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Assam

অসম
State of India
Official seal of Assam
Seal
A map showing us where the location of Assam is in the Republic of India
A map showing us where the location of Assam is in the Republic of India
Map of Assam
Map of Assam
Country  India
Region North-east India
Area
 • Total 78,438 km2 (30,285 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total 31,169,272
Time zone UTC+05:30 (IST)
Official languages Assamese · English

Assam (Assamese: অসম) is a beautiful state in the northeastern part of India. It covers an area of 78,438 square kilometers. This makes it bigger than Panama but smaller than the Czech Republic.

A very important river called the Brahmaputra flows right through the state. Assam is located at the foot of the mighty Himalayas mountains. It shares its borders with two other countries: Bhutan and Bangladesh.

People and Beliefs

Assam is home to many different people. They have various beliefs and traditions.

Religions in Assam

In 2011, a survey showed that most people in Assam follow Hinduism. About 62% of the population were Hindus. The second largest group was Muslims, making up about 34% of the people. A smaller group, about 3-4%, were Christians. Other religions like Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, and Animism are also present, but they are followed by less than 0.2% of the population each.

Culture and Festivals

Assam has a rich culture with unique festivals and traditions.

Bihu Festival

One of the most important festivals in Assam is Bihu. It is celebrated three times a year. Each Bihu marks a different season or farming event. People wear traditional clothes, sing folk songs, and perform lively dances. The blooming of the Kopou Orchid often signals the start of the Bihu festive season.

Traditional Attire

Assamese women often wear a beautiful dress called the Mekhela chador. It is a two-piece garment draped gracefully. Men wear traditional clothes too, especially during festivals.

Music and Dance

Music and dance are a big part of Assamese culture.

  • The Dhol is a traditional drum often played during Bihu dances.
  • The pepa is a horn-like instrument made from buffalo horn. Bihu dancers often blow it.
  • Sattriya Dance is a classical dance form from Assam. It tells stories from Hindu myths.
  • The Bagurumba is a traditional folk dance of the Bodo community.
  • The Jhumair dance is popular among the tea garden communities.

Arts and Crafts

Assam is also known for its crafts.

  • The Jaapi is a traditional conical hat, often decorated with colorful designs.
  • Bell metal crafts are very famous. Items like the sorai (a stand with a tray) and kahi (a plate) are important cultural symbols.

Famous Places

Assam has many interesting places to visit, including temples and natural sites.

Temples

  • The Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati is a very famous Hindu temple. Many people gather there for the Ambubachi Mela festival.
  • The Basistha Temple is another important temple in Guwahati.
  • The Dakhinpat Satra is a famous monastery located on the island of Majuli.

Natural Beauty

  • The Brahmaputra valley is a vast and fertile region. It is surrounded by hills from the Himalayas.
  • You can see beautiful paddy fields and tea gardens across Assam. Tea from Assam is famous worldwide.

Education and Literature

Assam has a strong focus on education and a rich literary history.

Important Institutions

  • Cotton University in Guwahati is a well-known university.
  • IIT Guwahati and National Institute of Technology, Silchar are top engineering colleges.
  • Jorhat Engineering College is also a key institution for technical education.

Famous Personalities

  • Lakshminath Bezbaroa was a very important writer in Assamese literature.
  • Srimanta Sankardeva was a great saint and scholar who shaped Assamese culture and religion.
  • Bhupen Hazarika was a legendary singer, composer, and filmmaker from Assam.
  • Other notable figures include Bishnu Prasad Rabha, Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, and Phani Sarma, who contributed greatly to Assamese arts.

Ancient Manuscripts

Assam has old manuscripts like the Citra Bhagavata and Hastividyarnava. These show beautiful paintings and tell stories. Ancient painters used natural colors from plants and minerals.

Economy

Assam's economy is largely based on agriculture.

Tea and Rice

  • Tea is one of Assam's most famous products. The state has vast tea gardens. Assamese tea is known for its strong, malty flavor.
  • Rice is another major crop. You can see many paddy fields where rice is grown.

Related pages


Images for kids

  • Bengal gazetteer 1907-9
    Map of Eastern Bengal and Assam during 1907–1909
  • British Indian Empire 1909 Imperial Gazetteer of India

    A map of the British Indian Empire in 1909 during the partition of Bengal (1905–1911), showing British India in two shades of pink (coral and pale) and the princely states in yellow. The Assam Province (initially as the Province of Eastern Bengal and Assam) can be seen towards the north-eastern side of India.

