Lakhimpur district

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Lakhimpur is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located at Lakhimpur. The district occupies an area of 2277 km² and has a population of 889,325 (as of 2001).

[edit] Geography

A beautiful place on Mother Nature's lap, located in the north-east corner of the Indian State of Assam, the district of Lakhimpur lies on north bank of the mighty river Brahmaputra. It is bounded on the north by Siang and Papumpare District of the state of Arunachal Pradesh and on east by Dhemaji District. Majuli, the largest River-island belonging to Jorhat District is on the south and Gahpur sub division of Sonitpur District is on the West. The Brahmaputra is navigable for steamers in all seasons as far as Dibrugarh, in the rainy season as far as Sadiya; its navigable tributaries within the district are the Subansiri, Ranganadi and Dikrong. The exact location of the district is 26048’ and 27053’ northern latitude and 93042’ and 94020' east longitude (approx.).

The name 'Lakhimpur' is believed to come from word “Lakshmi”, the Hindu goddess of Wealth and Prosperity. The word “pur” has two meanings -- first one is “full”, so 'Lakhimpur' means 'full of paddy'. The second meaning is "City", so 'Lakhimpur' means 'The City of Wealth and Prosperity'. Besides, the district has alluvial soil which is very fertile. Also fish, vegetables, milk etc were abundant.

The district has two sub divisions -- Dhakuakhana and North Lakhimpur. Dhakuakhana Sub Division consists of two Police stations viz. Dhakuakhana and Ghilamara. North Lakhimpur Sub-division consists of 4 Police stations viz. North Lakhimpur, Boginadi, Laluk and Bihpuria. Numerous tribes too inhabit the areas. The most important of these tribes are the Miris, Abors, Mishmis, Khamtis, Kachins and Nagas.

Forests are mainly tropical rain forest. Important reserved forests includes Ranga Reserve, Kakoi Reserve, Dulung Reserve and Pava Reserve. Some varieties are Hollock (Terminalia Myriocarpa), Ajhar (lagerstroemia speciosa), Simul (Bombax ceiba/Salmalia Malabarica), Sum (Machilus), Gomari (gmelina orborea), Sissoo (Dalbergia Sissoo), Silikha (Terminalia Chebula), Neem (Azadirachta Indica), Nahar (Mesua Ferrea) etc. Wild elephants, buffaloes, tigers, deer etc are there in the forests. Varieties of bird species can be observed in swampy areas.

The great Subansiri river has legends of once famous gold washing. But as of now there is no any major exploration of minerals in the district, except some minor exploration for petroleum by ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) near Dhakuakhana.

[edit] History

Lakhimpur figures largely in the annals of Assam as the region where successive invaders from the east first reached the Brahmaputra. The Bara Bhuiyas, originally from the western provinces of India, were driven out by the Chutias (a Shan race), and these in their turn gave place to their more powerful brethren, the Ahoms in the 13th century. The Burmese, who had ruined the native kingdoms, at the end of the 18th century, were in 1825 expelled by the British, who placed the southern part of the country, together with Sibsagar under the rule of Raja Purandhar Singh; but it was not till 1838 that the whole was taken under direct British administration. The headquarters are at North Lakhimpur.

[edit] References

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
Official site
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	State of Assam Assam Topics \| History \| Politics \| People of Assam
Capital	Dispur
Districts	Barpeta \| Bongaigaon \| Cachar \| Darrang \| Dhubri \| Dibrugarh \| Dhemaji \| Golaghat \| Goalpara \| Hailakandi \| Jorhat \| Karbi Anglong \| Kokrajhar \| Kamrup \| Karimganj \| Lakhimpur \| Marigaon \| North Cachar Hills \| Nagaon \| Nalbari \| Sibsagar \| Sonitpur \| Tinsukia
Major cities	Barpeta • Bongaigaon • Dhubri • Dibrugarh • Diphu • Goalpara • Guwahati • Jorhat • Karimganj • Nagaon • North Lakhimpur • Sibsagar • Silchar • Tezpur • Tinsukia