Dimapur
| Dimapur | |
|---|---|
| City | |
 Dimapur
 Dimapur
|
|
| Coordinates: 25°55′N 93°44′E / 25.92°N 93.73°ECoordinates: 25°55′N 93°44′E / 25.92°N 93.73°E | |
| Country |
 India
|
| State | Nagaland |
| District | Dimapur |
| Founded by | Kacharis |
| Government | |
| • Deputy Commissioner | Shri Kesonyu Yhome |
| Area | |
| • Total | 121 km2 (47 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 145 m (476 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 122,834 |
| • Rank | 1st in Nagaland |
| • Density | 2,558/km2 (6,630/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | English and Nagamese |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| PIN | 797 112 |
| Telephone code | 91 - (0) 03862 |
| Vehicle registration | NL-07 |
| Website | dimapur |
Dimapur is the largest city in Nagaland, India. The Assam government leased it out for 99 years after Nagaland was carved out of Assam in 1963. It was leased out for its strategic location—it is the only plains tract of hilly Nagaland and had a railway station and airport space for connectivity and economic activity in the new state. In the Middle Ages, it was the capital of the Dimasa Kachari rulers. In the heart of the town there is an old relic of the Dimasa Kachari Kingdom which speaks about the once prosperous era. It is located at 25°54′45″N 93°44′30″E / 25.91250°N 93.74167°E and is bounded by Kohima district on the south and east, Karbi Anglong district of Assam on the west, the Karbi Anglong and stretch of Golaghat District of Assam, in the west and the north. Dimapur, from a Kachari word 'Dimasa' after the river which flows through it, is the gateway to Nagaland and its only railhead. The city also has the only functional airport in the state.
Situated on the banks of the Dhansiri, (originally known as Dong-siri meaning a ravine of peaceful habitation) Dimapur, often described as the ‘Brick City’ by European scholars and also by the Ahoms, was the ancient capital of a ruling nation, the Dimasa, who were once a powerful and predominant race in the Entire North-East India region particularly the Brahmaputra Valley. There are two accounts of the way in which Dimapur got its name : many writers are of the opinion that the name ’ Dimapur’ was derived from Dimasa Kachari words Di-meaning water, Ma-meaning big and Pur-meaning city or township in the Dimasa dialect; while others contend that Dimapur is a corruption of Hidimbapur, meaning the city of Hidimbi (of Mahabharata fame) - the rakshasi-turned-woman whose marriage to the Pandava prince Bhima led to the birth of Ghatotkacha - believed to be the progenitor of the Kacharis. According to the second theory, the name Hidimbapur is conjectured to have been abbreviated to Dimbapur and subsequently to have lost a consonant to become Dimapur. In some accounts preserved in Dimasa Kachari folklore Dimapur is called Dimabang Halali, possibly an earlier name of the city, later Sanskritised by the Brahmins. In the Ahom Chronicles, Dimapur Is referred to sometimes as ‘Che-din-chi-pen’ (town-earth-burn-make) meaning ‘brick town’ and at others as 'Che-Dima’ meaning town of the Dimasa.
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Wikipedia