West Kameng District
| West Kameng district | |
|---|---|
| District of Arunachal Pradesh | |
 Location of West Kameng district in Arunachal Pradesh |
|
| Country | India |
| State | Arunachal Pradesh |
| Headquarters | Bomdila |
| Area | |
| • Total | 7,422 km2 (2,866 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 87,013 |
| Demographics | |
| • Literacy | 69.4% |
| • Sex ratio | 755 |
| Website | Official website |
West Kameng (/ˈkæmɛŋ/) is a district of Arunachal Pradesh in India. It accounts for 8.86% of the total area of the state. The name is derived from the Kameng river, a tributary of the Brahmaputra, that flows through the district.
TM A.Lamaism got a strong foothold among the tribal groups as early as in the 7th century, where the Kachen Lama constructed the Lhagyala Gompa in Morshing.
Whenever loose control was exerted over the area, small, feudal chiefdoms ruled by the Miji and the Aka chiefs dominated control over the area. This can be evidenced in the fact that ruined fortresses like those in Bhalukpong constructed in the 10th to 12th century and the Dirang fort, which was constructed in the 17th century to defend against invasions from neighbouring chiefdoms.
Upon the arrival of the British, the entire area became what was known as the North-East Frontier Agency. It was renamed as the Balipara Frontier tract in 1919, with its headquarters based at Charduar in Assam. In 1946, the district area was carved out of the Balipara, with the name Sela Sub-Agency and its headquarters continued to be Charduar of Assam.
Following the independence of India, the Sela Sub-Agency was renamed as the Kameng Frontier Division. Its headquarters were later transferred to Bomdila in 1954. However, with the invasion of Tibet in 1950, Tibetan refugees started populating the area. Furthermore, with the invasion of the Chinese troops into this area, many historical mounments were either destroyed or defaced.
The Kameng Frontier Division was renamed as the Kameng District. The Political Officer was also redesignated as the Deputy Commissioner of Kameng. However, due to political reasons, the Kameng district was bifurcated between East Kameng and West Kameng on 1 June 1980.Tawang district, which initially belonged to part of the district, was separated on 6 October 1984.
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