami are Indian independence activists of the town.
- The 19th century writer, Hem Chandra Barua, who authored the first Assamese dictionary Hemkosh hailed from Golaghat.
- Ghanashyam Barua, a resident of this place, reckoned in the field of politics as the first Central Minister of Assam, translated William Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors into Assamese along with three of his partners.
- Several national and international sportspeople in fields of athletics, table tennis, tennis, boxing and football have come from Golaghat.
- Numaligarh Refinery is the biggest revenue generating industrial sector in Golaghat.
Administration
Local government
The administration of Golaghat is formed of two tiers: a city-wide and a local tier. The city-wide administration is coordinated by the Golaghat Development Authority, while the local administration is carried out by the Golaghat Municipal Board. The development authority functions under the Directorate of Town and Country Planning – Urban Development Department, Government of Assam, and is responsible for the implementation of infrastructure projects, besides preparation of master plan for Golaghat urban area to ensure distributed growth. The authority works closely with the municipal board.The municipal board covers the geographical area of within Golaghat and has the administration over 9,646 houses to which it supplies basic amenities like water and sewerage, besides performing certain obligatory services as a part of the local administration.
The Deputy Commissioner of Golaghat is the executive head, and is responsible for law and order, implementation of government schemes, besides being also authorised to hear revenue cases pertaining to the district.
The Chairperson of Golaghat is an elected representative who is accountable for the strategic governance of Golaghat headquarters. The Chairperson directs the elected Ward Comissioners in entirety of Golaghat on various civic matters.
The main functions include, but not limited to the following:
- Strategic planning, including housing, waste management, the environment and production of the Golaghat Master Plan
- Refuse or permit planning permission on strategic grounds
- Transport policy
- Fire and emergency planning, delivered by the functional body
- Policing and crime policy
- Economic development, delivered through the functional body Golaghat Development Authority
- Power to create development corporations
Neighbourhoods
The oldest borough in Golaghat is Amolapatty.
Geography
Scope
Golaghat is located at. It has an average elevation of 95 metres.The Golaghat telephone area code covers a larger area, the entire Golaghat district, while the PINs 785 621 – 785 702 range from Golaghat H.O. to other regions, such as the sub–office delivery in Bengenakhowa, branch office in Missionpatty etc.
Status
Golaghat presently comprises the areas within the jurisdiction of Golaghat Municipal Board, however, the proposed planning covers an extended area of Golaghat Grant and Bengenakhowa Grant, besides the Amolapatty region.Topography
Golaghat encompasses a total area of, an area which has a population of ~ 60,000 and a population density of ~ 8303.55 inhabitants per square kilometres. Dhansiri River, one of the important tributaries of Brahmaputra River, is the primary geographical feature of Golaghat which is a navigable river and the main factor for the growth of human settlements in the region. The Dhansiri is a tidal river, and Golaghat and surrounding areas are vulnerable to flooding.Climate
Like most of the hill areas of Northeast India, Golaghat has a subtropical highland climate characterised by pleasant, dry and sunny winters and warm, humid and very wet summers.Summer
The summer season is very warm and usually humid starting from the end of March, and continuing until October. Golaghat falls within the temperate region with monsoon-type rainfall prevailing through the year. Summer days typically range from but the humidity makes it feel hotter. South–west monsoons that lasts from June to September are responsible for a total average of out of an annual total of of annual rainfall.Winter
Winter commences from the month of November with less rainfall and misty mornings and afternoons. By December, afternoon temperatures are a pleasant and mornings average.When compared with winter, the summers have much more rainfall.
Although located in the one of the environmentally clean regions of India, the recent studies of air pollution levels in Golaghat have suggest poor air quality in the region with harmful air particulate matter levels higher than the standards.
Architecture
Being one of the oldest municipal regions in Assam, Golaghat has many pre-independence style of bungalows in Assam–type architecture, the design style that has houses with high ceilings and light tin roof, and wooden or concrete flooring. However, with time, such characteristic designs are replaced with RCC houses and buildings.Demography
Previously in 2001 Census, Golaghat recorded a population of 33,021, constituting 53 percent males and 47 percent females of the total population, with 11 percent of the population under 6 years of age. The average literacy rate was noted to be 82%, higher than the national average of 59.5 percent, where male literacy stood at 84 percent, and female literacy at 79 percent respectively.In 2011 Census, Golaghat registered the lowest child sex ratio of 884 females per 1000 males, and the highest percentage of household-industry workers in the district at 4.98 percent. Males recorded a lower percentage than females at 2.57 males and 13.90 percent females respectively.
