Information about Silchar

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Silchar Assam • India

Silchar

Coordinates:

Area • Elevation| | •  m ( ft)

District(s)| | Cachar

Coordinates: Silchar (Bengali: শিলচর Shilchôr, Assamese: শিলচৰ Xilsôr, Sylheti: শিলচর Hilsôr) is the headquarters of Cachar district in the state of Assam in India. It is the economic gateway to the state of Mizoram and part of Manipur. The town of Silchar has tremendous commercial importance. It consequently, witnesses the settlement of a sizeable population of traders from distant parts of India.

Being a peaceful place in the North-East earned it the bon mot of "Island of Peace" from India's Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The majority of natives in Silchar are Sylhethi, earlier a part of district under the erstwhile Sylhet district of undivided india. A sizeable fraction of the citizens also consist of people originally living here before the partition of Bengal. Silchar is situated by the banks of the Barak River in what is popularly known as Barak Valley.Rice is the staple cereal. Fish is also available. Shuţki (the local name for dried fish) tôrkari, shidal chutney, "chungar peetha" are some of the local delicacies.

Geography

Silchar is located at the southern part of Assam.^[1][2]. Situated on the Barak River near the Bangladesh border, it is a trade and processing centre for tea, rice and other agricultural products. There is limited industry, principally papermaking and tea-box manufacturing. The city has an airport and lies on both a rail head and national highways connecting Guwahati, Assam; Agartala, Tripura; Imphal, Manipur and Aizawl in Mizoram state. It has an average elevation of 22 metres (72 feet).

Demographics

As of 2001 India census^[3], Silchar had a population of 143,003. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Silchar has an average literacy rate of 79%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 83%, and female literacy is 76%. In Silchar, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age. Major religions followed are Hinduism and Islam.

Climate

At Silchar the wind generally blows from the northeast in the morning and from the southeast in the afternoon. Summer is hot, humid and interspersed with rains and thunderstorms. Winter generally starts towards the end of November and lasts till February. Towards the start of the Bengali month of Baishakh (mid-April) rain clouds start covering the skyline. Silchar is inundated almost every year due to excessive rain fall and flooding by the rive Barak.

Education

Silchar has some of the best educational institutes in the whole of North East India. One of the 19 National Institute of Technology (formerly known as Regional Engineering Colleges), NIT Silchar is one of the oldest engineering colleges in the North-East. REC Silchar was upgraded to National Institute of Technology status in 2003.

Silchar also has Silchar Medical College, a Polytechnic Institute, B.Ed colleges, two Law colleges and an Industrial Training Institute (ITI). After several years of persistent efforts Silchar got its own university Assam University a central university, which imparts education in both the general as well as professional streams.

Some reputed schools in Silchar include Adhar Chand H.S. School, Holy Cross School, Silchar Collegiate School, South Point School,Oriental High School,Maharishi Vidya Mandir, Narsing School, Govt. Boys School, Govt. Girls school and a couple of Kendriya Vidyalayas amongst others. Among the colleges the best known ones are Guru Charan College, Ramanuj College, Cachar College, Radhamadhav College etc. Guru Charan College is one of the most respected and reputed colleges in the whole of Assam. On the other hand, Ramanuj College is known to be the most successful institution for +2 level studies, now-a-days, in the entire Barak valley. The colleges are credited with producing some of the best intellectuals of the region.

Recent years have seen Silchar emerge as a potential educational place where denizens from the trouble-torn North-Eastern region come to the town for their children's education. Today a large number of professionals from Silchar are to be found around the globe in almost all countries and regions. Students today can educate themselves in almost all fields.

Historical Background

Cachar district records

"The management of the affairs of the district was entrusted after annexation, to Lieutenant Fisher, an officer of approved ability and great local experience. for some months Cachar continued to be administered from Cherrapunji, the head quarters of the Agent to the Governor General, but in consideration of practical difficulties early in 1833 Fisher had his head quarters at Dudputli which however were soon shifted to Silchar for the sake of convenience."

In the 1850s, British tea planters discovered the game polo in Manipur on the Burmese border with India. The first polo club in the world was formed at Silchar. The first competitive modern form of Polo was also played out in Silchar and the plaque for this feat still stand at the back side of the District Library, Silchar. Other clubs followed and, today, the oldest in the world is the Calcutta Club, founded in 1862.

Railway comes to Silchar

The Assam Bengal Railway brought Silchar into the Indian railway map in 1899. The railway line from Lumding to Silchar is hailed as one of the most exciting pristine railway tracks of India. Built by the British during the colonial rule, the Meter Gauge line stands testimony to the grandiose of what was once a highly popular city in the North-East.

Gallery

Barak Bridge through Silchar

Tarapur and Silchar Station

Silchar Airport

^{[4] [5]}

References

External links

• SILCHAR ON THE NET
• Silchar online
• Silchar on the web
• Silchar Sight
• Silchar Durga Puja

	State of Assam | History | Politics | People of Assam
Capital	Dispur
Districts	Baksa | Barpeta | Bongaigaon | Cachar | Chirang | Darrang | Dhubri | Dibrugarh | Dhemaji | Golaghat | Goalpara | Hailakandi | Jorhat | Karbi Anglong | Kokrajhar | Kamrup | Kamrup Metro | Karimganj | Lakhimpur | Marigaon | North Cachar Hills | Nagaon | Nalbari | Sibsagar | Sonitpur | Tinsukia | Udalguri
Major cities	Barpeta • Bongaigaon • Dhubri • Dibrugarh • Diphu • Goalpara • Guwahati • Jorhat • Karimganj • Nagaon • North Lakhimpur • Sibsagar • Silchar • Tezpur • Tinsukia