Sivasagar

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This article is about the municipality in India. For its namesake district, see Sivasagar district.

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Sivasagar
শিৱসাগৰ
Sibsagar
Town
Clockwise from top: Sivadol, Ajanpir Dargah, Garhgaon's Kareng ghar, Rang ghar and night view of Sivasagar tank
Clockwise from top: Sivadol, Ajanpir Dargah, Garhgaon's Kareng ghar, Rang ghar and night view of Sivasagar tank
Sivasagar is located in Assam
Sivasagar
Sivasagar
Location in Assam, India
Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Country  India
State Assam
District Sivasagar
Government
 • Body Sivasagar Municipality Board
Elevation 95 m (312 ft)
Population (2001)
 • Total 53,854
Languages
 • Official Assamese
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 785640
Telephone code 91-3772
Nearest city Jorhat, Dibrugarh
Website www.sivasagar.nic.in www.missiongrrensivasagar.com

Sivasagar {Pron: ˈsɪvəˌsʌgə(r) or ˈʃɪvəˌsʌgə(r)} ( Xiwôxagôr) previously spelled Sibsagar ("the ocean of Lord Shiva"), is a town in Upper Assam, about 360 kilometres (224 mi) north east of Guwahati. It is the district headquarters of the Sivasagar district.

It is well known for its Ahom palaces and monuments. Sivasagar today is also an important centre for the tea and oil industries.

History

Carvings of Durga slaying Mahishasura on the walls of the Sivadol

Sivasagar, formerly known as Rangpur, was the capital of the Ahom Kingdom from 1699 to 1788. The Ahoms ruled Assam for six centuries, until their kingdom fell to the Burmese in 1819 and their ruling class was all but wiped out.[1]

The province was liberated by the British in 1825 but, owing to the state of anarchy which prevailed, it was completely annexed in 1826. For administrative purposes it was divided into three sub-divisions.[2]

It is said that the original name of Sivasagar was - 'Kalansupar' after the name of 'Kalansu Gohain' who resided in a village originally existed in the place where currently the Sivasagar tank is located. [1][2]

This town's main feature is the water body from which it takes its name. This is a 257-acre (1.04 km2) tank, also known as the Borpukhuri, which is at a higher elevation than the rest of the town, with three temples ("Dol"s in Assamese) on its banks. Of these temples, the most prominent is the Sivadol, standing tall at 104 feet (32 m), drawing large crowds on Shiv Ratri. The other temples are the Vishnudol and Devidol. The temples were built by Kuwori Ambika, wife of Swargadeo Siba Singha, in 1734.

The Land

Map of Sivasagar

It was in the middle ages that king Rudra Singha (1690 AD - 1714 AD), the 30th Ahom ruler got the fourth capital town constructed at Meteka and christened it as Che-mon. The construction of the new capital ‘Chemon’ or Rangpur was started in 1699 AD and after completion it was inaugurated in 1707 A.D. However, the existing capital at Gargoan continued to function as the centre of administration whereas the new capital town at Rangpur was initially used as an army cantonment, centre of amusement, secretariat and court of law.

The new capital town of Rangpur was bounded on the east by Banhgarh (Bamboo rampant), the rivers Dikhow and Namdang on the west, whereas these two rivers again bounded the city on the north and the south respectively. Two main entrances to the capital town were the Singhaduar at Banhgarh on the east and the Namdang stone bridge on the west, and these two entrances were connected by the Bor Ali.

The Raj Kareng or royal palace in the new capital complex stands magnificently near Joysagar tank. To its south stands the Fakua-Doul (Pa-Kua) with eight symbols or octagonal in shape according to Taoist cosmology built by king Rudra Singha in 1703-04 A.D. for religious purpose, while the Ranghar known to be the first sports pavilion in Asia and built in its present shape by king Pramatta Singha in 1746 A.D., still proudly stands on the west. This Ranghar besides being used for enjoyment of indigenous traditional sports activities by the royal people and lords also served the king to hold conference with foreign ambassador’s dignitaries. Out of the five capital towns of the Ahom rule, as many as four, Charaideo, Saragua, Gargaon and Rangpur, were within Sivasagar district leaving only Jorhat the last one in the adjacent district by the same name.

