Sivasagar district

Until the early 16th century, the land within the Sibsagar district was part of three kingdoms viz. Ahom kingdom, Chutia kingdom and Kachari kingdom. The Burhi-Dihing river which once flowed through the central region of Sibsagar formed the borders between Ahom and Chutia territories, while Dikhou on the southern region demarcated Kachari and Ahom territories. In early 16th century, Ahoms under the reign of Suhungmung defeated Chutia first and Kachari later to annex the entire district. Before the British period, the center of administration of Assam was around Sivasagar were 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 until today stand out as memorials to their glory in the district. 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 treaty, 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. ==Geography==

One of the quaintest towns of Eastern Assam, Sivasagar is one of the cleanest towns in Assam. The district is situated between 26.45° and 27.15° North latitudes and 94.25° and 95.25° East longitudes. Sivasagar district occupies an area of , comparatively equivalent to Estonia's Saaremaa Island. The Sivasagar district is bordered by the Naga Hills and Arunachal Pradesh in the south and south-east respectively and the Brahmaputra river in the north. The district is mostly flat alluvial plain with hillocks on south-eastern and southern areas near the Nagaland border. ==Economy==

The main industries in Sivasagar are oil industry, tea industry & tourism industry. Majority of the population are agrarian. ==Demographics==

According2011 census Sivasagar district has a population of 1,151,050, roughly equal to the population of East Timor. This gives it a ranking of 406th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of . There are also a few villages of Buddhist tribes like Khamyang and Turung people. Moreover, there is a small population of Tiwas, Konyak, Meitei and Nocte living in certain parts of the district. Many Rajasthani families are also present in Sivasagar district Sivasagar is an overwhelming assamese majority district. At the time of the 2011 census, 90.24% of the population spoke Assamese, 2.78% Mishing, 1.96% Hindi, 1.58% Bengali and 1.38% Sadri as their first language. ==Flora and fauna==

In 1999, Sivasagar district became home to the Pani Dihing Wildlife Sanctuary, which has an area of . There are also many reserve forests like Abhaypur, Dilli, Diroi, Geleky and Saleh. There are some unclassified forests along the Nagaland and Arunachal border. The vegetation is mostly tropical evergreen with trees like hollong, titachapa, nahor, mekai etc. dominating the canopy. The district is also rich in fauna. Various rare and endangered mammals like tiger, elephant, sun bear, sambar, hoolock gibbon are found in the reserve forests. ==Festivals and fairs==

The Bihus are the most popular agricultural festival in the district. The Bohag Bihu/Rongali Bihu marks the advent of the cropping season, the Magh Bihu is the harvest festival and the Kati Bihu held in the lean period of agriculture is marked by the observing of penance and prayer. The Vaishnav community observes the birth and death anniversaries of the prominent Vaishnava saints of the state. Tribal communities like the Mishings and Deoris also perform Bihu in their own styles. Id-ul-Zuha and Id-ul-fitr are religious festivals of the Muslim community. Other Hindu festivals observed in the district are Ambubashi, Durga Puja and Sivaratri . The Sivaratri Mela of Siva Dol in Sivasagar town has been observed since the days of Ahom rule. The Tea tribes maintain their own rich cultural traditions. The Jhumur dance and traditional music of these communities are very popular. Sivasagar Day The Sivasagar District celebrates Sivasagar Day on July the 1st of every year. The day is celebrated with cultural programs and cultural rallies along with plantation programmes in the entire Sivasagar District. ==See also==