Bongaigaon#History
{{short description|City in Assam, India}}
{{About|the town|its namesake district|Bongaigaon district}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2018}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2013}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Bongaigaon
| settlement_type = Town
| image_skyline = Bongaigaon metropolis.jpg
| imagesize =
| image_caption = Bongaigaon town view
| nickname = Commercial and Industrial Hub of Assam
| pushpin_map = India Assam
| pushpin_label_position = right
| pushpin_map_alt = Assam Bongaigaon district
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Assam, India
| coordinates = {{coord|26|28|37|N|90|33|30|E|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flag|India}}
| subdivision_type1 = State
| subdivision_type2 = Region
| subdivision_type3 = District
| subdivision_type4 =
| subdivision_type5 =
| subdivision_type6 = City Type
| subdivision_name1 = Assam
| subdivision_name2 = Lower Assam
| subdivision_name3 = Bongaigaon
| subdivision_name4 = 4
| subdivision_name5 = Central, North, South, Industrial
| subdivision_name6 =
| established_title =
| established_date =
| founder =
| named_for =
| government_type = Municipality
| governing_body = Bongaigaon Municipal Board
| leader_title = District Commissioner
| leader_name = Shri Nabadeep Pathak, ACS
| unit_pref = Metric
| area_footnotes =
| area_total_km2 = 14
| area_rank =
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m = 62.6
| population_total = 67,322
| population_footnotes =
| population_density_km2 = auto
| pop_est_as_of =
| population_metro =
| population_rank =
| population_demonym =
| demographics_type1 = Languages
| demographics1_title1 = Official
| timezone1 = IST
| utc_offset1 = +5:30
| postal_code_type = PIN
| postal_code =
| area_code = 03664
| area_code_type = Telephone code
| registration_plate = AS-19,
| blank1_name_sec1 =
| blank1_info_sec1 =
| website = {{URL|https://bongaigaon.assam.gov.in}}
| footnotes =
| leader_title2 = Superintendent of Police
| leader_name2 = Mohanlal Meena, (IPS)
| demographics1_info1 = Assamese, Rajbanshi, English
| blank2_name_sec1 =
| blank2_info_sec1 =
| blank3_name_sec1 =
| blank3_info_sec1 =
| blank4_name_sec1 = Sex ratio
| blank4_info_sec1 = 961 per 1000 male (Census 2011) ♂/♀
| blank5_name_sec1 =
| blank5_info_sec1 =
| blank6_name_sec1 =
| blank6_info_sec1 =
| blank7_name_sec1 =
| blank7_info_sec1 =
| blank2_name_sec2 =
| blank2_info_sec2 =
| blank3_name_sec2 =
| blank3_info_sec2 =
| blank4_name_sec2 =
| blank4_info_sec2 =
| blank5_name_sec2 =
| blank5_info_sec2 =
| blank6_name_sec2 =
| blank6_info_sec2 =
| blank7_name_sec2 =
| blank7_info_sec2 =
| official_name = Bongaigaon Town
| population_as_of = 2011
}}
Bongaigaon ({{IPAc-en|audio=Bongaigaon ogg.ogg|b|ɒ|ŋ|ˈ|ɡ|aɪ|ɡ|aʊ}}) is an industrial town in the Indian state of Assam. Its urban area spans across Bongaigaon and Chirang district. It also acts as the district headquarters of Bongaigaon district and commercial and industrial hub of the west part of the state of Assam. The New Bongaigaon Junction railway station is the 12th largest railway station in Northeast Frontier Railway zone which is one of the major railway zones in India.
Etymology
According to lore, the name 'Bongaigaon' derives from the words 'bon' (wild) and 'gai' (cow). In the distant past, wild cows were often a menace to villagers in this area, due to which the district got its name.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}
History
=Bijni Kingdom=
The area was ruled by zamindars hailing from the Koch belonging to Indo-Mongoloid ethnic group of peoples from the 16th century to the end of princely states in 1956.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}
=Administrative changes under British rule=
The original Goalpara district was first created in 1822 by David Scott, an employee of the East India Company and the first Commissioner of newly created North east Rangpur district headquarters at Rangpur town (now in Bangladesh). The newly created Goalpara district was connected with North-east Rangpur district for administration. The area, formerly part of the Bijni Kingdom, which included the undivided Garo Hills district constituted the Undivided Goalpara district area in 1822. In 1866, Garo Hills was separated from the Goalpara district area, and in the same year a new district named "Greater Koch Behar" was created and the remaining portion of Goalpara district was withdrawn from Rangpur and tagged with Koch Behar. In 1874 a new province, the Assam Valley Province, was created by the British government, and Goalpara district area was withdrawn from Koch Behar and tagged with Assam Province, which continues until today. The original Goalpara district is now split into five districts: Goalpara, Dhubri, Kokrajhar, Bongaigoan, and Chirang.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}
=Creation of Bongaigaon and modern era=
On 14 March 1989, bombs from separatist tribal militants{{Who|date=July 2022}} exploded in Bongaigaon, killing 17 and wounding at least 48.{{Cite web |date=1989-03-14 |title=WORLD : Separatists' Bombs Kill 17 in India |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-03-14-mn-712-story.html |access-date=2022-07-28 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}
The government of Assam decided in 1989 to create a new district of Bongaigaon, carving out some areas of the Goalpara and Kokrajhar Districts with its headquarters located at Bongaigaon. On 29 September 1989, the creation of Bongaigaon District was declared by the Government of Assam with its headquarters at Bongaigaon. {{citation needed|date=April 2024}}
In June 2022, heavy floods in Assam affected the residents of Bongaigaon.{{Cite web |date=20 June 2022 |title=Flood situation 'critical' in India's Assam |url=https://ca.news.yahoo.com/flood-situation-critical-indias-assam-085254545.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220622035735/https://ca.news.yahoo.com/flood-situation-critical-indias-assam-085254545.html |archive-date=22 June 2022 |access-date=28 July 2022 |website=ca.news.yahoo.com |language=}}
Administration
The Bongaigaon Town Committee was first constituted in the year 1961 and was upgraded to a Municipal Board in the year 1977. Presently the Municipal Area consists of 25 wards covering an area of 14.31 sq m.{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}}
Bongaigaon is part of Barpeta (Lok Sabha constituency).{{cite web
|url=http://archive.eci.gov.in/se2001/background/S03/AS_ACPC.pdf
|title=List of Parliamentary & Assembly Constituencies
|access-date=2008-10-05
|work=Assam
|publisher=Election Commission of India
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060504181808/http://archive.eci.gov.in/se2001/background/S03/AS_ACPC.pdf
|archive-date=2006-05-04
}} Diptimayee Choudhury is the current M.L.A. of the Bongaigaon constituency.
