Nagaon, earler spelt of Nowgong was carved out
as a separate district administrative unit in 1832. Located in
Central Assam, the eastern, western and southern segments of the
newly organised district were once ruled by different small-time
feudal kings or their agents. An extensive and undulating plain
intersected by big and small hills and rivers- the geography of
the sements determined who their masters ought to be. The residual
effects of the rule of the Bara Bhuyans were imaginatively utilised
and reorganised by Momai Tamuli Barphukana, an intrepid officer
of the Ahom king Pratap Singha in the first half of the seventeeth
century. This area, until then, was more of strategic than administrative
concern. Newly organised village system-hence called "Nagaon",
'Na' means new.
At the social level, a great majority of the
people were the Vaishnavites. Sankardeva, the great saint of the
Bhakti movement era was born at Bordowa, at a distance of fifteen
kilometres from the district geadquarters town. His life and work
had been social exemplifiers and anyone can feel the long shadow
of his influence even in the remotest part of the district.
The thickly populated parts of the district were
the chosen targets of violence and term during the Burmese rule.
There was no leadership to organised resistance movement against
the Burmese. The people heaved a sigh of relief when the British
came down heavily on the Burmese and compelled them to withdraw
from Assam. Following the treaty of Yandaboo in 1826, this central
area of the province passed off silently into the hands of the
British. It took a couple of years before the British finally
settled on the present site on the bank of the Kollong river as
the district headquarters. Earlier, they experimented from Puranigudam
and Rangagora. The district headquarters was called Nagaon and
gradually it emerged into a town. It become a municipality in
1893. Nagaon follows the pattern of any other district of the
Lower Provinces east of the Ganga. It is basically a rural conglomerate
of agricultural population.
Conscious of its strategic location, the administration
of the district was always entrusted to officers of extraordinary
merit. A local peasant uprising at Phulaguri in 1861 against governments
taxation policy was enough of an indication that the peasantry
was not altogether a stolid and docile lot. The peasantry was
also an active participant in the various stages of the national
struggle for freedom. The national leaders, M.K Gandhi, Rajendra
Prasad and Pandit Nehru were impressed by their spirit and enthusiasm.
The entire credit of introduction of modern education
in the district goes to the Christian Missionaries. Of them, the
name of Miles Bronson, the American missionary, shines as
brilliantly as ever. The apostle of the new age Anandaram Dhekia
Phukan spent the best part of his life at Nagaon, His spiritual
successor Gunabhiram Barua also worked in Nagaon for about two
decades.
Geography of Nagaon District
(Old name Khagarijan)
New name Nagaon (Nowgong, New Settlement by Momai Tamuli Barbarua)
Boundary of the district
North is bounded by Sonitpur district & the
Brahmaputra river, south is bounded by West Karbi Anglong and
North Cachar Hills, East is bounded by East Karbi Anglong and
Golaghat district.
Beels and lakes and marshy lands
There are several beels, marshy lands and swamps are there, these
are in reality old abandone channels of Kalong and Kopili rivers
of Nagaon district. These are Marikalong, Potakalong,/ Haribhanga,
Jongalbalahu, Samoguri beel, Urigadang and Nawbhanga. These beels
are major unused resources of the district. There are nearly more
than two hundred numerous marshy land exist here which should
be used for development of the area.
The district looks like a broken dish north is
up land South is also up land west is slop other half dish is
in Marigaon district, Geomorphologically Marigaon and Nagaon makes
a perfect Geomorphological area. The general slope of the district
is towards the west from any place. East, North East and South
East is hilly terrain.
Climate
The climate of this district is in general Monsoon type of climate.
But there are some difference from the other districts of Assam.It
divides the province in to two halves climatically, from this
district to western most district Dhubri rainfall is in increasing
rate, again from here to east ward up to Tinsukia rainfall is
also in increasing rate. Here the climate is in extreme type.
The pattern of rainfall is such that, South is dry North is rainy
area, rainfall from south to north is 1000 mm per year to 2000
mm per year. Lanka area is in semi desertic Zone. Cold season
from December to February. Probability of flood from June to October.
Only April to May is per Monsoon. October to November is only
Post Monsoon. Average rainfall is 1750 mm (last 50 years data
base). Deforestation, El-Nino effect, speedy urbanization and
global warming in general changing the rainfall pattern of the
district. Now 12% Vegetation cover is remained in the district
which should be minimum 33%.
Rivers & slopes
Major river is Kalong which divided the town in to two halves
Haibargaon and Nagaon. It is comparable with Poe river of Italy
which divided the town in two divide lines, these divide lines
are Levees of the river Kalong.
Haibargaon is slope down towards west and then south west to river
Sonai, and Nagaon is slope down towards south east and then south
to the beels and then to Kalong near Bebejia.