The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes were at 3.69 percent and 1.21 percent i.e., a total of 1,549 and 507 populations respectively; and 3979 to be the total slum population in the city.
The 2001-literacy rate of 82 percent increased to 90.93 percent in 2011, with the highest number of literates in the district, but at the same time, reporting the highest number of illiterates with 7,637 persons.
The largest religious groupings of the census are Hindus, and the smallest are undeclared at 0.11.
Economy
The modern economy in Golaghat began with a system of organized banking that started in 1926 with a functioning branch of the Gauhati Bank. The years thereafter led to the establishment of other newer banks, namely; the Union Bank, a cooperative bank under the presidency of Debeshwar Rajkhowa in 1930 and the Comilla Banking Corporation Limited in 1937. Later, the merger of Comilla Banking Corporation Limited with Tripura Modern Bank Limited led to the formation of United Bank of India branch in 1950.Golaghat is an agrarian economy, comprising cultivation of cash crop: tea, besides food crops, such as rice and sugarcane.
Tea industry
Golaghat has played a significant role in the tea industry of Assam and there is a saying that one can’t make bad tea in the Golaghat belt. The small tea growers' movement was also started from Golaghat. As per the latest statistics, Golaghat has the third highest number of small tea growers and third highest number of bought leaf factories in Assam.The region has sixty three large tea estates with a turnover of twenty thousand tonnes of tea per year. Small-scale tea growers that are based here have also provided considerable traction to the economy because of large incomes. The Golaghat-based organisation, NETA representing 32 tea producers contributing 75 million kg of tea, has planned to set up tea boutiques for the promotion and easy accessibility of fresh, non-blended authentic tea at reasonable prices to consumers. The Tea Board of India also organises period small tea growers conventions in Golaghat for understanding domestic trade challenges and providing strategic directions for the growth of the economy.
Heavy industry
The Numaligarh refinery is the major heavy industry in the region processing three million tonnes of crude oil per yer.International Trade Centre
An international trade centre for the regulation and governance of Agarwood cultivation and trade is going to be set up in Golaghat. The centre will assist in the export promotion efforts of Assam's economy by informing on export markets and marketing, besides helping in the development of export promotion services.Transport
Aviation
is the nearest airport from Golaghat.Rail
Golaghat Railway Station is located at Bet Mahal, and the main rail-head is Furkating, about 10 km from the Golaghat municipal area. There are daily and weekly trains running through the Furkating junction to other cities of the country.Roads
Golaghat is well connected by roadways to all the cities and towns in Assam. The National Highway 39 starts from Numaligarh and touching Golaghat in its south-west corner. The State Highway SH-1: Dhodar Ali passes through Golaghat.Education
Golaghat has been a centre of education and research. The place has old institutions which have been credited with students' high academic performances and record scores in the past when being compared to other institution equivalents of similar repute in Assam. The Regional Research and Training Centre on Indian Traditional Treatment is also located here.Tertiary education
Colleges in Golaghat are controlled by Dibrugarh University. Where Debraj Roy College and Golaghat Commerce College are full-fledged degree colleges, Reliance College Jr. is an intermediate-studies' college.In the fields of legal and engineering studies, and Golaghat Engineering College are major centers of education in the region.
Primary and secondary education
Primary and secondary education in Golaghat are offered by various schools affiliated to one of the boards of education, such as the High School Leaving Certificate of Board of Secondary Education, Assam, All India Secondary School Examination of Central Board of Secondary Education and Indian Certificate of Secondary Education of Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination. Schools in Golaghat are either government-run or are private.After completing secondary education, teenagers either attend Higher Secondary School Leaving Certificate through institutions affiliated to Assam Higher Secondary Education Council or All India Senior Secondary School Examination affiliated to CBSE or Indian School Certificate affiliated to CISCE in one of the three streams – liberal arts or humanities, commerce or sciences with combination electives.
Primary school, such as the Town Model School, established in 1888 is years old school in operation, whereas secondary school, such as Bezbaruah Higher Secondary School is over years of age functioning since 1886. Sacred Heart School, set up by catholic missionaries in the year 1959, Vivekananda Kendra Vidyalaya and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya are relatively newer schools in Golaghat.
Culture
Leisure and entertainment
Golaghat offers required leisure and pleasure trips in and around the region. The place has tea processing units and other old landmarks and resorts, such as the Gymkhana and the Circuit House.The Assam government has planned to launch the homestay scheme which will include building around sixty homestays to boost tourism in the Golaghat region.
Golaghat Gymkhana
is a public/private members' club located on Station Road in Golaghat. Consisting mostly the citizens of Golaghat, it is a heritage bungalow built in 1910 and is a clubhouse. years old building had been renovated to convert into a modern clubhouse.The present–day club, open to all, is equipped with a lounge bar along with a billiard table, a gymnasium and a swimming pool, besides a restaurant.
