Guwahati (previously spelled Gauhati) is a major city in eastern India, with a population of 818,809 (2001 census). The largest city in the North-East Region of India, it is considered by some to be the "gateway" to the region. Dispur, the capital of the Indian state of Assam, is located within the city. Guwahati is one of the most rapidly growing cities in India; during the past few decades it has experienced expansion and also a steep rise in population. According to a survey done by a UK media outlet, Guwahati is among the 100 fastest growing cities of the world, and is the 5th fastest growing among Indian cities.
The city is situated between the southern bank of the Brahmaputra river and the foothills of the Shillong plateau, with LGB International Airport to the west, and the town of Narengi to the east. The city is gradually being expanded as North Guwahati to the northern bank of the Brahmaputra. The Guwahati Municipal Corporation, the city's local government, administers an area of 216 km², while the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority, the planning and development administers an area of 340 km².
Guwahati is a major commercial and educational center of North-East India and is home to world class institutions such as the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati. The city is also a major center for cultural activities and sports in the North Eastern region and for the administrative and political activities of Assam. The city is also an important hub for transportation in the North East Region.
The name Guwahati is derived from two Assamese words: 'guwa' (areca nut) and 'haat' (market place). The name used to be spelled as Gowhatty (pre-colonial and colonial), standardized to Gauhati (colonial-British), which was then changed to the present form in the late 1980s to conform to the local pronunciation.
History of guwahati
Guwahati's myths and history go back several thousands of years. Although the date of the city's beginning is unknown, references in the epics, puranas, and other traditional histories, lead many to assume that it is one of the ancient cities of Asia.
Epigraphic sources place the capitals of many ancient kingdoms in Guwahati. It was the capital of the mythological kings Naraka and Bhagadatta according to the Mahabharata. The ancient sakti temple of Goddess Kamakhya located in Nilachal hill (also important seat of Tantric and Vajrayana Buddhism), the ancient and unique astrological temple Navagraha located in Chitrachal Hill, and archaeological remains in Basista and other locations support the mythological assertions of the city's ancient past.
The Ambari excavations trace the city to the 6th century AD. The city was known as Pragjyotishpura and Durjoya in different time periods, and was the capital under the Varman and the Pala dynasties of the Kamarupa kingdom. Descriptions by Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang) reveal that during the greatest Varman king Bhaskaravarma (7th century AD), the city stretched 19 km and was probably the principal base for his strong naval force (30,000 war-boats, with officers who were knowledgeable of the sea-routes from the Indian Ocean to China - Xuanzang). The city remained as the capital of Assam till the 10-11th century AD under the rulers of the Pala dynasty. Excavations in Ambari, and the brick walls and houses excavated during construction of the present Cotton College's auditorium suggest that it was a city of great size with economic and strategic importance until the 9-11th century AD.
Digholy Pukhury, Guwahati
During medieval times between the 12-15th century AD, after the destruction of the Kamata kingdom, the city lost its earlier glory and became mainly a strategic outpost of the Koch Hajo and Ahom Kingdoms of western and eastern Assam. When the western part of the Koch Kingdom (Koch Bihar) fell to the Mughals, the eastern half (Koch Hajo) eventually became a protectorate of Ahom. Although the actual border between both powers (Ahoms and Mughals) fluctuated between the Kartoya river (now in North Bengal) to the Manas and Barnadi rivers, Guwahati remained an important outpost.
The city was the seat of the Borphukan, the civil and military authority of the lower Assam region appointed by the Ahom kings. The Borphukan's residence was in the present Fansi Bazaar area, and his council-hall, called Dopdar, was situated about 300 yards (270 m) to the west of the Bharalu stream. The Majindar Baruah, the personal secretary of the Borphukan, had his residence in the present-day Deputy Commissioner's residence (Baruah 1992:200-201).
The Mughals attacked Assam 17 times and Guwahati was captured many times. The Battle of Saraighat fought close to Guwahati in 1671 is the most well known war, in which the Mughals were over-run due to the strong leadership of Lachit Borphukan and hard work of the Assamese Army.
There are a number of historic features in Guwahati. The Dighali Pukhuri is a rectangular lake that was connected to the Brahmaputra, and was an ancient boat yard probably used by the Ahoms in medieval times. Moreover, there are many tanks, temples, ramparts, etc. in the city. The most important archaeological site is the Ambari excavation site close to Dighali Pukhuri.
