The District of
Darrang was created with effect from July'1983 by converting the erstwhile
Sub-Division of Mangaldai vide Govt notification number GAG 213/83/1 dated 14.06.1983 (Present Darrang District + Udalguri District). Again Govement of Assam vide notification number GAG(B)/2002/Pt/117 dated 30.09.2003 and subsequent notification vide number GAG(B)137/2008/Pt/536 dated 14.05.2004 created new District under BTAD with villages of nothern part of Darrang District and Present Darrang District was reorganized with 565 villages.
The
name Darrang was derived from the Bodo word Dourang, which means 'Lilabhumi'
(Playground) of Gods. According to Scholar Late Dineswar Sarma, the word Darrang
came from Dawrang
which means 'Gateway', as there was direct entry to Bhutan and from there to
Nepal, China etc. Gradually this was known as Darrang consisted of a large area, i.e., at present created / reorganized into 6 subdivisions namely : 1.Bhergaon 2.Udalguri(S) 3.Mangaldai(S) 4.Tezpur(S) 5.Gahpur 6. Biswanath Chariali.
Darrang consists of a
narrow strip of plain lying between Himalayas and
Brahmaputra river in the
north-west part of Assam. The land which is now known as Darrang district was
included in the Hindu Kingdom of
Kamrupa as mentioned in
Mahabharata. Its
antiquity dates back to the beginning of the sixteenth century when the Koch
King Nar Narayan incorporated this district in his Kingdom. In 1637, the
Ahom
Kingdom was established in the land after the death of the then Koch King
Bali
Narayana. In 1792, Darrang Raja was defeated by an expeditionary force under the
command of Captain Welsh and in 1826, Darrang with rest of Assam passed under
the British rule.
Presently the District in general is
considered to be plain. On the north and east side there exist the Udalguri District and mighty Brahmaputra flows along the southern boundary of
the district .The District Kamrum(R) is in the west. The main tributaries of Brahmaputra in this district are Barnadi, Nowanai, Mangaldai
and Dhansiri. The forests within
the district provide good amount of timber to the timber units.
The climate of the district is congenial. In the winter, the northern
part of the district is colder than the rest of the district since it is covered
by hills and forests of Udalguri District. The average temperature ranges from 10o to 30o C.
Average annual rainfall is about 2120 mm.
The soil of this district is very fertile for cultivation and the main
crops are paddy, oilseeds, sugarcane and jute. The area is also known for its
considerable tea productions. The main horticultural products are orange,
coconut, pineapple etc. In addition, the district is rich with sizeable
production of vegetables.
The
village Patharughat
of this district is famous for the historic Agrarian agitation of 1894, when firing by British administration claimed lives of
15 villagers were killed and 37 villagers were injured, while they were in protest against the enhancement of land revenue
and imposition of local taxes. However, other sources claimed that as many as 140 farmers embraced martyrdom and 150 were wounded in that incident.
Prag Bosimi Synthetics
Limited, a joint sector
undertaking of Government of Assam and
Bombay Silk Mill with foreign
collaboration is also an important asset of the District.
Darrang is not connected by rail but
has a good network of road transport
system. The nearest airport is at Barjhar near Guwahati.