The capital town of Rangpur was to the south of Dikhow River. The part on the northern bank was known earlier as Shivpur, later Sibsagar and now Sivasagar. Thus in the past Sivasagar and Rangpur were two different areas separated by Dikhow river, which in those days used to flow through the middle part of the present Sivasagar town – a stretch of the mori Dikhow or the dead river still exists by the side of the Sankardeva Samaj Namghar and Seuji Sangeet Vidyalya. Earlier the Sivasagar town was bounded by Cherekapar on the east, Kathpar on the west, Joyrapar in the north and Dhuliapar on the south. Nomenclature of river Dikhow owes its origin to Bodo language: Di meaning water or river and ‘khow’ high steep and thus Dikhow implies a river with high steep. This river in earlier times was also known as ‘klong’ or ‘klongso’ and the northern bank of Dikhow came to be known as Klongsopar or Kolongsopar, and, a little later still, as Doikolong. Till the fag end of the Ahom rule the name Shivpur persisted. Only after the treaty of Yandaboo in 1826 A.D. when the East India Company and for that matter, the British government came to hold power, Shivpur along with Rangpur came to be known as Sibsagar. As per historical records Sir Newville in 1818 A.D. shifted the administrative headquarters from Rangpur to Jorhat where from thirty years later it was reverted to Rangpur by Mr. Scott and then shifted to Sibsagar tank side by captain Broody in the same year. During the British rule, the Sibsagar district comprised three sub-divisions: Sibsagar, Jorhat and Golaghat. In 1912 A.D. the district headquarter was again shifted to Jorhat leaving Sibsagar only as a sub-divisional headquarter. It remained so till 1983 when on 1 July that year the Sibsagar and Golaghat sub-division of undivided Sibsagar district were declared as new districts by the Government of Assam. The newly constituted Sibsagar district has three sub-divisions, viz. Sibsagar, Nazira and Charaideo.

Attractions

Tanks

Joysagar

Joysagar, said to be the biggest man-made lake in the country, is spread over 318 acres (1.29 km2) of water on the edge of the town in an area called Rangpur, 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) away from the present town of Sivasagar. This lake was built by Swargadeo Rudra Singha in honour of his mother, Joymoti.

Gaurisagar

The Ahom queen Bor Kuwori Phuleshwari Devi built this tank, which is spread over 150 acres (0.61 km2).

Rudrasagar

Swargadeo Lakshmi Singha built this tank, and dedicated it to his father Swargadeo Rudra Singha, in 1773. A Shiva Temple was also built on the bank of this beautifully constructed tank. It is 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) away from the town of Sivasagar.

Temples

Sivasagar Sivadol
Sivadol Temple

It was built in 1734 by Kuwori Ambika, wife of the Swargadeo Siba Singha. Dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, this is the most sacred of the three temples. Rising to a height of 104 feet (32 m), it encircles an area of 195 feet (59 m). It is thronged by devotees during the festival of Shivratri.

Vishnudol

This was also built by Kuwori Ambika. It is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. According to the Hindu calendar, the month of "Bhada" is considered auspicious and sees a greater number of visitors to the Dol, although it remains open throughout the year.

Devidol
Devidol

This is dedicated to the Hindu Goddess of Power, Durga. Durga Puja, the most important festival marked at the temple, is celebrated twice a year: in the months of Chaitra (April–May) and Ashwin (September–October).

Amphitheater

Rang Ghar
Rang Ghar

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Main article: Rang Ghar

Of Sivasagar's famous Ahom ruins, the Rang Ghar is a double-storied, oval shaped, amphitheater with a roof shaped like an inverted boat. It was constructed by Swargadeo Pramatta Singha. The Rang Ghar is said to be amongst the largest of amphitheaters.

Palaces

View of one of the wings of the Kareng Ghar
Talatal Ghar

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Main article: Talatal Ghar

The Talatal Ghar is a palace which was initially built as an army base. It houses two secret tunnels, and three floors below ground level which were used as exit routes during the Ahom wars (and which give the structure its name).

The Talatal Ghar constitutes the below-ground structure of the Rangpur Palace, whose four floors above-ground make up the Kareng Ghar.

In all, the Rangpur Palace is a seven-storied building. Bakhar Bengena: it is a rare breed of tree is situated at Bokota Mouza, and the place name is known as a Bakhar Bengena.

Museum

Sivasagar Tai Museum

A new addition is the Tai Ahom Museum on the banks of the Sivasagar. It stores artefacts from the Ahom kingdoms and their rulers, including vestments, swords, manuscripts, goblets, and household utensils.

Pani Dihing Wildlife Sanctuary

A rich wetland eco-system of 33.93 square kilometres (13.10 sq mi) on the southern bank of the river Brahmaputra, in Sivasagar district. A paradise of migratory and resident birds, over 165 species of birds have been identified and recorded here. Among these is a high concentration of geese and other migratory birds. Common species include bar-headed goose, grey leg goose, spot billed duck, mallard, gadwall, wigeon, gargany, shoveller, red-crested pochard, common pochard, ferruginous duck, adjutant stork, lesser adjutant stork, open-bill stork, and the white-necked stork. Aquatic fauna: Several varieties of fish have been identified here, along with various species of frogs, snakes, and other amphibians and reptiles.

