Abhayapuri

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?Abhayapuri Assam • India
Abhayapuri
Coordinates: 26°20′N 90°40′E / 26.33, 90.67
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Area • Elevation	• 36 m (118 ft)
District(s)	Bongaigaon
Population	14,671 (2001)

Coordinates: 26°20′N 90°40′E / 26.33, 90.67

A small and beautiful town surrounded by hills, Abhayapuri is a town area committee in Bongaigaon district in the Indian state of Assam. It is located on the National Highway 31, about 200 km west of Guwahati. Nearest airport is at Guwahati. Abhayapuri Railway Station is managed by the North East Frontier Railways.

History of Abhayapuri

Abhayapuri is the capital of the ancient Bijni Kingdom established by King Bijit Narayan in 1671. Bijit Narayan was the son of Parikshit Narayan who was the grandson of Yuvaraj Sukladhwaj alias Chilarai, a famed Koch general and the younger brother of Moharaj Naranarayan, the great emperor of Kamata Empire (also known as Kamrup Rajya or Koch Empire) in the 16 th century.

The first capital of Bijni Kingdom was at modern Bijni town (1671-1864) but later the capital was shifted to Dumuria (now known as Dalan Bhanga) due to attack by Jhawlia Mechand (a local chief under Bhutan Kingdom). A dreaded earthquake occurred at 5 PM, on 12 th June/1897 badly damaged the royal palaces of Dumuriya, and therefore, Bijit Narayan decided to shift his capital again to Deohati forest area which was later named as Abhayapuri after its ruler queen Rani Abhayeswari who ruled Abhayapuri from 1901 to 1956. Later,the Govt. of India took over this Kingdom.

Geography

Abhayapuri is located at 26.33° N 90.67° E.^[1] It has an average elevation of 36 metres (118 feet).

Demographics

As of Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns. (Provisional). Census Commission of India. Retrieved on 2007-09-03., Abhayapuri had a population of 14,671. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Abhayapuri has an average literacy rate of 79%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 55% of the males and 45% of females literate. 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.