Dhemaji district (pronounced or ) is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located in Dhemaji and commercial headquarters are located in Silapathar. Dhemaji covers an area of 3,237 km2 and has a population of 686,133 (as of 2011). The predominant religion is Hinduism, with Hindus comprising approximately 95.47% of the population.

Etymology

The district's name Dhemaji is derived from the Deori-Chutia word Dema-ji which means great water. The name is a reference to the region being prone to flooding.

History

The areas of the present district were part of the greater Chutia kingdom along with the Lakhimpur, Tinsukia, Jorhat, Dibrugarh and Sonitpur districts from the 12th century to the 16th century until the Ahom-Chutia conflict during the early period of the 16th century. The Ahoms created a new position Banlungia Gohain to control the area. Monuments built during the Chutia rule include the Malinithan, Garakhia Than, Bordoloni Than and Basudev temples. Dhemaji became a fully-fledged district on 14 October 1989 when it was split from Lakhimpur district.

Geography

The Dhemaji district occupies an area of 3237 km2, roughly equivalent to Solomon Islands' Makira Island. It is one of the fastest developing districts of India, at the easternmost part of Assam. Being in a confluence of rivers, with the Brahmaputra river flanking the district and its numerous tributaries running through the district, the region is perennially affected by floods. The heart of Dhemaji district is Dhemaji Mouza (an area demarcated by the British regime for the purpose of tax collection, equivalent to a taluk or pargana in the pan-Indian context). Secondly, Silapathar is the main business place of Dhemaji. The Bogibil project was running nearest to these place and is completed which connects Dibrugarh.

Education

The notable schools in the district include Borpataria L. P. School, Bhairabpur Netaji M. E. School, St.Francis de Sales school, Dhemaji public school, Moridhal High School, Sankar Dev High school (No. 2 Manik Pur), Mother's Pride School, Silapathar Town Hanuman Gadhi Hindi High School and Dhemaji Boys' Higher Secondary School. Colleges in Dhemaji District are:

Economy

In 2006, the Indian government named Dhemaji as one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is one of the eleven districts in Assam currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF). Silapathar is the most developed city in Dhemaji district. Its economy is mainly depended upon trade and commerce for development.

Divisions

There are two Assam Legislative Assembly constituencies in this district: Dhemaji and Jonai. Both are designated for scheduled tribes. They make up a part of the Lakhimpur Lok Sabha constituency. Dhemaji district is politically very poor. Community politics is main reason for this. As of 2019, Pradhan Baruah is MP (Member of Parliament), Ranuj Pegu is MLA from Dhemaji and Bhubon Pegu from Jonai.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Dhemaji district has a population of 686,133, roughly equal to the nation of Equatorial Guinea or the US state of North Dakota. This gives it a ranking of 504th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 213 PD/sqkm. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 20.3%. Dhemaji has a sex ratio of 949 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 69.07%. 7.04% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes made up 6.45% and 47.45% of the population respectively. Hindus are 95.47% of the population. There are small minorities of Muslims (1.96%) and Christians (1.27%). After Majuli district, Dhemaji has the second-highest proportion of Hindus of all districts in Assam. According to the 2011 census, 39.21% of the district's population speaks Assamese, 32.53% Mising, 9.80% Bengali, 6.95% Boro, 5.26% Nepali, 1.49% Hindi and 0.95% Hajong as their first language.

Township areas

Flora and fauna

In 1996 Dhemaji district became home to the Bardoibum-Beelmukh Wildlife Sanctuary, which has an area of 11 km2. It shares the park with Lakhimpur district.