Tezpur Explained

Tezpur
Official Name:	Tezpur Town
Settlement Type:	Municipality
Pushpin Map:	India Assam#India
Pushpin Label Position:	left
Pushpin Map Caption:	Location in Assam, India
Coordinates:	26.63°N 92.8°W
Subdivision Type:	Country
Subdivision Name:	India
Subdivision Type1:	State
Subdivision Name1:	Assam
Subdivision Type2:	District
Subdivision Name2:	Sonitpur
Government Type:	Municipality
Governing Body:	Tezpur Municipality Board
Unit Pref:	Metric
Area Total Km2:	40
Elevation M:	80
Population Total:	102,505
Population As Of:	2011
Population Rank:	6th
Population Density Km2:	auto
Population Footnotes:	^[1]
Demographics Type1:	Languages
Demographics1 Title1:	Official
Demographics1 Info1:	Assamese
Timezone1:	IST
Utc Offset1:	+5:30
Postal Code:	784001
Registration Plate:	AS-12
Iso Code:	IN-AS

Tezpur is a town in Sonitpur district, Assam state, India. Tezpur is located on the banks of the river Brahmaputra, 175km (109miles) northeast of Guwahati, and is the largest of the north bank cities.

History

Tezpur was under the rule of the Koch dynasty in the 9th century, and later became a part of the Ahom kingdom in the 16th century. The Ahoms, known for their administrative prowess and patronage of art and culture, played a vital role in shaping Tezpur's heritage. The city witnessed several battles and conflicts during the medieval period.

Modern Tezpur is a cultural and educational hub, home to a number of archaeological sites, temples, and monuments.

Climate

The average high temperature in summer is around while the average winter low temperature is around .^[2]

Demography

At the 2011 census, the population of the Tezpur city Municipal Corporation area was 102,505. Of these, 40,837 people spoke Assamese, 18,696 spoke Bengali, 11,050 spoke Hindi, and 31,920 spoke other languages.

Tourism

Tezpur has several tourist attractions:

• Agnigarh: This hillock located on the bank of the Brahmaputra river is said to be the site of the legendary romance between Princess Usha, the only daughter of King Banasura, and Aniruddha, the grandson of Lord Krishna. According to legend, Usha was kept on this hillock and was surrounded by fire, hence the name "Agnigarh," which means "hill of fire" in Sanskrit.^[3]
• Bamuni Hills: The Bamuni Hills contain ruins that feature sculptural remains dating back to the 9th and 10th centuries AD.^[4]
• Bhomoraguri: A stone inscription made by the Ahom General Kalia Bhomora Borphukan, who planned to construct a bridge over Brahmaputra. Almost two centuries later, a bridge at the same site now stands completed. The 3.015 km bridge, named after the great Ahom general, connects Silghat of Nagaon district with Tezpur.^[5]
• Chitralekha Udyan (Cole Park): Chitralekha Udyan is a park established in 1906 by British Deputy Commissioner Cole. It features two massive ornamented stone pillars and other sculptural remnants, and was renovated in 1996 by Deputy Commissioner M.G.V.K.Bhanu. The park has water sports facilities, walkways, a restaurant, and an open-air stage.^[6]
• Hazara Pukhuri: A large artificial lake named after Harjar Varman, excavated in the early 9th century.^[7]
• Mahabhairav Temple: An ancient Mahabhairav Temple is located north of the city of Tezpur. According to legend, it was established by King Bana and originally contained a Siva lingam. The temple was originally constructed of stone, but the current structure is made of concrete. The Ahom kings of the era donated land and appointed priests and attendants to maintain the temple.^[8]
• Padum Pukhuri: A lake featuring an island, that has been developed into a park with a musical fountain. The island is accessible via an iron bridge, and visitors can also go boating on the lake.^[9]
• Rudrapada Temple: Located on the east side of Tezpur and on the bank of the Brahmaputra river, the Rudrapada Temple is believed to be the site where Rudra (Lord Shiva) left the print of his left foot on a stone. According to legend, Mahadeva revealed his true self to King Bana at this location. The temple was built in 1730 by Siva Singha, but the main temple was later destroyed due to erosion by the Brahmaputra river.^[10]
• Trimurty Udyan: Located along Borpukhuri, this park is named after three important figures in Assamese culture: Rupkowar Jyoti Prasad Agarwalla, Kalaguru Bishnu Prasad Rabha, and Natasurjya Phani Sarmah.^[11]

Government

Tezpur is part of Tezpur (Lok Sabha constituency).^[12] Pallab Lochan Das is the current member of parliament for the Tezpur constituency.^[13]

Notable people

• Ananda Chandra Agarwala
• Baneswar Saikia, former MLA
• Bijoy Chandra Bhagavati
• Bipinpal Das, former Union Deputy Foreign Minister of India.
• Birendra Prasad Baishya, former Union Cabinet Minister of India
• Bishnu Prasad Rabha
• Brindaban Goswami, former Education Minister of Assam
• Charles Alexander Bruce
• Chetana Das
• Dipak Jain, former Director (Dean) of Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration of Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand and INSEAD Chaired Professor of Marketing.
• George Baker, former M.P. of Lok Sabha
• Hem Barua
• Iqbal Ahmed Ansari, former Chief Justice of Patna High Court.
• Jyoti Prasad Agarwala
• Nipon Goswami
• Padmanath Gohain Baruah
• Phani Sarma
• Rajesh Borah
• Sheela Borthakur
• Somnath Chatterjee, former Speaker of Lok Sabha
• Tapan Deka, IPS and Director of the Intelligence Bureau

See also

• Jamugurihat
• Ministry for Development of North Eastern Region
• Northeast India
  • North Eastern Council Tezpur Assembly constituency
• Tezpur Lok Sabha constituency

External links

• • Sonitpur District Official Website

Notes and References

1. Web site: Tezpur Metropolitan Urban Region Population 2011-2021 Census.
2. Web site: Tezpur, India Weather Averages - Monthly Average High and Low Temperature - Average Precipitation and Rainfall days - World Weather Online. 2 February 2015.
3. Web site: Agnigarh Sonitpur District Government Of Assam, India . 2020-06-08 . sonitpur.gov.in.
4. Web site: Bamuni Hills Sonitpur District Government Of Assam, India . 2020-06-08 . sonitpur.gov.in.
5. Web site: Bhomoraguri Sonitpur District Government Of Assam, India . 2020-06-08 . sonitpur.gov.in.
6. Web site: Chitralekha Udyan (Cole Park) Sonitpur District Government Of Assam, India . 2020-06-08 . sonitpur.gov.in.
7. Web site: The Hazara Pukhuri Sonitpur District Government Of Assam, India . 2020-06-08 . sonitpur.gov.in.
8. Web site: Mahabhairab Temple Sonitpur District Government Of Assam, India . 2020-06-08 . sonitpur.gov.in.
9. Web site: Padum Pukhuri Sonitpur District Government Of Assam, India . 2020-06-08 . sonitpur.gov.in.
10. Web site: Rudrapada Temple Sonitpur District Government Of Assam, India . 2020-06-08 . sonitpur.gov.in.
11. Web site: Trimurty Udyan Sonitpur District Government Of Assam, India . 2020-06-08 . sonitpur.gov.in.
12. Web site: List of Parliamentary & Assembly Constituencies . 2008-10-06 . Assam . Election Commission of India . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20060504181808/http://archive.eci.gov.in/se2001/background/S03/AS_ACPC.pdf . 2006-05-04.
13. Web site: Result for 9-Tezpur HPC (Lok Sabha) Election 2019 Sonitpur District Government Of Assam, India. 2022-01-11. sonitpur.gov.in.