Assam

Area :78,438 square kilometers.
Capital :Dispur
Population :2,66,38,407
Language :Assamese,though Bengali is spoken in the Barak Valley.

Climate :The climate of Assam is characterised by its extreme humidity. The most distinguishing feature of the climate of Assam is the copious rainfall between March and May at a time . The neighbourhood of Cherapunji and Mawsynram are known to receive the highest rainfall in the whole world.

The seasons may be divided into the cold season and the rainy. The cold weather lasts from October to February and the rest of the year is rainy. The southwest monsoon begins from middle of June.

People :The Assamese have Mongolian -Tibetan,Aryan and Burmese ethnic origins who penetrated into Assam through different routes and contributed in their own way towards the unique fusion of a new community which came to be known as Assamese.

The population of Assam comprises of the migrants from Burma and China who came into Assam after the mongoloid migration. Thus Assam presents a fusion of Mongol-Aryan culture. Numerous Mongoloid races inhabit the hills and plains of Assam including Nagas,Mikirs,Bodos or Boros,the Mizos or Lushais of Mizoram and the Lalungs.

Minerals :Coal,oil and gas,limestone and sillimanite

Economy :Agriculture is the main occupation of the people. Rice is the staple diet of the people and cultivation of rice is the main occupation of those engaged in agriculture. Different pulses,jute,tea and fruit cultivation are the other agricultural crops. Sugarcane,potatoes,cotton,oil seeds,coconut and arecanut cultivation is also practiced on a substantial scale apart from the horticulture.

Assam is an important producer of silk of different kinds and known for weaving of silk products into saris and fabrics.

Food : People of Assam eat non-spicy foods and even bland at times. Rice is the staple diet and other supplimentary food includes lentils,fish curry,meat curry along with herbs and vegetables. The curry is generally seasoned with ginger,garlic,cardamom,cinnamon,onions and sometimes lemon.

Sweets made during the festivals are usually made of rice paste. 'Pitha' is a paper-thin pancake stuffed with sweet coconut paste or sweet black sesame seed paste.

Culture :Talking about the culture of Assam,its literature and music are interwoven in the social fabric and transcend barriers of class and caste. A wedding,birth,death,festival,sowing of crops,departure for foreign lands or return of the prodigal is incomplete without the folk songs.

Festivals :Assamese Hindus observe the Durga puja,the Daul Utsava called Fakuwa,the Janmashtami,the Saraswati,Lakshmi and the Kali pujas. The Muslims observe the Id and the Muharram.

The national festivals of the Assamese,irrespective of caste,creed or religion are the Bihus. It is intimately connected with agriculture. Deul of Barpeta,is another festival celebrated by Assamese. Deul is Doul Yatra which synchronizes with Holi. Devaddhvani is another noteworthy festival held once a year at Kamakhya. It is connected with Manasa the serpent goddess or Maroi puja.

History :Assam was called 'Kamarupa' or 'Pragjyotish' in the period of the Epics. The early history of Assam is believed to be of the Varman dynasty from 400 AD to 13th century. The Ahoms ventured into Assam in about 1228 A.D. By 15th century the kingdoms of Ahom and Koch were established. This period witnessed a change in all walks of life in Assam.

At the end of 18th century the Ahom Kingdom collapsed and the Burmese got the control over Assam thus invoking British intervention to subdue the Burmese. After a conflict between the Burmese and the English,peace was restored by the treaty of Yandaboo in 1826. But the British continued to remain in power until 1947.

After the Independence of India,in 1947,Assam witnessed several separation of territories. In 1948,Arunachal Pradesh were separated. In 1963 Nagaland was separated followed by Meghalaya in 1972 and Mizoram in 1987.