Jorhat (pron: ˈʤɔ:(r)ˌhɑ:t) is an administrative district of the Indian state of Assam situated in the central part of the Brahmaputra Valley. The district is bounded by Majuli on north, Nagaland state on the south, Charaideo on the east and Golaghat on the west. On the north of the district, the river Brahmaputra forms the largest riverine island of the world. The administrative seat is at Jorhat city.
Jorhat was previously a sub-division of undivided Sibsagar district. In 1983, Jorhat was carved out of Sibsagar District and was made a separate district.
Etymology
Jorhat (যোৰহাট) or Jorehaut means tween hats (Bazar) or mandis - Macharhat (মাছৰহাট) and Chowkihat (চকীহাট) which existed on the two different banks of the river Bhogdoi during the 18th century.
History
The northernmost area of the present district was a part of the Chutiya Kingdom before the Ahom-Chutiya war in the 16th century. In 1794 the Ahom king Gaurinath Singha shifted the capital from Sibsagar (erstwhile "Rangpur") to Jorhat. This town was a flourishing and commercial metropolis but completely destroyed after a series of the Burmese invasions since 1817 till the arrival of the British force in 1824 under the Stewardship of David Scott and Captain Richard.
The British rule, though, was not free from rebellions and revolutions, contributed to reemergence of this historical town. From the very first decade of the British rule, the great revolutionists who emerged were Gomdhar Konwar, Jeuram and Piyali, British system of administration, came into vogue in 1839 with an established Police Thana. During the great Sepoy Mutiny, the anti-British plot hatched by Maniram Dewan and Piyali Barua, was sabotaged. These leaders were hanged in public at this very place in 1858.
In 1885, a narrow-gauge train service (Jorehaut Provincial Railway) came into operation and ultimately became instrumental in the rapid growth of the tea industry.
Though the civil sub-division under Sibsagar district at Jorhat was formed in 1869, this place was declared as administration headquarters of the undivided Sibsagar district in 1911, which comprised the present Sibsagar, Jorhat and Golaghat and parts of Karbi-Anglong district with Major A. Playfair as the first deputy commissioner.
The modern-day district of Jorhat was created in 1983 when it was split from Sibsagar district.
Geography
On the north of the district, the river Brahmaputra forms the largest riverine island of the world, Majuli, spreading over 924.6 km2. with a population of about 1.50 lakh being threatened by the constant erosion by this mighty, unstable river. Majuli had been the principal place of pilgrimage of Vaishnavites since the ages of the Ahom rules. There are several Satras resembling medieval monasteries headed by Satradhikars preaching and teaching the Vaishnavism which was initiated by Sankardeva (1449–1568). Each Satra has unknown wealth of Vaishnav scriptures and extensive revenue free lands being cultivated by the "Bhakats" of the Satras.
Jorhat district occupies an area of , comparatively equivalent to Russia's Zemlya Georga. Floods frequent the island every year without exception. The mean annual rainfall of the district is 2029 mm.
District administration
The District Administration is headed by Deputy Commissioner Ashok Kumar Barman, IAS. is the Superintendent of Police of Jorhat district and belongs to the IPS batch of 2011 (Assam-Meghalaya cadre).
The only outlying civil subdivision is Titabor . Titabor subdivisional administration is headed by SDO (Civil) Ayush Garg, IAS.
Divisions
There are five Assam Legislative Assembly constituencies in this district: Jorhat, Teok, Mariani, Titabor and Dergaon. Dergaon is designated for scheduled castes. Dergaon is in the Kaliabor Lok Sabha constituency. The other four are in the Jorhat Lok Sabha constituency.
Economy
Agriculture
There are about 135 tea gardens, including out gardens, and the predominant field crop is rice, with per capita food grain production of 205 kg per annum.
Manufacturing industry
The district has a number of small-scale and cottage industries in the field of cane work and bamboo work, silver jewellery, furniture making, brass smithing, umbrella making, soap manufacturing, packaged food manufacturing etc. Type of industries present in Jorhat are agro based, cotton textile, woolen, silk & artificial thread based clothes, ready-made garments & embroidery, wood/wooden based furniture, chemical/chemical based, rubber, plastic & petro based, metal based (steel fab.), repairing & servicing, etc.