Asm: অভয়াপুৰী abhaẏāpuri ‘Ahhayeswari’s City’ -Town, Assam. From Abhayeswari and Skt: puri, ‘fort’, ‘city. Abhayapuri was the third capital of the ancient Bijni Kingdom founded by Bijit Narayan (Chandra Narayan) in the 17thC. Abhayeswari Devi was the queen at the...
Assam (Asm) Asm: অসম āsāma ‘Land of the Ahom’ From Asm: syam, ‘Ahom/Shan people’. The Ahom community (who are ethically Tai/Thai) has been known here by several different but closely related names: Ahom, Asam, Aham, Shan, Syam. Spread across Asia they are known as...
Asm: দেৰগাঁও dēragāon ‘God’s Village’ [Devagram] Town, Assam From Asm: deor, ‘god’; and Asm: gāon, ‘village’ Its old name Devagram [From Skt: deva, ‘god’; and grama, ‘village’] is simply a translation. The god in question is Shiva who has a temple here. It was...
Asm: ডিব্ৰুগড় ḍibrugaṛa ‘Fort on the River Dibru’ [Dibrumukh] City/District, Assam From Bod: dibru, ‘River Dibru’ [Bod: di, ‘water’, ‘river’; and dib(a)ru, ‘blister’] and Asm/Hin: mukh, ‘mouth’; garh, ‘fort’, ‘rampart’. The mukh in...
‘Mouth of the River Dikhow’ Village, Assam From River Dikhow [Bod: di, ‘water’, ‘river’; khau/khow, ‘deep’, ‘steep’; and Asm/Hin: mukh, ‘mouth’]. The Dikhow river flows northwards from Nagaland and joins the Brahmaputra at Dikhowmukh. Dikhowmukh was an important Ahom...
Asm: গড়গাঁও gaṛhgāon ‘Fort Village’ Town, Assam From Asm: gaṛh, fort’, ‘ramparts’; and gāon, ‘village’ [Skt: grama]. The town was built in 1540 and was the Ahom capital from the 16-18thC. In 1747 a 5km fortified wall was built around the city with gates and...
Asm: গুৱাহাটী guwāhāṭi ‘Betel-nut Market’ [Pragjyotishpura] City/ Capital, Assam From Asm: guwā, ‘areca nut’, ‘betel-nut’; and Ben: hāṭa [Skt: haṭṭa], ‘market’. Guwahati’s history stretches back to ancient times and it is mentioned in the...
Asm: হাজো hājō ‘Hill’ Town, Assam From Bod: hajo/hajw, ‘hill’. Hajo is a pilgrimage site for three religions. The celebrated Hayagriva Madhava Hindu temple is dedicated to Narasimha, the part-man, part-lion incarnation of Vishnu Some Tibetan and Chinese Buddhists...
Asm: হাত্তিগড় hāttigaṛa ‘Elephant Fort’ [Gajpur] Village, Assam From Asm/Hin: hāthī, ‘elephant’; and gaṛh, ‘fort’. Hatigarh literally means a fort or a rampart (garh) for confining elephants (hati). The Ahom king, Suklingphaa (1795–1811 CE), used this site (close...
Asm: যোৰহাট jōrhāṭ ‘Twin Markets’ City/District, Assam From Asm: jor, ‘pair’; and Ben: hāṭa, ‘market’ [Skt: haṭṭa]. The ‘pair’ of markets existed in the 18thC on opposite banks of the Bhogdoi river, a tributary of the Brahmaputra, which flows past the town. Jorhat...
Asm: কাজিৰঙা kājirāṅgā ‘Kazi’s Village’ National Park, Assam From Kbi: kaji/kazi, female personal name; and rang/rong, ‘village’. Archaeological evidence suggests the Karbi people once ruled here. There are a number of derivations which are based on personal names...
Asm: নগাঁও nagām̐ō ‘New Village’ [Nowgong] Town/District, Assam From Asm: na, ‘new’; and gāon, ‘village’ [Skt: grama]. Nowgong was a feeble British attempt at writing Nagaon. It is neither new (it dates back to at least the 17thC) nor a village (it has a population...
Asm: নলবাৰী nalabāṛi ‘Reed Garden’ Town/District, Assam From Asm: nal, ‘(a kind of) reed’; and bari, ‘garden’, ‘compound’. At one time the Nalbari region was famous for its silks and the Tailaparnika perfume which, according to Kautilya’s Arthasastra, had the:...
Asm: নাজিৰা nājirā ‘Harbour’ Town, Assam From Asm: nāo, ‘boat’; and jira, ‘resting (place)’. One could imagine this as an inlet used as a stopover on the River Dikhow. Other sources suggest: ‘Steep Field’. [from Aho: nā, field; ji, ‘slant’; and rā, ‘much’,...
‘City of Joy’ Monument/Palace, Assam From Asm: ranga, ‘joy’, ‘pleasure’; and Skt: pura, ‘fort’, ‘city’. Rangpur, founded in 1707, was the fourth capital of the Ahom kingdom and its military base. It fell into rebel hands towards the end of the century but by the...
Asm: শদিয়া śadiẏā ‘City of Sathyakanarayana’ [Sadhayapuri] Town, Assam This is an abbreviation of Sadhyaka-narayana -pur, the city of 14thC King Sathyakanarayana. Sadiya was the Chutia Kingdom’s third capital. It was founded in the 13thC and lasted through until...
The ‘Seven Sisters’ are a family of seven states on the North Eastern Region (NER) of India: Arunachal Pradesh (ArP), Assam (Asm), Manipur (Man), Meghalaya (Meg), Mizoram (Miz), Nagaland (Nag), Tripura (Tri). Sikkim is usually included as a brother state....
Asm: শিলচর śilac(h)ara ‘Stone Bank’ City, Assam From Asm: śilā, ‘stone’; char, ‘(river) bank’. Silchar is the second largest city in Assam, famous for tea cultivation. Indira Gandhi called it the ‘Island of Peace’ during a time when it was a beacon of stability in a...
Asm: শিৱসাগৰ śivasāgara ‘Shiva’s Ocean’ [Sibsagar] City/District, Assam From Shiva; and Skt: sāgar, ‘ocean, ‘sea’. The city gets its name from the big lake in the city centre. Sivasagar’s previous name was Rangpur (see above) and it was the Ahom capital during the...
Asm:তেজপুৰ tējapura ‘City of Blood’ City, Assam Asm/Ben: tez/tej, ‘blood’[Skt: śōṇita]; and Skt: pura, ‘fort’, ‘city’. Tezpur is situated in Sonitpur, a District with which it shares its original name. Bana, the arrogant thousand-armed king and ardent devotee of...
Asm: তিনিচুকীয়া tinasukiẏā ‘Three-cornered Tank’ [Bengmora] City/District, Assam From Asm: tini, ‘three’; kōṇa, ‘corner’; and pukhuraī, ‘tank’. Bengmora was the capital of the Motok kingdom which rebelled against the Ahom kings. It was founded by...