Although anyone may apply for the membership to avail 'members-only' facilities, such as the gymnasium, applications may be reviewed to make an informed decision.
Golaghat's heritage Gymkhana Club, then the centre of entertainment and merry-making for military personnels, much like Jorhat, was destroyed during the Quit India Movement.
Museum and heritage sites and buildings
Natural History Museum
is located on Mission Road, and was the former place of residence of late Dr Robin Banerjee, a naturalist of international repute.Full of artefacts, mementoes, movies and other personal collections of Banerjee's lifetime, the museum showcases 587 dolls and 262 other showpieces which had been presented by admirers and children during his trips to abroad and in the country.
Golaghat Baptist Church
is one of the oldest and biggest Baptist churches in Assam that was established in December 1898, and had celebrated its centenary anniversary in 1999.Golaghat British Cemetery
, established in 1876, is located on the premises opposite to Cally Coomar Doss & Co., adjacent to the circle office of Assam Power Distribution Company Limited. It is Assam's one of the oldest burial grounds containing 28 burials of British officers of tea estates and their families, and is open for public viewing.Doss & Co.
Constructed in 1930 and incorporated years ago as Cally Coomar Doss Co. Pvt. Ltd. under the Registrar of Companies – Shillong in the year 1955, located at Krishna Building, the Golaghat Doss & Co. is the oldest Department Store, and the largest during that time, that was established before India's independence from Britain.The general merchants' store belonging to entity of company with limited shareholders and an authorised capital of ₹500,000 and paid–up capital of ₹210,000, still stands to this day, trading in the same building at the heart of the city centre, having many divisions comprising home appliances, electronics, and additionally select other lines of products such as paint, hardware, toiletries, cosmetics, photographic equipment, jewellery, toys, and sporting goods, among others.
Having built long ago, and reckoned as the earliest department store in the organised retail space, and with a legacy of sixty plus years in the state of Assam, the store is one of the recommended places for tourists in Golaghat, and has an official Assam Travel Guide entry, issued and published by Assam Tourism under the Joint Secretary Finance of Tourism Departments, Assam Secretariat.
Two years later, a second branch of this store was opened in Jorhat in the year 1957. The company was incorporated on 1 March 1957 under the name of Jorhat Doss Co. Pvt. Ltd. marked by Registrar of Companies – Shillong .
The two stores with an age difference of two years, and with the assigned registration numbers of 1063 and 1086 respectively, laid the first foundations of department stores in the region, establishing Doss & Co. – Golaghat as the thousand sixty–third and Doss & Co. – Jorhat, the thousand eighty–sixth, limited companies in Assam to be listed under the category of Trading as the principal business activity based on the classification of registered companies by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India.
Deopahar ruins
A historical spot that has one of the finest sculptures of the pre-Ahom period, relating to the Kingdom of Jarasanda. An important archaeological site in the state, located on the hills amidst the tropical forests, consisting the ruins of an ancient temple, and a vast range of sculptured stone blocks of pre-Cambrian rocks – the architectural style is of the later Gupta-era.The archaeological site, situated in Numaligarh, is a protected by the Directorate of Archaeology, Government of Assam, India.
The site is atop a hillock called by the same name by the side of the National Highway 39. The hillock is a part of a forest reserve.
Music and art
Golaghat exerts a considerable impact upon the arts, music, education, entertainment of the region. It houses some of the oldest institutions of performing arts, and has produced many Assamese film directors and producers, such as Munin Baruah and Tapobrata Barua.Golaghat is home to earliest film houses, projecting celluloid prints for viewing films, such as the Uravashi and the Chitralekha picture houses. However, with the advent of multiplexes, these have now been either closed or demolished.
Golaghat Amateur Theatre Society
, established in 1895, is the oldest theatre society in Assam having its own auditorium. Most of the seminars, conferences, theatres, including experimental theatres, meetings and other workshops in the city are organised and conducted by GATS.Ajanta Kala Mandal
Established in 1951, the Ajanta Kala Mandal is one of the oldest centres of teaching and propagation of Sattriya – the classical dance form of Assam. Set up by Pradeep Chaliha, a trained and renowned dancer of Assam and an honorary D. Litt. title holder from Dibrugarh University, the Ajanta Kala Mandal has trained numerous classical dancers of Assam since its inception, including internationally acclaimed Sattriya dancer, Indira P.P. Bora''. The institute continues to train dancers and organizes various cultural workshops for the promotion of arts and culture in Golaghat, and greater Assam.Sadhani Kalakshetra
Sadhani Kalakshetra, a cultural center located near Tenpur suburb in the Narakanwar region of Golaghat is a leading modern cultural centre in Upper – Assam. Spread over ~ 10 acres of land, it includes an air-conditioned auditorium, a tourist lodge, boating facility, an amusement park and restaurants. and is named after Sati Sadhani, the last queen of the Sutiya dynasty. The centre supports and encourages the creative expression of the indigenous cultures of Assam, enabling the Assamese society to promote presentations on drama, music, dance, and arts and crafts, many of which having origins in Assam.Designed and developed by Government of Assam, the cultural complex is set–up with the specific mission to create, preserve, promote and educate about the passion and dedication of Sati Sadhani.
