Biswanath Chariali

Biswanath Chariali বিশ্বনাথ চাৰিআলি
Township
Biswanath Chariali Location in Assam, India
Coordinates: 26°43′40″N 93°09′06″E / 26.72778°N 93.15167°ECoordinates: 26°43′40″N 93°09′06″E / 26.72778°N 93.15167°E
Country	India
State	Assam
Government
• Body	Biswanath Chariali Municipality Board
Population (2011)
• Total	19,145
Languages
• Official	Assamese, English
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Telephone code	+91 - (0) 3 - XX XX XXX
Vehicle registration	AS-12

Biswanath Chariali (IPA: ˌbɪswəˈnɑːθ ˈtʃɑːrɪˌælɪ) (Assamese: বিশ্বনাথ চাৰিআলি Bishônath Sariali) is a town and a municipal board in Sonitpur district in the state of Assam, India. The town is the district headquarters of the Biswanath district, which was created on 15 August 2015. It derives its name from Biswanath Ghat.

It holds the first "Clock Tower" (ghanta ghar, normally found in North Indian towns) of Assam followed by the clock tower of Dibrugarh.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census,^[1] Biswanath Chariali had a population of 16,830. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Biswanath Chariali has an average literacy rate of 80%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 85% and female literacy of 75%. 9% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Biswanath Ghat

The Biswanath Temple

Island of Umatumi

A view of sunset from Biswanath Ghat

Beyond Biswanath Chariali, towards south, there is Biswanath Ghat, also called popularly as "Gupta Kashi". The town is named after the ancient Biswanath mandir. It is called Gupta Kashi, in comparison with Kashi during the golden rule of the Guptas. Going by popular sayings, Kashi was home to temple of 330 million gods. The ghat has a cluster of temples of different gods. A Siva temple was located at the confluence of Bridhaganga (Burigonga) river with Brahmaputra. But now what is left is just the stone posts, beams and other ruins. During the summer the temple remains under water.Only in winter worship is done by constructing temporary shed which draws lot of tourists. On the third day of Assamese Bihu festival a mela is held at a place called Pani Bharal. The deity is taken from Biswnath Ghat to this place for a day and returns to Ghat.there.The mela is celebrated to commemorate the Guxai Bihu festival. Another Siva temple was built in higher ground. But it submerged under ground during the great earthquake of 1897. It could only be partly raised by engineers.The current Biswanath temple had been built in lieu of it. One can visit from here the island of Umatumuni, an archaeologically famous place. Then there is the Siva dol in reverence of God Siva, built by Ban, the king of Tezpur of Hari Harar Yudha fame.The problem of infiltration by Bangladeshis is a major concern over here.Most of the villages consists of people belong to scheduled castes. If you plan to visit Gupta Kashi, it is recommended that you stay in Biswanath Chariali town.Most of the nationalised banks and few prominent private banks have branches in Chariali town. ATMs (Automated Teller Machines) of most of these banks are available for transactions.

The Nagsankar is a Temple of Lord Shiva situated at Nagshankar village 15 km from Biswanath Chariali on National Highway 52. This temple is said to have been built in 4th century AD.^[2][3] "Nagsankar" temple premises includes a beautiful pond with tortoises who respond to the name "Mohan". Feeding the tortoises is an refreshing experience for the visitors. Marriages are often solemnised in this temple.

Another noteworthy place for visit in this town is the "Gang Mou Than". The great vaishnavite scholar Srimanta Sankardeva is believed to have stayed in this place after crossing the Brahmaputra due scare from enemies.For people visiting other archaeological sites of Biswanath and Gohpur area, Biswanath Chariali town provides the base. The Eco-Tourist resort in Biswanth Ghat named after "Green Ashiyana" completed its construction and is a point of attraction in addition with the food facilities. Moreover, one needs to cross the Brahmaputra in order to get access to this resort on the Uma Tumoni Island.

