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| A view of sunset from Dibrugarh |
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| Panoramic view of Dibrugarh city |
Dibrugarh derived its name from Dibarumukh (as a renowned encampment of Ahoms during the Ahom Sutiya War). Either the name "Dibru" evolved from Dibaru river or from the Dimasa word "Dibru" which means a "blister" and "Garh" meaning "fort". Both "Dibru" and "Dibaru" are Dimasa words. The Dimasas add the prefix "Di-" (which means "water") wherever there is small stream, a river, or a large river in a town or city. For example, "Diphu" (which means "white-water"), "Dimapur" (city with great river), etc. When the British came to this region, they constructed a fort on the bank of the river Dibaru. Therefore, this might be considered as the source of the name "Dibrugarh".
The British arrived in Assam in the year 1826, following the Yandaboo Accord. They selected Dibrugarh as an administrative and commercial center in Upper Assam, making Dibrugarh a hub of activity in this region of north-eastern India. In the year 1842, Dibrugarh was announced as the headquarters of Lakhimpur District. During World War II, the town was the principal military base and was used as a transit camp for the evacuees from Burma. In 1971 the Dibrugarh Sub-Division itself became a full fledged district. Later, the Tinsukia Sub-Division separated as a District in 1989 from Dibrugarh District. Today Dibrugarh is a separate district, with the District Headquarters in Dibrugarh.
Transport Communication
Air
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| A flight takingoff from Mohanbari Airport. |
Rail
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| Rajdhani Express standing at Dibrugarh Town railway station. |
Dibrugarh Town and Dibrugarh are two railway stations of the city and also two of the important Easternmost railway stations on the map of the Indian Railways connected to some of the important Indian cities like Bangalore, Chennai, Kochi, Quilon, Trivandrum, Kolkata, Delhi, Kanyakumari etc. through the railways network. The new Dibrugarh railway station has been developed on the outskirts of the town at Banipur. It is the biggest railway station in the entire north east spreading over 400 bighas of land and it is 2 km in length. One goods yard is also being developed for loading and unloading of goods along with a truck shed, which would accommodate 25 trucks at a time. Dibrugarh is also the only non-capital city in India to have the Rajdhani Express originating from and terminating in it. Twenty Rajdhani Express trains (10 from Dibrugarh and 10 from New Delhi) connect Dibrugarh with the national capital of New Delhi on a weekly basis. Moreover, the Vivek Express, named after Swami Vivekanda, which connects Dibrugarh and Kanyakumari, is now the longest train service in India, covering a distance of 4278 km in five days. Important trains that run from Dibrugarh are Vivek Express, Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express, Kamrup Express, Brahmaputra Mail, Dibrugarh - Chennai Egmore Express, Dibrugarh-Bangalore Express, Amritsar-Dibrugarh Express, Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express, Dibrugarh-Kolkata Superfast Express etc.
The Bogibeel Bridge, a 5-km long megastructure 17 km from Dibrugarh, being built at a cost of more than Rs 3,230 crore (original estimate Rs 1,767 crore), will finally be complete by December 2015, late by more than five years. Comprising a double-track broad gauge rail line on the lower deck and a four-lane expressway on the upper deck, the bridge will be a lifeline to the region as it creates a vital crossing point across the Brahmaputra in the Upper Assam Valley. Dibrugarh city will benefit directly from the bridge as its railway station is being expanded to become the biggest in the region.
Road
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| The Mankata Road flyover in Dibrugarh |
Dibrugarh has three bus terminuses. ASTC bus terminus at Chowkidinghee, Muralidhar Jalan Bus Terminus at Malakhubasa and AMCH bus terminus at Borbari near the AMCH gate. For inter-city journey, luxury buses including Volvo buses plying between important destinations within Assam and other neighbouring states at frequent interval are available.
National Highways Authority of India is proposing to make Dibrugarh, a NHAI hub after the completion of Bogibeel bridge. Dibrugarh is connected to the rest of India by NH-37. After the completion of Bogibeel bridge, it will be connected to northern bank of the Brahmaputra by NH-52(B). A new bypass is being constructed to ease traffic movement within the city area near Jameera. A new flyover has also come up along the NH-37 over the newly developed Dibrugarh-Moran rail line near Dibrugarh University.