Recreation
Parks and open spaces
Garampani Wildlife Sanctuary
is a 6.05-square-kilometre wildlife sanctuary which is 25 km away from Golaghat. It is one of the oldest sanctuaries containing hot-water spring and waterfall, and surrounded is by Nambor Sanctuary having 51 rare species of orchid.Kaziranga National Park
is a World Heritage Site that hosts two-thirds of the world's great one-horned rhinoceroses. It has the highest density of tigers among protected areas in the world and was declared a tiger reserve in 2006. The park is home to large breeding populations of elephants, wild water buffalo, and swamp deer. Kaziranga is recognized as an important birds' area by BirdLife International for the conservation of avi-faunal species. Located on the edge of the Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hot-spot, the park combines high species diversity and visibility. It is a vast expanse of tall elephant grass, marshland, and dense tropical moist broadleaf forests, criss-crossed by four major rivers, including the Brahmaputra, and the park includes numerous small bodies of water. The park celebrated its centennial in 2005 after its establishment in 1905 as a reserve forest.Nambor – Doigrung Wildlife Sanctuary
, spreading across in 3 blocks, it is located in Morangi, Golaghat, and a popular spot for hot water spring and wildlife viewpoints for spotting Rhinos and other animals.Walking
Dhansiri river bank
A walk down the Dhansiri bridge towards the river offers a very beautiful sight. It is a popular picnic spot for the citizens of Golaghat and others alike.Jamuna boating park
A public boating park within the city with slow-boating facility for the citizens and tourists. It also has a jogging track with swings and dedicated playing area for children.Jamuna botanical reserve
A reserved area adjacent to the boating park for the conservation of flora and fauna plantations. It is not open for public boating and has a recorded history of rich and exotic species of biological plant and animal species.Japixôjia lake
The lake is about 30 minutes drive from central Golaghat and is a scenic spot with lush tea gardens lining the borders of the vast expanses of water. Visited by many migratory birds, it is also home to various all-seasons birds.Sport
Golaghat has hosted many national and regional sports events including major tennis tournaments, and is the only place in Assam to have Sports Authority of India – Sports Training Centre after Guwahati.Golaghat District Sports Association is the highest sport governing body in the city and the greater district for promoting, mentoring, monitoring, regulating and organising all sporting events. It has many affiliated sub-associations and clubs.
- Stadium: equipped with a cricket pitch, basketball court, two boxing rings, and a football ground, having galleries with a sitting capacity of 4000 people, besides a twin-crease indoor cricket practice stadium built with materials imported from Australia.
- Indoor stadium: a table tennis and badminton indoor stadium with modern amenities.
- Swimming club: a training pool for all age groups to learn and purse the sport of swimming.
- Boxing club: one of the main centres for boxing events in the city.
- Golaghat Tennis Club : one of the oldest sport clubs in Assam, having qualified coaches, supported with modern infrastructure facilities, including floodlight. It has two courts, one at its premises, and the other at the Kushal Konwar Memorial Trust complex. The club has been organising championships and other AITA tournaments regularly since 1987.
- Golaghat District Carrom Association : the platform for the carrom players of the district.
- Golaghat Rhino F.C.: a locally based professional football club competing in the Assam State Premier League, the top division state football.
Politics
Formation of AGP
Golaghat is the birthplace of Assamese Political Renaissance, where the historic Golaghat Convention led to the formation of Assam's first major political party – AGP.AGP was a result of six-year's Assam Movement against illegal infiltration of foreigners from Bangladesh into Assam, led by All Assam Students Union. The long agitation ended with the signing of the Assam Accord on the independence day in 1985. The leaders of the Assam Agitation formed the AGP on 14 October 1985, in Golaghat and the party later that year overthrew the Indian National Congress led by late Hiteswar Saikia.
Golaghat is a part of Kaliabor. INC's Ajanta Neog is the current MLA of Golaghat.
Notable People
Gallery
Government
**
*
*