Consider a 6×8 km unpopulated treeless wetland adjacent to the Brahmaputa dotted with half a dozen fresh water lakes, puddles crisscrossed with many water tracts. Even in the hardest hit winter these wetlands are never dry thanks to the presence of a natural feeding channel flowing into the area. This land has no permanent human settlement as regular summer monsoon flood inundates the area every year. All the trees chopped off cleaned by the surrounding villagers 40–50 years ago.

Panidihing (67005/ N and 94035/ E) existing at the angle between the south bank of Brahmaputra and the mouth of its tributary Disang, In the core of this wetland a 3393 hectare bird sanctuary has been set up by the Forest Department of Assam in 1999 and announced open to public in 2001.

In fact the story of establishing a bird sanctuary here goes back to 1984 when Dr. Anwaruddin Choudhery published a report in ‘Forktail’ — a semi-scientific journal popular among bird lovers and ornithologists from all over the globe and published from the UK, where he suggested protection of this wonderful site. The Sivasagar Office of the Forest Department sent a preliminary report on the site to the Chief Conservator of Forest in 1985 suggesting the feasibility f some detail investigations.Prior to these developments, the status of Panidihing was a reserve forest known for its rich source of Cane, bamboo & trees like Sissu, Simalu and Azar. Deforestation and poaching are fast reducing the flora and fauna of this sanctuary in the recent years.

Other Attractions

The ancient capital of the Ahoms is Gargaon, about 13 km east from Sivasagar, home to the Kareng Ghar, a seven-storied palace built by 18th-century architects. Charideo, situated nearby, is another old capital which was built by Sukaphaa, the founder of the Ahom dynasty. There are Maidams, or vaults for kings and other members of the royal families here. Travellers cross the Namdang stone bridge, carved out of a single boulder hundreds of years ago, over which the busy national highway (NH 37) still runs today.

Transport

Road

Sivasagar is well connected by road with the rest of the state. State-run buses connect it to Guwahati, Dibrugarh, and Jorhat from the Assam State Transport Corporation's (ASTC) bus station in Sivasagar. Private buses are also available. Taxis are also available for hire.

Auto-rickshaws and other modes of transport are available in and around the town. Cheaper modes of transport, like Tata Magic and Tempos, are available through Nazira, Mechagarh, and Joysagar to Sivasagar.

Airport

The closest airport is Jorhat Airport located at Jorhat, 75 km away from Sivasagar. The airport is connected, via regular flights, to cities like Guwahati, Kolkata, Bangalore, and Delhi. Sivasagar is also connected to Dibrugarh and Shillong. Another option for getting here is via Dibrugarh Airport, located at a distance of 95 km from the city. There are frequent flight services to both Jorhat and Dibrugarh. Taxis to Sivasagar are available from either airport.

Railway

The Dibrugarh-Bangalore Express connects through Sibsagar Town railway station. The nearest railway station on the Tinsukia-Guwahati sector of the North East Frontier Railways is located at Simaluguri, 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) from Sivasagar. Buses ply regularly from Simaluguri towards Sivasagar. It is approximately a half-hour bus ride from Simaluguri town.

Demographics

As of the 2001 India census,[3] Sivasagar had a population of 53,854. Sivasagar has an average literacy rate of 81%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy stands at 83%, and female literacy at 79%.

Most of the inhabitants of the town are Assamese, comprising Ahom, Koch, Assamese Hindus, Assamese Muslims, and other ethnic groups.

Energy

The Assam State Electricity Board (A.S.E.B) Maibella is located to the east of Sivasagar. This has recently been renamed, and is now the Assam Power Generation Corporation Limited (APGCL).