Waterways
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| A ferry heading towards Dibrugarh across Brahmaputra river |
Tourist Destination
Dibrugarh and adjoining areas offer its tourists a unique blend of tourist attractions ranging from the ecstasies of the tea estates and their heritage to wildlife and culture, also touching the heart of someone with a religious fervour, all in the backdrop of a vibrant city.
Tea Estate
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| The lush and serene greenery of a tea estate in Dibrugarh |
Wildlife
Dibrugarh has rich flora and fauna in the surrounding wildlife sanctuaries and rainforests.Jokai Botanical Garden cum Germplasm Center
Jokai Botanical Garden cum Germplasm Center spread over an area of 1.2 Ha. amidst Jokai Reserve Forest is 12 km from Dibrugarh town on Mancotta-Khamtighat road. Apart from the storehouse of germplasm of some of the valuable and endangered species of flora of this region, the center is a showcase of what this region has in terms of floral biodiversity. The various zones of this center include Orchid house, Medicinal and aromatic plants plot, Rainforest specimen plot, a water pond etc.Added attractions to visit this botanical garden are Elephant ride to have an overview of the richness of Jokai Reserve Forest, a retreat to scenic beauty of Era-suti along northern boundary of Jokai Reserve Forest famous for migratory birds.
The work of developing trekking routes inside Jokai reserve forest and introduction of boating facilities at Era-suti is in progress to ensure that a tourist has a complete date with nature here.
Dibru – Saikhowa National Park
Dibru-Saikhowa National Park is located at about 42 km north of Dibrugarh town of Assam covering an area of 350 km2. It lies between 27°30' N to 27°45' N latitude and 95°10' E to 95°45'E longitude at an average altitude of 118 m (range 110-126m). It is also a biosphere reserve. The park bounded is by the Brahmaputra and Lohit rivers in the north and Dibru river in the south. It is situated in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia District of Assam. It mainly consists of wet evergreen forests, tropical moist deciduous forest, canebrakes and grasslands. It is the largest salix swamp forest in north east India. Situated in the flood plains of the Brahmaputra and the Lohit, at an altitude of 118 m above sea level, Dibru-Saikhowa is a safe haven for many endangered species. Due to the auto stocking by the Brahmaputra and Dibru river, it is rich in fish diversity. Dibru Saikhowa has tropical monsoon climate with a hot and wet summer and cool and usually dry winter. The annual rainfall ranges from 2300 mm to 3800 mm. The main rainy months are June, July, August, September. The average coldest and warmest temperature of the area ranges from 7 °C to 34 °C where June, July and August are the hottest while December and January are the coolest months.Jeypore Rainforest
Situated 60 km southeast of Dibrugarh town in eastern Assam, Jeypore Rainforest is India’s easternmost rainforest, one of very few wildlife reserves on earth housing seven wildcat species including Royal Bengal tiger, clouded leopard, common leopard, golden cat and marbled cat. Jeypore reserve forest and Dilli reserve forest combine to be the only rain forest area in the state spread across the three of upper Assam's districts of Tinsukia, Dibrugarh and Sibsagar comprising a total area of 575 km2. The forest is listed to be the last lowland forests under the Assam valley wet evergreen forest area in the region.Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuaries
The Dehing Patkai rainforest with an area of 111.19 km2. is located in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts and is famous for Assam Valley Tropical Wet Evergreen Forests bordering Arunachal Pradesh. A part of the 575 km2 Jeypore, spread across three eastern Assam districts, forms the Dehing-Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is a part of the Dehing-Patkai Elephant Reserve having the World War II cemeteries nearby, along with the Stillwell Road and the oldest refinery of Asia in Digboi and 'open cast' coal mining at Lido.Koli Aai Thaan
Koli Aai Thaan is a very famous tourist spot of Dibrugarh, which is dedicated to Koli Aai, the daughter of the head priest of the Dibaru Satra of Assam. It is said that due to the lack of male heir, the satra started disappearing. However, Koli Aai kept the Satra alive by preaching its ideals and principles. It is believed that Koli Aai was bestowed with divine powers and she vanished from the site one day, leaving behind a strong religious hold in the minds of the people.
