Goalpara region

2021-06-29T17:25:21Z

202.83.59.95:

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2017}}
'''Goalpara region''', largely congruous to the historical [[undivided Goalpara district]], is a [[Regions of Assam|region]] that is associated with the [[Goalpariya people|people]] and culture of Goalpara.<ref>"Although the old Goalpara district no longer exists,...,"Goalpara" still continues to designate in various contexts the region that almost exactly corresponds to the geographical area covered by the undivided district and at the same time stands for a distinct homogeneous cultural pattern." {{harv|Dutta|1995|p=1}}</ref> It is bounded on the north by [[Bhutan]], on the east by the [[Kamrup region]], in the south by [[Meghalaya]] and in the west by Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri in [[West Bengal]] and Rangpur in [[Bangladesh]].<ref>{{harv|Dutta|1995|p=1}}</ref> The natural landmarks are: [[Sankosh river|Sankosh]] and [[Brahmaputra river|Brahmaputra]] rivers on the west, the [[Manas river]] on the east in the north bank, and a corresponding region in the south bank; the [[Garo Hills]] in the south and Bhutan Hills in the north.

==History==
{{see|Kamarupa|Koch Hajo|Undivided Goalpara district}}
In ancient times, it was Ratnapith, a part of [[Barind Tract|Barind]], a division of the [[Kamarupa kingdom]].<ref>The [[Kamarupa Pithas]] are defined differently in different sources {{harv|Gait|1906|p=11}}. Nevertheless, "whatever the alignment of the borders of these portions, the Ratnapith division of Old Kamarupa included the present Goalpara region" {{harv|Dutta|1995|p=7}}.</ref> After the fall of the Kamarupa dynasties Sandhya, a later Kamarupa king, moved his capital from Kamarupanagara (present-day [[Guwahati]]) to Kamatapur (near Cooch Behar town) in the middle of the 13th century, and established the [[Kamata kingdom]]. This situation prevailed till the time of Naranarayana, when it became a part of [[Koch Hajo]]. It was defined as an administrative unit for the first time in the 17th century when it was called ''Sarkar Dhekuri'' under the [[Bengal Subah]] of the [[Mughal Empire|Mughals]].<ref>{{harv|Dutta|1992|p=8}}</ref> After the transfer of the Bengal ''Diwani'' to the [[East India Company]], the Goalpara region, minus the Assam Dooars, then under [[Bhutan]], came to be called Rangamatty, and after 1816, "Northeast Rangpur".<ref>{{harv|Bannerjee|1992|p=4}}</ref> When the British constituted this as a district in 1833 it came to be known after its headquarters which was in Goalpara town.<ref>{{harv|Bannerjee|1992|p=53}}</ref> A portion of the Assam [[Dooars]] areas were added to this district after the [[Bhutan war]] of 1865.

==Peoples==
{{main|Goalpariya people}}
A majority of the people belong to the [[Rangpuri language|Rajbongshi]]<ref>https://www.ethnologue.com/language/rkt</ref> speaking [[Koch Rajbongshi people|Koch-Rajbongshi community]],<ref>Though two different names were used in the past, they refer to the same people {{harv|Dutta|1992|p=11}}.</ref> who are converts from [[Mech]], [[Rabha]], [[Jalia Kaibarta|Keot/Kaibarta]] and [[Kachari (disambiguation)|Kachari]] communities in earlier times. [[Goalpariya dialect]] spoken here is a part of Rajbongshi which is a constituent of the [[Assamese language]]. [[Assamese Brahmins]] and [[Kayastha]] communities are small, and even the [[Kalita (caste)|Kalitas]], who have a dominating presence in the adjoining [[Kamrup region]], are not as significant.<ref name="dutta1992p10">{{harv|Dutta|1992|p=10}}</ref>

The [[Bodo people|Bodos]] form a strong presence in the region. Traditionally, they are called Kacharis in the south and in the rest of [[Assam]], but called Mech in the north bank of the [[Brahmaputra river]] and the whole of [[North Bengal]].<ref name="dutta1992p10"/> Their strongest presence is in the present Kokrajhar district in the north bank.<ref>{{harv|Dutta|1992|p=11}}</ref> The [[Rabha]]s, who along with the Bodos, are a semi-Hinduized group concentrated in the south bank. The [[Garo people|Garos]] and the [[Hajong people|Hajong]]s too are not insignificant in the south. The indigenous [[Jalia Kaibarta|Keot(Kaibarta)]] people are present near the wetlands and riverine areas both in the North and South Bank.<ref>{{harv|Dutta|1992|p=12}}</ref>

The Muslim population, which is not insignificant, a distinction is made between the local indigenous (''deshi'') communities that are descendants of ethnic groups convert, and non-local immigrant (''bhatiya'') who have immigrated in recent times from downstream East Bengal (Bangladesh).<ref>{{harv|Dutta|1992|p=14}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}

==References==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Bannerjee |first=A C |editor-first=H K |editor-last=Barpujari |title=The Comprehensive History of Assam: Modern Period |publisher=Publication Board, Assam |place=Guwahati |year=1992 |pages=1–43 |chapter=Chapter 1: The New Regime, 1826-31 |volume=IV}}
* {{cite book
|last=Dutta
|first=Birendranath
|year=1995
|title=A Study of the Folk Culture of the Goalpara Region of Assam
|publisher=University Publication Department, Gauhati University
|place=Guwahati, Assam
}}
{{refend}}

{{coord missing|Assam}}

[[Category:Goalpara region| ]]
[[Category:Regions of Assam]]
[[Category:Cultural regions]]

IndianPedia - User contributions [en]

Goalpara region