Educational Institutions

Sibsagar Govt. H.S.& M.P. school

Schools

  • 20 No. Banmukh L.P. school, Banmukh Patar Gaon.
  • 348 No Abhoy Puria LP Sehool
  • 731 No. Charing Chetia LP School, Charing Chetia Gaon
  • Banmukh H.S school, Banmukh.
  • Bezbaruah High School
  • Bidya Bhawan,Dimual
  • Borhat Higher Secondary School, Borhat
  • Chandradhar Gogoi Shankardev Shishu Vidya Niketon, Jhanji
  • Delhi Public School, Nazira|Delhi Public School Nazira, Sivasagar
  • Demow High Secondary School, Demow
  • Deoraja peoples High School
  • Don Bosco School, Amguri
  • Fuleswari Girl's H.S. School
  • Godhula Brown Memorial English High School
  • Gyan Bikash Academy
  • Hafaluting High School, Hafaluting
  • Hafaluting MV School, Hafaluting
  • Hajee Osimddin Mission Academy , Sonari.
  • Holy Name School
  • Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Tomtomtola.
  • Jaya L.P. School
  • Jhanji Girls' High School
  • Jhanji Higher Secondary School
  • Joktali Higher Secondary School, Mechagarh
  • Kendriya Vidyalaya Nazira ONGC Colony
  • Kendriya Vidyalaya Sivasagar ONGC Colony
  • Khelua High School
  • Mechagarh M.V. School
  • Nagahat High School
  • Nagahat M.E. School
  • Namti Boys' H.S. School
  • Namti Girls' High School
  • Namti Chariali Jatiya Bidya Niketon
  • Nazira Govt. H.S. & M.P. School
  • New High School, Borhat
  • New Look Academy
  • No-mati High School, No-mati, Nazira.
  • Poitakhat L.P. School
  • Purna Vikash Academy
  • Raisai St. Mary School, Demow
  • Samaguri High School, Samaguri
  • Sapekhati Higher Secondary School, Sapekhati
  • Shankardev Vidya Niketon
  • Shankardev Sishu Niketon, Simaluguri
  • Sibsagar Govt. H.S.& M.P. school
  • Sophy Mercy Memorial School, Kalibari Road, Sivasagar
  • Sri Sundarmal Modern School
  • Thanuram Gogoi Memorial Higher Secondary School
  • Titlagarh High School, Borhat
  • Twinkle star academy, Darbar road
  • Saint Joseph's School, Sonari
  • Kalakata Higher Secondary School, Sapekhati
  • Bachpan Play School.[4]

Colleges and Universities

Hospitals

  • ERC Eye Care World Bank Hub Hospital
  • Govt. Civil Hospital
  • Pragati Nursing Home and Research Centre
  • Sharma Nursing Home
  • ONGC Hospital, ONGC Colony, Sivasagar
  • Aditya Nursing home
  • Sampriti Hospital
  • East Point Hospital
  • Joktali Primary Health Centre, Mechagarh
  • Morabazr Hospital (Dr Bailong Sir)
  • Amguri Hospitala
  • J M D Lab ( authorized sample collection center of DIAGNO LABs)
  • Raja pukhuri civil Hospital (Sonari)
  • Sapekhati Civil Hospital

Hotels

  • Hotel Shiva Palace
  • Hotel Brahmaputra
  • Hotel Siddhartha
  • Hotel Brindavan
  • Hotel Raj Palace
  • Hotel Atlanta
  • Hotel Priya
  • Hotel Talatal
  • Hotel Rang Ghar
  • Hotel Aryan
  • The Villa
  • NORTH EAST HOTEL
  • Sky chef
  • Hotel Holiday Palace
  • Hotel Annapurna

Climate

Sivasagar features a humid subtropical climate under the Köppen climate classification. The weather in Sivasagar is pleasant throughout the year. Temperatures range from 10 °C in winter to 40 °C during summer (due to high rainfall during the summers, the weather normally remains pleasant). Due to the Brahmaputra following quite close to the region, Sivasagar is characterised by high humidity, and the average rainfall is about 90 to 94 inches (230 to 240 cm) a year.

Climate data for Sivasagar
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 29
(84)		 32
(90)		 34
(93)		 36
(97)		 40
(104)		 38
(100)		 38
(100)		 38
(100)		 36
(97)		 37
(99)		 33
(91)		 34
(93)		 40
(104)
Average high °C (°F) 23
(73)		 24
(75)		 26
(79)		 28
(82)		 30
(86)		 31
(88)		 31
(88)		 32
(90)		 31
(88)		 30
(86)		 28
(82)		 25
(77)		 28.3
(82.8)
Average low °C (°F) 10
(50)		 13
(55)		 16
(61)		 19
(66)		 22
(72)		 24
(75)		 25
(77)		 25
(77)		 24
(75)		 21
(70)		 16
(61)		 11
(52)		 18.8
(65.9)
Record low °C (°F) −4
(25)		 −2
(28)		 2
(36)		 8
(46)		 12
(54)		 12
(54)		 13
(55)		 14
(57)		 12
(54)		 7
(45)		 0
(32)		 −3
(27)		 −4
(25)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 36
(1.42)		 70
(2.76)		 102
(4.02)		 195
(7.68)		 368
(14.49)		 410
(16.14)		 487
(19.17)		 337
(13.27)		 316
(12.44)		 121
(4.76)		 30
(1.18)		 13
(0.51)		 2,485
(97.84)
Source: Weather2

Politics

Sivasagar is a part of the Jorhat (Lok Sabha constituency).

Gallery

  • Plaque at the Talatal Ghar

  • A dol in Sivasagar

  • A Night View of Sivadol in Sivasagar

  • Ghanashyam's house joysagar (ASI monument N-AS-32)

  • Cannons guarding the Talatal Ghar

  • Siva Temple and Sivasagar Tank.

References

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External links

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