Geography
Bongaigaon is located at {{Coord|26|28|37|N|90|33|30|E}}.{{cite web |title=Maps, Weather, and Airports for Bongaigaon, India |url=http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/03/Bongaigaon.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101026084757/http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/03/Bongaigaon.html |archive-date=26 October 2010 |access-date=28 July 2022 |work=fallingrain.com}} It has an average altitude of 62.6 metres. The town is situated 200 km west of the State Capital and has an important place in the communication network of Assam and wider northeast India. The New Bongaigaon railway station is a major hub connecting Assam with the rest of India. This town is also very well connected by road through the National Highways 31 B and 31C. This connectivity and the strategic location of the town in the region has made it an important center in trade and commerce in Western Assam, serving a vast hinterland. It is one of the biggest industrial towns in Lower Assam. The district is part of the Brahmaputra River's basin.{{cite web |title=District Report BONGAIGAON |url=http://www.icssr.org/Bongaigaon.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120523205241/http://icssr.org/Bongaigaon.pdf |archive-date=23 May 2012 |access-date=10 January 2012 |publisher=commissioned by Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India |df=dmy-all}}{{Page needed|date=July 2022}}
=Climate=
Bongaigaon has a borderline monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa) marginally too cool to be a tropical savanna climate (Aw). During the "cool" season from November to February, afternoons are warm to very warm and mornings are cool. In the "hot" season of March and April, the weather becomes hot and thunderstorm rainfalls increase in frequency to prelude the oppressive monsoon season from June to September where heavy rainfall occurs every afternoon.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}
Demography
Bongaigaon town has a population of 67,322 as per the 2011 census.{{cite web |title=Bongaigaon, Assam |url=https://citypopulation.de/en/india/assam/bongaigaon/1840402000__bongaigaon/ |publisher=citypopulation.de |access-date=12 May 2024}}
Healthcare
There are both private and government hospitals in Bongaigaon including:
{{Cleanup list|section|date=April 2024}}
- Arogoya Hospital and Research Centre
- Bongaigaon Civil Hospital
- SM Hospital and Diagnostics Center( Agarwala Hospital)
- Chilaray Hospital & Research Centre
- Narmada International Hospital and Research Centre Bongaigaon
- Dr. Shalini's Navjeevan Clinic
- Lower Assam Hospital And Research Centre{{cite web|url=http://www.doctoralia.in/medical-center/lower+assam+hospital+and+research+centre-1223806|title=Lower Assam Hospital And Research Centre — Bongaigaon|work=doctoralia.in|access-date=23 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201214019/http://www.doctoralia.in/medical-center/lower+assam+hospital+and+research+centre-1223806|archive-date=1 February 2014|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}
- Swagat Hospital{{cite web|url=http://www.swagathospital.com|title=Swagat Hospital & Research Centre|work=swagathospital.com}}{{cite web|url=http://www.hotfrog.in/Companies/Swagat-Hospital_920387|title=Swagat Hospital BONGAIGAON, Assam|work=hotfrog.in}}
- St. Augustine's Hospital{{cite web|url=http://stjohnsruralmission.org/st-augustine-hospital/|title=St. Augustine Hospital — St. John's Rural Mission|work=stjohnsruralmission.org|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808054126/http://stjohnsruralmission.org/st-augustine-hospital/|archive-date=2014-08-08}}{{cite web|url=http://www.imaasb.com/admin/files/bongaigaon-branch.pdf|title=Bongaigaon branch IMAASB|work=imaasb.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808054734/http://www.imaasb.com/admin/files/bongaigaon-branch.pdf|archive-date=2014-08-08}}
- New Bongaigaon Railway Hospital
- Bongaigaon Refinery Hospital{{cite web|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070414/asp/northeast/story_7643810.asp|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140126120055/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070414/asp/northeast/story_7643810.asp|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 January 2014|title=The Telegraph - Calcutta : Northeast|work=telegraphindia.com}}
Photo Gallery
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|Bongaigaon}}
- [https://bongaigaon.assam.gov.in/ Bongaigaon District official website]
- {{Wikivoyage inline}}
{{Assam}}