Transport
Air
Guwahati is serviced by the Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport at Borjhar, about 20 km west of the city center. Air connectivity has improved considerably in the last couple of years and all major domestic airlines fly into Guwahati. Helicopter services are operated from Guwahati to Shillong (30 min), Tura (50 min), Naharlagun (Itanagar), Tawang (75 min) by Pawan Hans, a helicopter service. Guwahati airport averages about 20 arrivals and departures a day. Guwahati is serviced with direct flights to Delhi, Jaipur, Indore, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangalore,Chennai and other major cities in India by different airlines. Indian connects Guwahati internationally to Bangkok once a week. A modernization plan is underway at Guwahati airport right now and once it is completed, the AAI plans to make Guwahati a hub of air connectivity.
Rail
Guwahati falls under the Northeast Frontier Railway zone of the Indian Railways. Guwahati Junction which is the major station of Guwahati is the headquarters of the zone. Two minor stations are Kamakhya and New Guwahati (for freight services) located towards west and east from Guwahati respectively. Major trains serving Guwahati are Guwahati Rajdhani Express, Poorvottar Sampark Kranti Express, Saraighat Express, North-East Express, Guwahati-Jorhat Town Jan Shatabdi Express.
But the city still lacks direct connectivity through railway to Bhopal Junction, Indore Junction BG, Jaipur, Gwalior, Ahmedabad and many central as well as western cities of India.
Road
National Highway 31 connects Guwahati with the states Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. National Highway 37 from Goalpara in Assam to Dimapur in Nagaland traverses the entire length of Assam and connects Guwahati with almost all the major cities of Assam including the cities of Jorhat and Dibrugarh.
Local transport
Lack of sufficient road space is also a major problem. The length of surfaced road within the city is presently at 218 km (ARSAC). The major corridor roads suffer from insufficient right of way, illegal construction methods, and improper planning and design. The roads in the residential neighborhoods are extremely narrow (lack of proper regulations) causing problems related to both traffic and infrastructure installations. Cul-de-sacs are neither planned nor designed properly.
Guwahati has a good public transit system. A government agency - Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) and many private operators provide a considerably good city-bus system. It requires further modernization and integration with city planning and management initiatives. Guwahati is the first city in the North-east where low floored buses were introduced.
Guwahati is very well connected with adjoining regions via bus services. Two nodal points, Adabari and Paltan Bazaar, provide bus services to towns and cities in Assam and adjoining states. Some of these services are run by the government agency ASTC, whereas a vast majority of them are run by private companies. "Night supers", or buses that run overnight, and luxury coaches, are very popular.
The Inter State Bus Terminus (ISBT) located at the outskirts, provides connectivity with other regions of the Northeast with regular buses for major cities and tourist destinations of the neighbouring states.
Education and Health facilities
The city is home to Gauhati University in Jalukbari. The century-old Cotton College is one of the most reputed colleges in eastern India, and possesses great scholastic and cultural value.
The Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati is the sixth member of the high-profile world's renowned IITs in India. Since its establishment in 1994, IIT-G has proven itself as an excellent institution for research and education, evidenced by its high ranking among the IITs in India as reported by a variety of national surveys such as India Today and Dataquest.
The Assam Engineering College and the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital are the two important institutions for science and technology and medical education.
Among the city's many other institutions of higher learning are the Gauhati Commerce College, College of Veterinary Science,SJN Govt. Homeopathic Medical College, Government Ayurvedic College, Arya Vidyapeeth College,B. Borooah College, Handique Girls College (the latter two have both Arts and Science streams), Assam Engineering Institute (engineering diploma courses), Pandu College, LCB College, West Guwahati Commerce College, and K.C.Das Commerce College (1983).
The city is an important center for health facilities in eastern India, featuring many government and private specialty hospitals. The most important are the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital, Guwahati Neurological Research Centre (GNRC), Down Town Hospital, B. Baruah Cancer Institute, and Sankardev Netralaya. Medical education and research are also important activities.
Guwahati also has branches of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) and The Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India (ICWAI). There are newly opened private higher education institutes like Royal Group of Institute Betkuchi and Girijananda Chowdhury Institute of Management and Technology, Azara. The city also has Don Bosco University,the first State approved private university in Assam and North East India.