Little Known Assam Facts One Should Know Before Traveling There
A state where mother nature has copiously blessed the land with rich natural resources, diverse flora, and fauna, unique and diverse land mass. Brahmaputra river is its lifeline.
A land of diverse culture and tradition where everyone lives with harmony.
You will find people of various communities here. I consider myself fortunate and privileged to call this beautiful land my native place and be able to tell such amazing facts from this heavenly yet sometimes neglected place of North East India.
- Assam was not part of any prominent Indian kingdom until the British occupied the region in the Anglo-Burmese War 1824-26.
- Assam has a state Anthem, did you know that Assam also has a state Anthem? Yes, ‘O Mur Apunar Dex’ is the state Anthem, which was officially adopted in the year 1927 at Axom Chhatra Xonmilon held in Tezpur. It was written by Rasaraj Laxminath Bezbarua, which was attuned by Kamala Prasad Agarwalla.
- Piyoli Phukan, an Ahom royalty, led rebellion against British rule in as early as 1830. He was captured and hanged in 1830 making him the first Arrest of Indian Freedom Struggle. It is sad that his name did not find a place alongside Mangal Pandey and Tatya Tope.
- No one still knows how the region came to be called ‘Assam’.
- Assam was the longest reigning Hindu Kingdom in medieval India. Ahoms, the hindu kings of Assam ruled for 600 years. In contrast, the Marathas, hailed for their fight against Mughals, ruled just for 155 years.
- With 34.2 per cent Muslim population, Assam has the largest concentration of Muslims in a non-Muslim majority state of India.
- The first mention of Assam is found in the 4th century Allahabad pillar inscription in the text written by Samudragupta of Gupta Dynasty.
- The River Brahmaputra becomes as wide as 10 km while flowing through Assam.
- All states of the Northeast except Tripura and Manipur were part of Assam until 1950.
- The world’s largest riverine island, Majuli on the Brahmaputra, is located in Assam.
- Assam’s tea forms the largest chunk of total tea production in India. Assam Tea Company is the first tea company of the world.
- The Kaziranga National Park and Manas Wildlife Sanctuary of Assam are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
- Many of Asia’s most endangered species are found in Assam’s wildlife abodes.
- The in-demand Assam silk is the collective name for three kinds of wild silk produced in the state. They are golden Muga, white Pat and warm Eri silk.
- Oil India Limited, a Navratna company and the country’s second largest hydrocarbon explorer and producer, has its operational headquarters in Duliajan, Assam.
- Assam is the second place in the world where petroleum was discovered. Drilled in Makum (Assam) way back in 1867.
- The state can be called the land of festivals as a host of cultural activities are organized by various ethnic communities of the states.
- Most Assamese love liquor. If you are a connoisseur of local drinks, you will be spoiled for choice.
- Assamese literature and music continues to have a profound influence on the larger Indian cultural scene.
- Dragons had a very special place in Assamese culture during the Ahom rule.
- The Ahom dynasty, which ruled primarily over Assam for 600 years, was India’s longest unbroken dynasty.
- Mayong in Assam, has been practicing black magic since time in memorial, it is called the Black Magic Capital Of India.
- Assam houses the lamp which has never been turned off since 1461 – Dhekiakhowa Bornamghor.
- Assamese Lemon ( Kaji Nemu) is an important part of the Assamese food pallet. Its taste is less acidic and smells delicious. A slice of heaven really.
- The ghost pepper, also known as bhut jolokia, is an interspecific hybrid chili pepper cultivated in Northeast India. It is a hybrid of Capsicum chinense and Capsicum frutescens. In 2007, Guinness World Records certified that the ghost pepper was the world’s hottest chili pepper, 170 times hotter than Tabasco sauce.
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Do plan your visit to Assam after knowing these amazing facts about the place, be prepared for the most unique kind of welcome by the beautiful people here. They will drape you in the traditional Assamese gamosa – a small piece of white cloth with red borders that is unique to Assam and cannot be found anywhere else.
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But in reality there is a sad part of the story that exists in the mindset of some section of people of the so called heartland of India and through this blog I wish to remove this viel.
The beauty of this place is endless. We cannot complete the list of interesting facts about this amazing land. But sadly enough, there are people from the mainland who are still ignorant of these amazing facts about this land. For some of them we live amidst the jungle, eating anything we find around us. But I can vouch from my experience that is not at all true and you have to visit this place for a firsthand experience. So, welcome to Assam, one of the beautiful places in the world.
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