Economy

This town is surrounded by lush green tea gardens like Monabarie, Pertubghar, Sakomatha, Nilpur, Pavoi, Kalapani, Ginjia, Ketela, Bihali, Helem, Gohpur etc. Local youths have also started tea plantations. 'Nameri"and "Biswanath" are some popular brands of tea produced by the new generation local planters.

Politics

Biswanath is part of Tezpur (Lok Sabha constituency).^[4] Biswanath is represented by Prabin Hazarika in the Assam Legislative Assembly while it is represented by R.P. Sarmah in Tezpur Lok Sabha.

Education

There are Institutions of professional education, Biswanath College of Agriculture, under academic control of Assam Agricultural University Assam Agricultural University, Farm Machinery Training & Testing Institute under academic control of HRD Ministry, Govt. of India. Besides there is District Institute of Education and Training(DIET) approved by AICTE/UGC, Biswanath College, Biswanath B Ed College, Jawahar Novodaya Vidalaya, Chariali H.S & M.P School, Shankar dev Sishu/Bidya Niketan, Little Star School [www.littlestarschoolbnc.org], Biswanath Jnan Bharati School or , Don Bosco School (Barpokhuri), Don Bosco School (Ketela, Borgang), Chariali Adarsha Vidyapeeth, Chariali Academy, Kharashimalu High School, Bapuji High School, Saint Xavier's School, The East Indian school Tinisuti High School, Borgang High School, Ginjia High School Bihali High School and few other schools, IAPS (Icon Academy of Professional Studies)Facilitation center of NIELIT(DOEACC)(National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology) under Ministry of IT, Govt of India for Computer and Technical Education, Biswanath Chariali is also the first town in Assam to provide technological skills in rare and unconventional streams such as Embedded Systems and Robotics. The Gyanam Educational Society is the first Educational Institution to provide such technological skills in the area.

Healthcare

A full-fledged civil hospital, run by the state govt. is there in Biswanath Chariali. Besides there are several physicians with private practice including well equipped Nursing Homes. The Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes are- Catholic Hospital(Borgang), Boras' Nursing Home, K.P. Memorial Hospital, Sanjivani Hospital & Research Institute etc.

Culture

Biswanath Chariali is a culturally rich town. A non-profit non govt. organization organizes an annual one act play competition called Late Surya Borah Memorial One Act Play Competitions. There are two movie-theater halls in the town and a community hall for other cultural activities. Binapani Natya Mandir has been the centre of cultural activities for decades.

Biswanath Chariali has been hosting Surya Bora One Act Play competition for many years. Binapani Natya Mandir has been the centre of activities related to art and culture.The town has contributed to Assamese Cinema also. Central Namghar has contributed towards spreading Srimanta Sankardevs'works in fine arts.

• 

  Sivadoul at Biswanath

• 

  Bhaluk Gosai

Transport

The town is a prominent road junction of NH 15 & Pabhoi Road. It is around 75 km west from Tezpur town.

The town has decorated entrance gate on NH 52 on the western side. It is also connected by rail. It is situated on a branch line from Rangiya Jn. to Murkongselek. The rail line has been converted to B.G. New trains connecting New Delhi & Itanagar is running through Biswanath Chariali Railway station, but does not have a stop as of now. Inter city express connecting Guwahati is running and stops at Biswanath Chrialai Railway Station. Biswanath Chariali Railway station has been upgraded to a standard Class III Station. Also one passenger train runs between Dekargaon (Tezpur) to Naharlagun. The nearest airport is at Tezpur which has weekly flights to silchar and kolkata. One can use Lilabari Airport, New Lakhimpur also to reach this town from Kolkata. Day and night service of private and ASTC buses are available from Guwahati to Biswanath Chariali. Tourist Taxis are available here. Accommodation, either in Govt. Circuit House, Tourist Lodge or in Hotels is also available.

References

1. "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
2. "Nagsankar Mandir (Temple)". Retrieved 1 December 2014.
3. "Nag-Sankar Temple". tripadvisor.in. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
4. "List of Parliamentary & Assembly Constituencies" (PDF). Assam. Election Commission of India. Retrieved 2008-10-06.