Lower Assam
| Lower Assam | ||
| Western Assam, Kamrup (Ancient and medieval) | ||
| Region | ||
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| Country | India | |
|---|---|---|
| Cities | Guwahati, Bongaigaon | |
| Capital | Pragjyotishpura and Durjaya (Ancient) | |
| Population | 11,253,550 (2011) | |
| Timezone | UTC+05:30 (IST) (UTC+5.30) | |
Lower Assam (also Western Assam) (Assamese: পশ্চিম/নামনি অসম), "Kamrup" (ancient, medieval and pre-colonial); is an administrative division of Assam, comprising the Kamrup and Goalpara regions under the jurisdiction of a Commissioner, who is stationed at Guwahati. The division covers the lower reaches of the Brahmaputra river occupying entire western Brahmaputra Valley.
The term "Lower Assam" is often an misnomer in spite of popular usage to refer the region. In scholary circles Western Assam was more frequently used to accurately define the region and differentiate it from Lower Assam Division.
Soon after the formal creation of the British districts in 1833, Lower Assam denoted one of the five initial districts that were created west of the Dhansiri river, which along with the six paraganas became a single district of Kamrup in 1836.
It was home to the mighty kingdom of Kamarupa (3-12 AD), ruled by Varman's and Pala's from their capital's Pragjyotishpura (Guwahati) and Durjaya (North Gauhati). Today Guwahati is largest city of North-East India while Dispur, the capital of Assam, is within the town.
In 4th-century region was mentioned as Kamarupa in the Prayag stone inscription along with Davaka (central Assam). Davaka was absorbed during middle of 5th century during the reign of Kalyana Varman, or in 6th-7th-century period. The Nagajari-Khanikargaon rock inscription, discovered in 1972 in Golaghat is dated to the 5th century, showing an early expansion of the Kamarupa kingdom to the east.
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