Lower Assam division | |
|---|---|
 Guwahati is the important and most developed city in Lower Assam division | |
 The five divisions of Assam | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Assam |
| Capital | Guwahati |
| Largest City | Guwahati |
| Government | |
| • DC | Shri Jayant Narlikar,IAS |
| Area | |
• Total | 22,024 km2 (8,504 sq mi) |
| Population (2011 census) | |
• Total | 11,252,365 |
| • Density | 510.91/km2 (1,323.3/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+05:30 (IST) |
| Website | assam |
Lower Assam division is one of the 5administrative divisions ofAssam in India. It was formed in 1874, consisting of theundivided Kamrup district ofWestern Assam, undividedDarrang andNagaon districts ofCentral Assam andKhasi &Jaintia hills ofMeghalaya, created for revenue purposes.[1]
Around 1498-1502, SultanAlauddin Hussain Shah of Gaur conquered parts of Lower Assam during theBengal-Kamata War.[2][3] The Sultan appointed his son,Shahzada Danyal,[4] as the governor of the newly conquered region; that reached up to Hajo and intended to expand to Central Assam. Danyal governed Kamata for several more years until theAssamese Bhuyans led by Harup Narayan led a campaign against him. In this campaign, the Bhuyans seized and killed Danyal and his officers, thus ending the Sultanate's short rule over the territory some time before 1509.[5][6][7]Musundar Ghazi succeeded Danyal as Bengal's representative inKamrup.[8][better source needed] Some parts of Lower assam districts were under rule of theKingdom of Bhutan until the 19th century.[9]
Lower Assam division contains 12 districts, namelyDhubri,South Salamara,Kokrajhar,Chirang,Bongaigaon,Goalpara,Barpeta,Bajali,Nalbari,Baksa,Kamrup andKamrup metropolitan.[10] Among these, 3 districts namely Kokrajhar, Chirang and Baksa lie withinBodoland.[11]
| Code[12] | District | Headquarter | Population (2011)[13] | Area (km²) | Density (/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BK | Baksa# | Mushalpur | 950,075 | 2,457 | 387 |
| - | Bajali | Pathsala | 253,816 | 600 | 423 |
| BP | Barpeta | Barpeta | 1,439,806 | 2,645[14] | 544 |
| BO | Bongaigaon | Bongaigaon | 738,804 | 1,093 | 676 |
| CH | Chirang# | Kajalgaon | 482,162 | 1,170 | 412 |
| DU | Dhubri | Dhubri | 1,394,144 | 1,608 | 867 |
| GP | Goalpara | Goalpara | 1,008,183 | 1,824 | 553 |
| KM | Kamrup Metropolitan | Guwahati | 1,253,938 | 1,528 | 821 |
| KU | Kamrup | Rangia | 1,517,542 | 3,105 | 489 |
| KJ | Kokrajhar# | Kokrajhar | 887,142 | 3,169 | 280 |
| NB | Nalbari | Nalbari | 771,639 | 2,257 | 342 |
| SSM | South Salmara-Mankachar | Hatsingimari[15] | 555,114 | 568 | 977 |
| Total | 12 | — | 1,12,52,365 | 22,024 | 511 |
#Districts within theBodoland Territorial Region
As per the 2011 census, Lower Assam division has a population of 11,252,365 people.
According to the 2011 census, the total number ofAssamese speakers in the division were59,61,583,Bengali speakers were34,76,953,Boro speakers were 8,70,198 andHindi speakers were 3,17,958. Although the Bengali speaking population was 30.9% as per the2011 census language report, Lower Assam Division is home to a largeMuslim population of Bengali origin, most of whom now identify as Assamese speakers in the census.[17][18]
Muslims are around 49.5% of the total lower Assam population at the time of the 2011 census.[citation needed]