  • Kanaklata Udyan, Tezpur

    Showing a historical incident at Kanaklata Udyan, Tezpur

  • Assam in 1950s
    Assam till the 1950s; The new states of Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram formed in the 1960-70s. From Shillong, the capital of Assam was shifted to Dispur, now a part of Guwahati. After the Indo-China war in 1962, Arunachal Pradesh was also separated out.
  • Assam Valley
    Environs: Assam, dissected hills of the South Indian Plateau system and the Himalayas all around its north, north-east and east.
  • Kopou Orchid Assam India

    Blooming of Kopou Orchid marks the beginning of the festive season of Bihu in Assam.

  • Assam Demography 1
    District-wise Demographic Characteristics in 2001
  • Ambubachi Mela at Kamakhya Temple by Vikramjit Kakati

    People gathered at Kamakhya Temple for the Ambubachi Mela

  • Kamakhya Guwahati

    Kamakhya Temple

  • Basistha mandir

    Basistha Temple in Guwahati.

  • Charyapada

    7th–8th century specimen of Assamese (Kamarupi) literature

  • Brahmaputra Valley image 2

    Brahmaputra valley region of Assam

  • Assam historical pci

    Per capita income of Assam since 1950

  • Rice Field.

    A paddy field in Assam

  • TeaGardenOfAssam

    A tea garden in Assam: tea is grown at elevations near sea level, giving it a malty sweetness and an earthy flavor, as opposed to the more floral aroma of highland (e.g. Darjeeling, Taiwanese) teas

  • Paddy cultivation in Nagaon

    Assamese women busy planting paddy seedlings in their agricultural field in Pahukata village in the Nagaon district of Assam

  • A group of 'Husori' for the occasion of Assamese 'Bohag Bihu' in their traditional attire

    A group of 'Husori' for the occasion of Assamese Bohag Bihu in their traditional attire.

  • Dakhinpat Temple
    Dakhinpat Satra of Majuli
  • Celebrations 1
    Presenting Gayan Bayan in Majuli, the Neo-Vaishnavite cultural heritage of Assam
  • Bihu Assam
    Girl in traditional Mekhela chador dress with a Dhol wrapped with Gamosa
  • Jaapi with Gamosa
    A decorative Assamese Jaapi laid over a Gamosa
  • Bihu dancer with a horn
    A Bihu dancer blowing a pepa (horn)
  • Assamese Jaapi

    A beautifully adorned Jaapi

  • Ali-ai-ligang

    Mising girls dancing during Ali Ai Ligang (Spring Festival)

  • Assamese mythological play "Surjya Mandirot Surjyasta"

    Actors of Abinaswar Gosthi performs the play "Surjya Mandirot Surjyasta" directed by Dipok Borah

  • Assamese Thali

    Assamese Thali

  • GHOST CHILLY CHICKEN

    An ethnic preparation of Ghost chili chicken curry of Assam

  • Laksminath Bezbaruah

    Lakshminath Bezbaroa, one of the foremost figures of Assamese literature.

  • Sankaradeva

    Imaginary portrait of Srimanta Sankardeva by Bishnu Prasad Rabha

  • Lakhiganj HSS

    School girls in the classroom, Lakhiganj High School, Assam

  • Assam Cotton College

    Cotton University, Guwahati

  • IITG acad complex

    Academic complex of IIT Guwahati

  • NIT Silchar Guest House

    National Institute of Technology, Silchar

  • Jec frontview

    Jorhat Engineering College of Assam Science and Technology University

  • Sattriya by Dancer Meenakshi Medhi

    Sattriya Dance

  • Bodo dance

    Bodo dance Bagurumba

  • Tea Tribe Dance of Assam

    Jhumair dance in Tea garden

  • Lukobadya nagara

    Nagara

  • Bihu dance of Assam

    Assamese youth performing Bihu Dance

  • Statue of Kalaguru, Rupkonwar and Natasurjya at Guwahati (Side view)

    Statue of Bishnu Prasad Rabha, Jyoti Prasad Agarwala and Phani Sarma at District Library, Guwahati.

  • Lil Bahadur Chettri

    Lil Bahadur Chettri

  • Citra Bhagavata illustration 1

    Citra Bhagavata illustration

  • Art hastividyarnava 2

    A folio from the Hastividyarnava manuscript

  • Citra Bhagavata illustration 2
    A page of manuscript painting from Assam; The medieval painters used locally manufactured painting materials such as the colours of hangool and haital and papers manufactured from aloewood bark
  • Assam Xorai

    Bell metal made sorai and sophura are important parts of culture

  • Assam Knahor Knahi

    Assam Kahor (Bell metal) Kahi

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Assam para niños

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