Radha Krishna Temple
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| Radha Krishna Temple, Dibrugarh |
Mahatma Gandhi Park
Situated at Khanikar, 10 kilometres South of Dibrugarh city centre, this newly developed park is on a 22 bigha plot of land and features a blend of modernity and tradition and is a major attraction for tourists of all ages for a recreation.Lord Jagannath Temple
A replica of the Lord Jagannath Temple, Puri, Odisha, is coming up in Dibrugarh near the Mahatma Gandhi Park at Khanikar. The height of this temple will be 85 feet. When completed, this temple is expected to be a major centre for religious tourism in eastern Assam.Namphake Village
At a distance of about 37 km from the township of Dibrugarh, on the banks of the river Burhidihing, is the Namphake village (Thai: น้ำฝาแก่ namfaagae) of Assam. A very beautiful Buddhist monastery is located in this area. This monastery is regarded as a meditation center, due to its unique natural settings and serene atmosphere. It also serves as a very famous tourist attraction of Assam. Apart from this, the other attractions of the area are Nong Mungchiringta (Musulinda tank), Ashoka Pillar, Pagoda, and traditional stilt houses. The Princess of Thailand visited the village in 2009 and spoke with the residents. Despite the distance, the language and modern Thai have so much in common they are mutually intelligible.Naharkatia Town
Naharkatia is a town situated in the Dibrugarh district of Assam, which is renowned for its petroleum and gas reserves. The place is especially famous for its tea gardens and is considered to be an important commercial hub of the state. At a short distance from the town lie the historic Jaipur/Jeypore, Tipam and Namrup. Besides this, the oldest oil pool in the state is also located here.Vaishnavite Culture - Xatras
More information on Satra (Ekasarana Dharma)
Dehing Namti Satra
Around 8 miles from the town of Naharkatia, on the banks of river Disang (under Sasoni mouza), is the age old Dehing Namti Satra of Assam. The satra was established by Binandashyam Gohain and was initially situated between the roads of Hologuri and Sariyahtoli, in Dibrugarh. The current location of one of the chief wings of the satra is at Namti, in Nazira.Dinjoy Satra
This satra was first established by a prime devotee of Gopal Atadev, Srimanta Aniruddha Dev, in a village of North Lakhimpur. It was later shifted to Khutiaputa, around the time when the Moamoria rebellion took place. During this period, Astabhuj Gosain was the head of the satra. But after his demise, this religious seat remained vacant for 14 years. Later on, Pitambar Chandra Dev was made the head. The satra fell into trouble once again at the time of Burmese invasion of India. It was finally brought to the present site of Dinjan, about 5 km from the township of Chabua, after peace returned.Moderkhat Satra
Moderkhat Satra is actually an extension of the Dinjoy Satra and was established in the Moderkhat area of the Dibrugarh district. Chandrakantadev was the founder of this monastery. He was the brother of Sidanandadeb Dinjoy, who was the head priest of the Dinjoy Satra of Assam.Garpara Satra
Garpara satra is older than the Dinjoy Satra itself and is situated in Rohmoria mouza, Assam. The head priest of this satra was Narimaider. In recent times, there has been a proposal of shifting the satra to a new safer location, because of soil erosion at the present site.Dehing Satra
The ruins that are seen on the banks of the Dehing River under Larua mouza in present Dibrugarh, was a very famous satra during the rule of the Ahom king Rajeswar Singha. During the famous Moamoria revolution, the satra received royal support from Ahom King Rajeswar Singha and also from a number of other kings like Lakhi Singha and Gaurinath Singha.Dols and Maidams
Raidangia Dol
Raidangia Dol is found in the Kalakhuwa area of Laruah mauza, under the Barbaruah Dev Block of Assam. Established in 700 AD, by Swargodeo Pramatta Singha, the place was originally dedicated to the worship of Lord Vishnu. Later on, it became famous as Shiva dol. The dol contains relics of the powerful Ahom Kingdom. Initially, 24 statues were found engraved on the walls of the temple, but now only 14 of them are to be found. There is a large pond situated just adjacent to the temple. It is said that the dol, along with the pond and 200 pura, was given as a dowry when Swargadeo Pramatta Singha married his sister to Raidnogia Barua.
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