Sibsagar district

Sivasagar district শিৱসাগৰ জিলা
District of Assam
Location of Sivasagar district in Assam
Country	India
State	Assam
Administrative division	Sivasagar Division
Headquarters	Sivasagar
Tehsils	1. Amguri 2. Gaurisagar 3. Sivasagar 4. Demow 5. Nazira 6. Lakowa
Government
• Lok Sabha constituencies	1. Jorhat
• Assembly seats	1. Amguri, 2. Sivasagar 3. Thowra 4. Nazira 5. Mahmora
Area
• Total	2,668 km² (1,030 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	1,150,253
• Density	430/km² (1,100/sq mi)
Demographics
• Literacy	81.36%
• Sex ratio	951 per 1000 male
Major highways	NH-37
Website	Official website

Sivasagar district {Pron: ˈsɪvəˌsʌgə(r) or ˈʃɪvəˌsʌgə(r)} (Assamese: শিৱসাগৰ জিলা), formerly known as Sibsagar, is one of the 32 districts of Assam state in Northeast India. Sivasagar town is the administrative headquarters of this district. This historic place is also known for its rich and diverse biodiversity. The districts covers an area of 2668 square kilometers as against total area of 78438 square kilometers of Assam as per census of 2001. The district comprises two sub-divisions – Sivasagar and Nazira. The district of Sivasagar lies between 26.45°N and 27.15°N latitudes and 94.25°E and 95.25°E longitudes. The district is bounded by the Brahmaputra River on the north, Nagaland on the south, the Charaideo district on the east and the Jhanji River on the west. The Sivasagar district has acquired its distinct identity due to the co-existence of different races, tribes, languages and cultures.

Before the British period, the center of administration of Assam was around Sivasagar where the famous Ahoms ruled for nearly six hundred years. The Ahom kings took keen interest in building different temples, dedicated to various deities and which were usually flanked by large tanks which till today stand out as memorials to their glory in the district. Sivasagar, or Rongpur as it was known then, was the capital of the Ahom Kingdom from 1699 to 1788. The famous Joysagar Tank was excavated within 45 days by Rudra Singha (1696-1714) in memory of his mother Joymoti Kunwari. The Joy Dol is situated on the bank of the Joysagar Tank. Pramatta Singha (1744-1751) built the Ranghar with bricks in 1745. Gaurisagar Tank is situated at a distance of about eight miles from Sivasagar town. The Sivasagar Tank was excavated by queen Ambika Devi in 1733. The Siva Dol, Vishnu Dol and Devi Dol are situated on the bank of the Sivasagar Tank. Rajeshwar Singha (1751-1769) built the Kareng Ghar in Gargaon. Charaideo, about 28 kilometers away from Sivasagar, is famous for a cluster of Maidams, the Ahom age tumuli. Sukapha, the first Ahom king, constructed his capital at Charaideo in 1253. Sivasagar was earlier known as Rongpur and Rongpur was earlier known as Meteka. The original name of Sivasagar district was Sibpur. On February 24, 1826, the treaty of Yandaboo consolidated the British occupation of Assam. This treaty of Yandaboo brought an end to the roughly six hundred year long Ahom rule in Assam. After the 1826 teaty, the British government in Assam incorporated a number of administrative changes such as the formation of districts. The Sivasagar district was created after the annexation of Purandar Singha’s dominion of upper Assam in 1839. The Sadar headquarter of Sivasagar was transferred to Jorhat in 1912-13. The undivided old Sivasagar district comprised three subdivisions, namely Sivasagar, Jorhat and Golaghat. In 1983, the Sivasagar district was reorganized to carve out the Jorhat district. It was further divided on 15 August 1987 for the creation of the Golaghat district.

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